From June 7–10, I had the privilege of attending the 2026 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting & Pastors’ Conference in Orlando, Florida. This year’s gathering was one of the largest in recent memory, bringing together 21,144 attendees, including 11,692 messengers, 5,785 guests, and 3,667 exhibitors. It was a powerful reminder of what can happen when thousands of churches work together to fulfill the Great Commission.

From June 7 to 10, the annual Southern Baptist Convention took place in Orlando, Florida. As usual, it began with a two‑day Pastors’ Conference, which is open to everyone.

On June 7, a special and long-awaited event took place at Grace Avenue Bible Church - a water baptism service during which 14 young people dedicated their lives to serving the Lord. Seven young women and seven young men took this important step of faith, publicly testifying to their decision to follow Jesus Christ.

On May 31, believers from various churches gathered in Monterey for a blessed day of worship, fellowship, and spiritual encouragement. The event provided a wonderful opportunity for Christians from different congregations to come together in unity and strengthen their bonds in Christ.

On May 31, a solemn water baptism service took place at Bryte Church during the English-speaking worship service. On this day, 35 people took their conscious step of faith — all of them representatives of the younger generation.

On May 30 and 31, Rockland Baptist Church hosted a significant cultural event for Sacramento’s Russian-speaking community — concerts by internationally acclaimed opera singer Diana Skavronskaya as part of the Gravity Arts Concert Series, organized by Rockland Gravity Arts.

On May 23, Grace Avenue Bible Church hosted a women’s breakfast titled “Spirit. Soul. Body.” The event brought together women of different ages and provided an opportunity to enjoy warm fellowship, gain valuable insights, and find encouragement for both spiritual and personal growth.

Women’s Fellowship
On May 16, our church, House of Prayer, held another Women’s Ministry gathering — a ladies’ breakfast. These meetings have become a special time for fellowship, spiritual encouragement, and strengthening among the sisters.

More than eighteen years ago, in Reno — a city whose primary industry is centered around casinos — ministers from Rockland Church began a ministry to the Slavic community. ¹ At that time, the ministry was led by P. Fedorov. When he moved to Florida, he was succeeded by Atanas Bosakov. Later, he also left California. Since then, the ministry has been continued primarily by ministers from two other churches: the Slavic Baptist Church of West Sacramento and the church in Bryte.

One of the happiest moments in the weekly routine of 93-year-old Lyubov Mikhailovna Gorbulyak is the Saturday gatherings with preachers from the Evangelical Christian Baptist church who travel to Reno from Sacramento.

These festive days became a special time of thanksgiving to God for His faithfulness, mercy, and blessings that have accompanied the church throughout all the years of its existence.

The Slavic church in Honolulu warmly sends Hawaiian greetings to the brothers and sisters of the Pacific Coast Association’s churches and wishes everyone a blessed summer.

The month of May was quite eventful in this young church, where hardly a Sunday passes without visits from guests coming from different parts of the United States and from countries both near and far abroad.

PCSBA's May 2026 newsletter is available here: In Russian | In English.

Please accept my apologies, but there is an error in the Russian version of the letter: the title states that it is the April letter. However, this is actually the May letter, not the April one. Unfortunately, once the letter has been distributed, it is impossible to correct the error.

On Tuesday, May 26, at 9:00 a.m., the second Pacific Thrift Store held its soft opening at 7424 Greenback Ln, Citrus Heights, CA 95610. The opening began with a prayer of dedication and blessing. Special guests from other church associations, honored guests, and partners of the Mission Department of the Association attended the event.

The ministry to Mugata-children has come to a halt. The authorities left Pastor Shukhrat alone after finding no violations in his actions, but the mullah from the Mugata settlement and those aligned with him are doing everything they can to discourage parents from allowing their children to meet with Christians.

On May 16, Grace Avenue Bible Church held a church picnic at Rush Park, which became a wonderful time of rest, fellowship, and spiritual unity in nature. On this day, church members and guests gathered to spend time in a warm and friendly atmosphere centered around the Word of God.

 On April 11, our youth ministry at New Hope Baptist Church had the blessing of hosting one of the PCSBA youth gatherings — Saints of Sac. This special evening brought together over 250 young people from churches across our association for a night of worship, fellowship, prayer, and God’s Word.

I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to attend the Congress of the Slavic Union of the La Plata Republics (Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina), which took place from May 1 to 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The theme of the congress was the phrase: “Ready to go and act.” The main emphasis was placed on evangelism and mission.

Below are links to new apologetics recordings from the International Biblical Apologetics Association. All recordings are in Russian.

Supporting the initiative of the President of the PCSBA, Alexander Pronin, to visit and encourage smaller churches within the Association, brothers and sisters from Bryte Church paid a friendly visit on May 17 to Evangelical Christian Church of Montebello.

“When God Leads Further” — under this title, a conference was held on May 8–9 at Second Slavic Baptist Church of North Highlands. These two days became a time of deep fellowship, inspiration, new friendships, and spiritual renewal for many participants.

We received a question from one of the members of a local church regarding the Association’s Administrative Council:

A wonderful evangelism conference was held at Bryte Church, where Dr. Timothy Beougher from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary taught and ministered. This was not merely theoretical teaching on evangelism, but practical equipping with invaluable tools for sharing the Gospel.

A conference titled “Christian Woman of the 21st Century” was held on April 25, 2026, in the city of Hayward at Mission Blvd. Baptist Church. It was a great joy that sisters from other churches also came, allowing us all to enjoy wonderful fellowship together.

PCSBA's April 2026 newsletter is available here: in Russian| in English.

Our Pacific Thrift Store has been operating for over 10 years and gained solid popularity. There is a wide variety of good-quality items, very affordable prices, and it’s a busy, well-visited place. I reached out to the general manager, Pavel Tsvirinko, with several questions about both the first store and the one that is soon to open—questions that interested me and, I believe, many others as well. An audio version of his responses can be heard at the provided link (in Russian only).

On April 18th, a warm and blessed picnic took place in Yuba City — a gathering of two churches united for ministry. By God’s grace and with the support of brothers and sisters, the event was held in a festive, spring atmosphere. The weather was favorable, and those who attended felt the presence of the Lord.

A month has passed since the last update about the ministry among the Mugata Gypsies, and this month has been filled with many events—some of them quite difficult.

Meetings of the PCSBA’s department leaders take place every two months. During these gatherings, leaders report on the work accomplished and share their plans for the future. At the April meeting, A. B. Pronin presented a short seminar on what a leader should be like, reports from the department leaders were heard, and then the group discussed how successfully PCSBA’s ministries reach churches and what is the future of the PCSBA’s newsletters.

On March 22, the youth movement United the Movement held its first worship night of the year on the steps of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, bringing together members of local churches and passersby who became interested in what was taking place.

This announcement provides information about recordings made by the International Biblical Apologetics Association in Russian and English during March and part of April.

More than 20 young people gathered on Saturday, April 11 at Grace Avenue Bible Church for a youth prayer breakfast. Many of the participants arrived early to prepare a light breakfast for everyone. After breakfast, the youth sang together, prayed, spent time in fellowship, and listened to a message from the youth leader, Eugene Belous.

Request from Pavel Tsvirinko, manager of Pacific Thrift Store:

Dear friends! I am reaching out to you with a heartfelt request. At this time, we are working on opening a second Pacific Thrift Store.

The conference “When God Leads Further” will take place on May 8–9 at the Second Slavic Baptist Church. The conference is intended for young adults aged 25 and older—men and women who are seeking answers to important questions, desiring to strengthen their faith, and receive spiritual guidance.

On Sunday, March 15, a deeply moving service took place at Grace Avenue Bible Church, dedicated to the healing of Pastor Pavel Shchur from cancer—a testimony of faith, persistent prayer, and God’s mercy. After more than nine months of struggle, during which he was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy, Pastor Pavel stood before the congregation to share what he calls a life-changing event.

On March 7, another gathering of families with children with special needs took place at the Slavic Baptist Church of West Sacramento. These meetings are usually held in two separate classes: one for the children and one for the mothers. The children have a Bible lesson similar to a Sunday school class, while the mothers engage in discussions on various topics to support and encourage one another.

PCSBA's March 2026 Newsletter is available here: in English | in Russian.

Dear friends! I sincerely congratulate you on the bright celebration of the Resurrection of Christ! Christ is risen!
Easter is the celebration of the greatest victory accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and life over death. That is why the apostle Paul joyfully exclaims: “O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

At the beginning of March, a special Bible celebration for preschool children titled “Heavenly Armor” was held at the “Spring of Life” Church. This event was not only bright and joyful, but also a deep and thoughtfully designed immersion into the spiritual world, accessible even to the youngest participants.

The baptism service at House of the Gospel Church in Fresno, CA on Sunday, March 1st, 2026 was a joyful milestone for the entire congregation. Three young individuals publicly declared their faith in Christ, surrounded by a sanctuary filled with family, friends, and church members from every generation. What made the day especially meaningful was the unity expressed as both the English and Slavic congregations gathered together for one combined service, worshiping as one body and celebrating God’s work in the lives of these young believers.

“That’s what our parents tell us!” one of the boys who attends the classes blurted out, revealing a common “secret.”

But God gave the teacher wisdom to lead the children to understand that they themselves, in essence, are also “kafirs”¹ and are in need of the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ so as not to end up in hell forever.

A music conference that brought together ministers, musicians, and all those who dedicate their creativity to God took place on March 14 at Bryte Church in Sacramento. The event was organized by Sergey Yanovsky, head of the Music Department of PCSBA. The conference became an important platform for learning, inspiration, and spiritual renewal.

The International Biblical Apologetics Association (IBAA), led by Dr. Igal German, publishes a large number of highly valuable apologetics recordings every month, addressing pressing questions of our time. Below are recordings in Russian released in February and March of this year. English-language recordings can be viewed on the YouTube channel Faith Defenders International — Dr. Igal German.

On March 13, 2026, the annual women’s seminar of the “Healthy Christian Woman” ministry took place at the Second Slavic Baptist Church in North Highlands. This was the sixth seminar of its kind. This year, the event gathered more than 190 participants—women, their teenage daughters, and guests from other churches.

Many in our Association have heard about the opening of the second Pacific Thrift Store location and are wondering why it is not yet operating.

On March 7, 2026, a special evening for married couples titled “Family Harmony” was held at the First Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church of Sacramento of Sacramento. This warm and cozy event was organized by the “Family Harmony” ministry, which for the past 15 years has been dedicated to supporting and strengthening families.

A special evening for married couples took place on February 21 at Grace Avenue Bible Church. It was not only a time of fellowship, but also a time for deep reflection on topics that are often not spoken about openly, especially in church. More than 40 couples participated in the event.

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, a large-scale event is being launched this spring to help people engage more deeply with the Word of God. It is called “America Reads the Bible.” (Source: CBN)

President Donald Trump announced that a major national prayer event will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on May 17, 2026, inviting Americans from across the country to “pray, give thanks, and rededicate America as one nation under God” as part of celebrations for the United States’ 250th anniversary.

We warmly greet you and would like to express our sincere gratitude for your постоянные prayers and support. We deeply appreciate your care and can truly feel how the Lord is working through your participation in the ministry.