Greetings to you dearly beloved brothers and sisters! Lately, the circumstances were hostile against the Sunday School ministry and it was unrealistic to host any events for those serving in the Children's Ministry. However, the department regularly had meetings with their committee in order to be ready to organize the conferences and retreats as soon as they would be allowed. That opportunity presented itself on February 5-7. The retreat was hosted at Zephyr Point –Lake Tahoe Conference & Retreat Center. It should be noted that this is a wonderful, convenient and picturesque place on the shores of Lake Tahoe, where a magnificent panorama of the lake surrounded by mountain peaks opens right from the windows. Taking advantage of the free time allotted in the schedule, everyone really enjoyed taking walks out in the open while being filled with gratitude to the Creator for a wonderful weather and a stunning beauty of His creation. 

On January 30, a master's program was held at the Montebello Church. The students were taught by Alexey Ivanov a course on the Old Testament (see pictures below). On February 2-5, a session was held in Spain. The program takes place at the Zoom site, and was taught by Sergey Pronin: "Doctrine about the Church and the End Times".

On Friday evening, February 19, Adolf Andreevich Pichaj went home to be with the Lord, whom he had served since his youth. Here is what his son writes about the last days of Adolf Andreevich:

The representatives of the Associations of ECB churches in America who are in charge of the organization of the missionary congress had their meeting on February 19. The main question of the meeting was when and where will the International Missionary Congress take place. After a lot of thinking and deliberation, everyone came to a unanimous decision to have it on May 20-22 of 2022 in Sacramento, CA.

The Association's committee had their latest meeting at the Association's office on February 19. About half of its members were present in person while the rest participated through ZOOM. These types of meetings create an interesting dynamic of fellowship and decision making. Interestingly, although the meeting was in this mixed format, the important issues were resolved.

Over the last few years, God allowed us to take a part in sharing the Gospel with many people who just recently arrived from the countries of the former Soviet Union. In the Fall of 2018, we had the opportunity to organize an event at the park for close to 500 people. With some of them, we were able to establish connections and long-lasting friendships. It is impressive to observe so many immigrants who are currently residing in Sacramento and who came from various regions of the former Soviet Union. The main difference that we noticed during conversations with people is that the previous immigrants arriving to the U.S. for the most part already had relatives with whom they were able to reunite. The present immigrants, however, come not as legal immigrants and do not have any relatives or friends. This is a very desperate step that they have to take in order to hope for a better future for themselves and their families.

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

Gary Ball is a teacher, mentor, and has done missionary work in India. Gary with his wife Jan, a certified family counselor, have served as an excellent example of self-sacrifice and love for the Lord at Grace Avenue Bible Church for five years. They are now moving to Idaho, where the Lord will use them in new serving capacities. In his interview with David Karkhut, one of the leaders at Grace Avenue Bible Church, Gary Ball shares his personal testimony on his journey of faith, his understanding of the mission field, and about the importance of mentoring and training up young preachers who would continue his vacancy.

Last year has proven to be a very difficult year for many and it is uncertain what is in store for us. People are troubled and are looking for answers. Some of them are in fear of the upcoming day. But we as Christians who are going through the same things have a confident hope in God and His promises. We know that we are not alone, and God will never leave us and He will lead us through all of life’s difficulties. That is a reminder to us from God’s ministers who are our church pastors, and who encourage us through their sermons.

Life at Sierra Pines Camp is moving along at a fast pace this winter!  We are glad to be able to report that a new camp manager is now in place at the camp!  Vitaliy’s expertise in camp maintenance is a great asset and we are glad to have him and his family join us.  Additionally, a husband-and-wife team relocated to the camp to perform janitorial and custodial services.  This will ensure that that we are able to accommodate a greater number of AirBnB customers at the camp!  

Hayward Slavic Evangelical Christian Baptist Church officially changed its name. It is now Mission Boulevard Baptist Church. 

Greetings dear churches! The past, 2020 year, was an unexpected year for many of us. However, what is unexpected for us is always known by our great God. He has purposes that he fulfills in ways that are beyond our understanding, but that is why he is God and we are mere humans. David reminds us that we are dust (Psalm 103:14), yet God is still, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” He works justice, but he also does not keep his anger forever (103:6, 9). In many ways Mission Boulevard Baptist Church has seen God's mercy and grace and loyal love toward us in this past month and more so in the past year. 

Everyone is invited to the ZOOM conference, which will be held on Saturday, January 30 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am (PST). The topic of the conference: "The reliability of the Holy Scriptures."

On Wednesday, January 13th at 6:30 pm, Moms in Prayer Ministry will have an hour of prayer joining the World Day of Fasting and Prayer of the Moms in Prayer ministry. Christian sisters around the planet will unite in prayer for children and schools. For Russian-speaking women, a prayer is organized at ZOOM, the link is given below.

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

In light of the challenges due to COVID 19, stepping down of Pastor Benjamin Gorelov due to health issues, and high rent cost, our Slavic Evangelical Missionary Church of Orange County decided to merge with the sister church – the Forward Church.

Was it worth it to dedicate oneself to studies for 4 years? To limit oneself in rest? To discipline oneself in reading about 380 books and to write almost 2,000 pages of essays? Was it worth it to ride the bus at night to Los Angeles on Mondays to be able to make it to class on Tuesday mornings? And then at the end of the week to come back to Sacramento. Was it worth it to limit oneself in such ways while at the same time to be active in all of the church’ activities?

As you may be aware, Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Associations (PCSBA) owns and operates Sierra Pines Camp, a four-seasons campground and retreat center located in the beautiful High Sierras of Northern California.  As 2020 comes to a close, we want to express our sincere appreciation for your prayers and support for Sierra Pines Camp.  Even though the camp was shut down for several months due to COVID restrictions, Sierra Pines found new ways to serve by making individual cabins available for rent via Airbnb.  Praise God for that!

We got the news from Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Last night, December 10, a fire destroyed the Hope Center for women and children. Two floors are on fire when the fire brigade arrives. By miracle, none of the inhabitants was hurt except for one woman who was brought to hospital because of smoke inhalation. But all of the kids are well.

On December thirteenth, after a serious and prolonged illness, Sergei Ivanovich Neverov, a pastor and a fervent preacher, went to be with the Lord.

Sergei Ivanovich Neverov was born on December 1, 1942, in the large family of Ivan Grigoryevich and Anna Fyodorovna Neverov, in the city of Tashkent. From his childhood, at the age of five, Sergei was passionate about reading books.  His mother Anna Fyodorovna taught him to read early. Because there was not enough money to buy books Sergei needed to be creative.   He found a way to raise funds by selling ice-cold water.  Borrowing his mother’s tea kettle; he filled it with water from the well, added ice, and sold to passersby.  With the few rubles raised, Anna Fyodorovna bought books for little Sergei.  After thoroughly reading them his mother would sell those to buy new ones.  The entire family enjoyed evenings of needle point while listening to Sergei reading from his books.  Furthermore, Sergei loved poetry, which later became an integral part of his sermons.

On December 11th, the Association’s ministry leaders had their last meeting of this year. This meeting was over ZOOM, and it was dedicated to giving thanks to God for the past year and to plan the upcoming year.

With the change of leadership in the Missionary Ministry, there have been some other changes as well. There were also changes to the ministry team as well. Some could no longer be a part of this ministry while others joined their ranks. At the end of October, the team had an annual retreat and the team went to great length in making all the necessary preparations.

The prison ministry has always had enough things to do. However, lately, those who are involved in this ministry have been unproductive. Due to the pandemic, they are not allowed to come to prisons, and every form of communication with the inmates happens through writing. However, over the last two to three weeks, the Lord has accomplished amazing things in this ministry. In the past, we have never ministered to women. Suddenly we were approached by a woman named Natalya. She is 28 years old and about eight years ago she stopped coming to church. When she was attending church, she had a great joy of fellowship with Christians and enjoyed reading God’s Word. But then she grew cold and walked down the wrong path and ended up in jails.

I hope this letter finds you walking in the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many things to be grateful for every single month in the life of a church. God created rhythms in weeks, months, and years to help us slow down and assess what He's been doing. He himself worked six days and rested on the seventh. Therefore, here is an update of His faithfulness in the life of our church.

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

Dear brothers and sisters! Happy Thanksgiving Day!

We need to always be thankful to God for everything that He gives us…This is what Apostle Paul meant when he was writing in Romans: “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

Our Association has finally had the long-anticipated youth retreat for everyone who is engaged in any kind of youth ministry either at their local church or in other youth ministries. The retreat took place on November 13-15 at Sierra Pines Camp.

On November 7, Grace Avenue Bible Church hosted the 13^th annual Missionary Reunion, which was attended by representatives from various churches of our Association:  First and Second Slavic Baptist Church, Bryte Church, Living Stones Church, Mission Bible Church (Bay Area), Grace Family Church, and Cornerstone Church. There were also guests from Russia: American missionaries from Moscow and Ufa, and Word to Russia Mission in West Sacramento.

On October 31, the First Slavic Baptist Church of Sacramento hosted an annual meeting of the Association’s ministers. The meeting was attended by the church pastors, the Association’s ministry leaders, as well as the members of the Executive Committee of the Association.

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

On October 3-10, there was an apologetics conference, “Jesus on Trial” with the involvement of well-known authors and apologists. The goal of the conference was to strengthen the people’s faith in Christ, and especially to defend the reality of His resurrection. The conference’s attendees were primarily teens and youth who were fluent in English. For those who did not understand English, there was Russian translation that was made available.

In light of the upcoming election, on behalf of The Pacific Coast Association I invite you to unite in prayer, which will take place on November 1, 2020. This is a prayer for our bigger home, for the country, which we love and care for, both in the present, as well as in the future. The United States is at the crossroads, and the outcome of this election will have a huge impact on the future of this country.

On October 9 and 10 the Light of the World Church hosted the training session where two subjects were taught: Theology, and Spiritual Development. This was the second session, and we are grateful to God for such an opportunity. In light of the pandemic, it is uneasy to begin the year of instruction, but thank God that He opened “the doors” for us at this time.

PCSBA"s September newsletter is available here: in English | in Russian. 

If you have children or grandchildren, work with children at church, or you have neighborhood children whose parents you know, please take note of the information below and pass it along to others. Schools are distributing this book to children through the Scholastic Book Club.

«So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. » (Rom. 14:19)

At first glance, what is so special about regular fellowship with another? Why is it so important to have such fellowship? What can we offer to our companion and what can we gain in return? What are we seeking and what is our purpose in fellowshipping with others? The Word of God calls us to seek that which serves for peace and building up of another, and that is exactly what we are encouraging our youth to do.

«Northern Thunder» or «Church of the Almighty God» is a fast-growing cult whose proponents pose as Christians, but are actually twisting and rejecting the biblical teaching.

The Association’s women ministry had undergone certain changes. Due to health concerns Nina Yurkova (she had a stroke) asked to be released from her position as the head of the women ministry.

On August 30, Slavic Baptist Church "Bethel" held a special service dedicated to the ordination of Denis Okunev for a deacon ministry. He along with the head pastor of the church is representatives of the second generation of immigrants. Grigoriy Ivanovich Lakhno together with his son Vitaliy serves as a church pastor. He has entrusted the ministry to his son. It is a blessing when both the experience of the older as well as the energy of the younger is united for a mutual service in one local church.

On August 23, Slavic Baptist Church of Yuba City held a joyous church service, which was attended by not only the members of the local church, but by other guests and representatives of other churches of the Аssociation.

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

On his Facebook page, Franklin Graham shared his observations about the absence of God on the upcoming democratic conventions in America. “I do not believe that America can expect a bright future if we take God out of the government and social life. It is God who establishes the standards by which we ought to live” – he said in his post. The full text of his post is available below or on his Facebook page.

Оn August 22, Slavic Baptist Church of West Sacramento hosted a meeting of head pastors and the Committee members of the Association.

On July 25-27, my wife Alena and I were able to visit Minnesota. This is a state where I experienced true and freezing winters, where my children grew up, where I received a calling to spiritual ministry, where I had the experience of “faithfulness to God in little”, and where I began ministering as a pastor at a church which was small at that time, but which God blessed in the past, and continues to bless to this day!

On August 8-10, my wife and I visited Tacoma, WA. The “evergreen” state has amazed us with its beauty and cleanliness, as well as the friendliness of the people. Despite our usual expectations of the rainy weather, during the days of our visit, there was nothing but sunny weather, as well as warm and close fellowship at different gatherings.

In light of the cancellation of our radio program on 1690 AM, the Association was forced to switch to a new station at 87.7 FM. As a result of this shift, we have lost all of our previous listeners, and so far, have not gained any consistent listeners at the new station. In addition, the audience of this new station is completely different than what was before. The new audience is generally unbelievers, and as it is said today, “unchurched” people, and it is very difficult to gain their attention. For them, many of our programs are hard to understand and boring. They are not interested in the issues that we are raising and shedding light upon. They would rather listen to entertainment programs or discuss current events. 

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

On July 12, the Word of Life Baptist Church had a celebration service during which the office of the head pastor passed from David Khadzhiyev to Dmitriy Kruts. For such occasions, the American churches has a special church service called “Pastoral Installation Service”.

On July 18, the Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church in Montebello held a pastors’ meeting of the southern region. It was attended by the representatives of the six churches located in the span of the San Diego region until Los Angeles.

On July 18, the Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church in Anaheim, had a joyful occasion: ordination of a young minister, Andrey Stebakhov for the deacon ministry.