"The kids who walked away knew all the Bible stories. That's exactly why they left."

They should have been our strongest believers. They walked away instead

On February 7, 2026, a wonderful Sunday School Teachers' Conference took place, organized by the Pacific Union Sabbath School Department. More than 50 people attended the conference. The department head, Zhanna Yanovska, and the entire committee extend their heartfelt thanks to Grace Avenue Bible Church for hosting the event; the church volunteers worked together harmoniously, actively helping and participating.

For more than thirty years, Revival Baptist Church has faithfully served the city of Vancouver, Washington. Throughout these decades, God has blessed the church not only with numerical growth and fruitful ministries, but also with dedicated and faithful servants.

At the 87th Convention of the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association, an interview was held with Pavel Belev, pastor of the Spring of Life Church (Mukilteo, Washington) and the newly elected Vice President of the PCSBA. We spoke about his new role, the place of the church in today’s world, technology, pastoral responsibility, and the importance of churches unity. Below is the interview conducted by Svetlana Iotko, correspondent for the Information Department.

PCSBA’s January 2026 newsletter is available here: in Russian | in English.

Franklin Graham called on all Americans to devote Wednesday, January 14, to prayer and repentance. And although that day has already passed, the needs he speaks about in his appeal—and the need for repentance—remain. And this concerns not only English-speaking Christians and churches, but also us, immigrants from Slavic and European countries. Unfortunately, in our churches one can almost never hear calls to this kind of prayer. Yet it is time for us as well to join such prayers, understanding that we have made this country our own and are now responsible for its physical and spiritual condition—for the country in which, by our choice, our children and grandchildren will live.

In October 2025, during the PCSBA’s 87^th convention, a meeting of the PCSBA’s Missions Committee was held, at which a decision was made to declare 2026th the Year of France. This means that, drawing on the missionary experience we gained in Italy and Spain, where new churches were planted, the Gospel will once again be preached through home groups, while missionaries for future permanent ministry are sought at the same time. Later, churches would grow out of these home groups.

What our children take for granted and demand more and more of—gifts, entertainment, and sweets at Christmas—is something completely new for Roma children, and even for adults, and it brings them boundless joy. Even making a simple paper craft is a novelty for them! Most of them have never done anything like this before. And as for the Christmas message, they had never heard it at all and did not know that it also applies to them.

Watch the video story about how Christmas was celebrated this year at the Gypsies school and in their settlement—click this link.

On Friday, at our Second Slavic Baptist Church, we held a special evening of support for widows and people who are alone. It was more than just a meeting — it was a space filled with warmth, care, and the presence of God’s love.

On January 10, the Spring of Life Church hosted a special Christmas gathering for brothers and sisters aged 70 and older. This warm and heartfelt event took place in a cozy, truly home-like atmosphere that encouraged fellowship and mutual support.

On January 18, 2026, during the evening worship service at Second Slavic Baptist Church of Sacramento, the Blagovest Institute of Ministry held its annual commencement ceremony under the spiritual and educational oversight of the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association.

As in many churches, the “Spring of Life” Church hosted a series of Christmas events in December 2025, bringing together church members and guests through music, creativity, and reflection on the meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ.

There are many very talented people in the churches of the PCSBA: musicians, singers, writers, and even actors. All of them strive to glorify the Lord with their talents, and this is especially evident during the Christmas season. If you were not able to attend their performances in person, you can watch the recordings using the links provided below:

On December 27, in the days leading up to the New Year, Rockland Baptist Church hosted a solo Christmas concert by the Izmailov Brothers, featuring violin and piano. The audience included people of all ages—from children and young families to senior music lovers—and represented both American and Slavic communities.

More than a year ago, the International Biblical Apologetics Association (IBAA), led by Igal German, joined the list of partners of the Pacific Association. After getting to know this organization more closely, it became clear that cooperation with it can be mutually beneficial. Get acquainted with what Brother Igal shared with O. Avetisova and see for yourself.

Sergey Pronin was born in Donetsk, Ukraine. At the age of 18, he joined Bethany Church, where he received water baptism and committed himself to active service in the church. His ministry began with leading the youth choir and later the main church choir. Throughout the years, he has faithfully served as a teacher and music minister.

For many centuries the Gypsy people lived in Central Asia, remaining outside of Christian fellowship: no one preached the Gospel to them, and little concern was shown for the salvation of their souls. Most of them practiced a form of folk Islam mixed with occult rituals and witchcraft. And then the time came when God miraculously touched His children in different parts of Asia, and they went to this humiliated and disadvantaged people, bringing them the Good News of Christ.

By God’s grace, a new ministry among Slavic immigrants is opening in the city of Alicante, Spain. Missionaries serving in Spain have been praying for a long time about opening a Slavic church in this city, and now the time has come when the implementation of this project has become possible.

By tradition, the members of the Executive Committee and the heads of departments of the Association meet every year for their pre-Christmas gathering on the first Friday of December. This year it fell on the 5th. As before, not only the Association’s staff were invited to the meeting, but also their spouses—husbands and wives.

United the Movement hosted its final worship night of the year on December 6, 2025, closing the season with an evening marked by heartfelt fellowship and beautiful, unified worship. Though the night air was cold, the atmosphere inside was filled with warmth, joy, and a shared devotion that brought everyone together.

On November 30, 2025, a truly remarkable event took place in Sacramento for the Slavic Christian community of California. For the first time, the city hosted an evening of Christian songwriters and song performers in live sound —without backing tracks, sound filters, and technical substitutes. Only live voices, live accompaniment, live music, and a genuine testimony of craftsmanship.

On November 30, 2025, the New Hope Baptist Church took part in the 26th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in the city of Rancho Cordova. This meaningful community event once again brought together residents of different ages and nationalities, uniting them in an atmosphere of joyful anticipation of Christmas and bright hope.

On November 29, a women’s pre-Christmas gathering took place at Rockland Baptist Church, becoming a special time of spiritual fellowship, inspiration, and preparation of hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. More than 100 women from different churches came together for this event, highlighting unity and a shared desire for fellowship with God.

For several years, Second Slavic Baptist Church has been celebrating the Harvest Festival in a park, bringing the entire church family together to thank God and glorify His name. This year, the celebration once again took place at Gibson Ranch Park and was marked by a particularly warm, joyful, and friendly atmosphere.

Once a year, all employees of Pacific Thrift Store, members of the store’s Board of Directors, representatives of the Mission Department, and the President of the Association gather together to rejoice in the celebration of Christmas, thank the Lord for the blessings of the past year, and share information about plans for the coming year. This year’s meeting took place on December 5 at the Second Slavic Church of Sacramento. Several dozen people gathered around beautifully decorated and set tables filled with wonderful, appetizing dishes and sweets.

On December 6, the “New Hope” church held its second annual Christmas concert, Light of the World. This year, the event took place in the format of an evangelistic concert, which marked a new step in the church’s ministry. Its main purpose was to share the Good News of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ with the guests.

There are roads we travel every day, and there is one special road we walk our whole lives—the road of family. And if on ordinary roads we carefully watch traffic lights, signs, and braking distance, on the family road we often forget the most important rules of safety. That is why on Saturday, December 6, we gathered at the Second Slavic Baptist Church of Sacramento for a Christian family evening titled “A Family Without Accidents.” Its purpose was to remind us that God has given us not only love, but also responsibility for one another; not only the joy of traveling together, but also the wisdom to avoid collisions.

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). 

On November 9, the Slavic Church in San Diego held a special service in one of the most picturesque places — Ski Beach. On this day, two brothers, Denis and Eric, and sister Tanya received Holy Water Baptism and entered into a covenant with God.

In October, Bellevue Bible Church hosted a special conference on an important and highly relevant topic — “Faith and Work.” This event brought together people who desired to better understand how their everyday work is connected to God’s purpose and how the Gospel can transform our attitude toward labor.

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I hope all have been doing well!

At Embrace, we have been continually amazed and praise the Lord by how many boys have been able to return home by his mercies. We continue to pray for the boys who have found themselves stuck at Embrace due to having no family able to take them in. We are working on foster care options for these boys, hoping to find families within churches that are willing to welcome them. We had a great time celebrating thanksgiving and remembering how far the Lord has brought embrace. We are also in full preparation for Reconnect Camp and all the Christmas festivities.

On December 5, 2025, Living Stones Church in Sacramento hosted a warm and long-awaited Christmas gathering for the women of the church. The hall was filled with a special atmosphere of love, unity, and the joyful anticipation of the birth of Christ.

The Cornerstone Faith Church in Sacramento experienced a special spiritual joy on Sunday, November 23, 2025, when eight people publicly testified to their faith by receiving water baptism. This event became a vivid testimony to the growth of a young but rapidly developing church.

On October 31 and November 1, 2025, the “Living Stones” Church in Sacramento hosted a two-day seminar titled “The Purpose of Marriage.” The speaker was Andrey Rezunenko — pastor, family counselor, and author of several books on Christian marriage. The event drew a large audience: young people, married couples, and those preparing for family life.

In today’s world, information spreads at incredible speed, and social media has become the primary source of news and opinions for millions of people. In this environment, internet evangelism is especially relevant: every believer has the opportunity not only to consume content but also to create it—shaping public perception and sharing the message of the Gospel.

From October 30th to November 2nd, the youth of Grace Avenue Bible Church gathered at Ocean Cove for a refreshing and spiritually rich retreat. The group was blessed with beautiful weather that set the tone for a memorable weekend focused on Scripture, fellowship, and rest.

On November 8, Grace Ave Bible Church hosted the annual Missions Reunion 2025. Once again, this event brought together missionaries, pastors, and all those who serve and support the mission. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., participants enjoyed a rich day of fellowship, prayer, and a word of encouragement. Approximately 100 participants attended.

On October 25, 2025, the Living Stones Church campus in Rancho Cordova, California, hosted a Fall Festival — an event organized with the purpose of connecting with our community and sharing the Gospel. The day began with some concern about the weather, since the festival was planned outdoors and the forecast predicted rain. But our great God answered prayer — and the weather turned out beautiful!

Every month, we try to share with you the progress of our ministry among one of the unreached peoples, the Mugatas in Uzbekistan, which began a couple of years ago. We want to remind you how it all began and where we are now in this ministry.

More than 600 young people from 40 churches in California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Ohio, and Arizona came together for a youth conference hosted by Grace Family Church. The conference title and theme were " Transformed," and had an idea of being made into something, or changed for the better. The conference on November 7 and 8 had four seminars that were taught by Vitaly Pelikhatiy, pastor of Redeemer Church in Idaho, Dmitriy Zherebnenkov, pastor of Grace Family Church in Sacramento and Peter Kondrashov, pastor of the English ministry of the Bryte Church. All of the seminars were dedicated to the teaching of Apostle Paul in the book of Philippians.

Beginning November 10, 2025, and for a full year, this amazing exhibition will travel across California, from Sacramento to San Diego, stopping in various cities and churches across the state.

PCSBA’s October 2025 newsletter is available here: in Russian | in English.

On September 27, First Slavic Baptist Church hosted a conference for Sunday School teachers. This event attracted many of the teachers, pastors, those who are striving for spiritual growth, as well as those who disciple and shepherd the next generation.

The verse that we have chosen to commemorate this special occasion is: 1 Samuel 7:12 12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” In Hebrew, the word “Ebenezer” is a compound word: "Eben" means stone, and "Ezer" means help. So, Ebenezer literally means “Stone of Help.” When Samuel raises this stone, he is physically marking a moment in history where the people of God recognize that everything good that has happened — every victory, every act of mercy — was because of the Lord’s help. It is not a monument to human achievement but a testament to God’s grace.

“Preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary” – the wisdom of these words are modeled by the Evangelical Christian Church in Montebello, CA. They have been a living testimony of God’s love and faithfulness, and on September 28, they celebrated their 80-year church anniversary.

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

Dear Slavic pastors, youth, young people, and brothers and sisters in Christ. 

On Sunday September 21, 2025, I had the great honor of attending the Charlie Kirk memorial service, in person, in Glendale, Arizona. 

200,000 gathered in person to honor a 31-year-old young man, who was brutally assassinated for his faith in Jesus Christ. Charlie Kirk wasn't assassinated because he was being political. He was assassinated because he was being biblical. Charlie Kirk in the most biblical sense, is a modern-day martyr. 

The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk shook the entire nation. Many adults did not know about him before, but the youth knew and loved him. For many young Christians, he was an example of how he shared his faith and defended Biblical values. He was a beacon of light for many, and pointed others to life and salvation.