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.

On Friday, March 13, another Revolution Club meeting took place at West Sacramento Church, bringing together 17 participants. The speaker for the evening was Alexander Bocharov, a Christian entrepreneur who shared a message along with meaningful reflections for the youth.

The latest Ladies Latte ministry took place on the first Saturday of March 2026 at Bryte Church. More than 80 women of different ages attended the event. The theme of the meeting was based on a passage from the Epistle of James:

On March 6, 2026, an event took place at the Second Slavic Baptist Church in North Highlands that felt like an evening of love—filled with warmth, biblical counsel, and edification. It was more than just a family gathering. It was an evening of comfort, a time when husbands held their wives’ hands, and wives leaned close to their spouses, listening attentively to every word. The evening was truly special, almost as if time had slowed down to give people the opportunity to really hear one another.

This March marks the release of Cultural Crossroads: From Challenges to Impact—Ethnic Churches in the American Mosaic, a new book by Yevgeniy Kovalenko, Associate Pastor at House of the Gospel in Fresno, California.

Youth ministry is an investment in the future of the Church. It is today that the leaders, ministers, and families of tomorrow are being shaped. It is important not only to remain relevant, but to instill firm biblical values in the hearts of young people—values that will help them stand strong in any life circumstances.

Blagovest Institute of Ministry, which recently announced enrollment for three academic programs, is grateful to the Lord to report encouraging enrollment results and the successful launch of its first academic sessions.

Last year, at Easter, our church Spring of Life hosted an exhibition of my works. One artist traveled from another city—about a four-hour drive from Mukilteo—to attend. One of my paintings especially drew his attention. He stood in front of it for a long time, studying it carefully.