Home is where you go to celebrate life's milestones. This is also true for churches.
A Russian-speaking ministry began in 1999 in a side room of Auburn City Church. Faithful members kept assembling, and by 2004 the 45–50 members started talking about forming their own church. This gave birth to the Russian-Ukrainian Parousia Church in March 2006.
The congregation continues to grow year by year. They built their own worship and praise center, which was dedicated in April 2016 in Federal Way, Washington. About 400 members are associated with this church.
Leaders started dreaming of additional ways to reach their community and started a special ministry to the Slavic community in 2019. On Oct. 17, 2020, the Slavic American Mission Company was officially formed. This new beginning included a time of praise and worship at the location where their ministry outreach first started.
Conference and Russian ministry leaders came together to affirm this new church family. At a typical company ceremony, individuals who wish to become members of the new church sign their names to a charter form. Because of COVID-19, interested members filled out individual 5-by-7 cards.
Three special moments from the service included a prayer of dedication by Vitali Oliinick, pastor; words of blessing by Sergey Kuzmin, pastor; and the presentation by Ivan Bokov, pastor, of a beautiful church Bible.
"I believe when we plant new churches and we begin new work in our conference, we do this by developing relationships with people so when we say, 'Come follow Jesus with me,' it is not going to be something out of the blue. It is something people are willing to do because they know us and trust us," says Doug Bing, Washington Conference president. "We are called to go into our communities, workplaces and neighborhoods to form relationships for Jesus. I pray this new congregation will plant another church soon."
Doug Bing, Washington Conference president, commends the Slavic American Mission Company for their focus on growing families in their faith.
Vitali Oliinik, pastor and Washington Conference Russian ministry coordinator, prays a prayer of blessing for a new congregation to be faithful to God and His calling.
Ivan Bokov, a pastor from Tacoma, presents Slavic American Mission Company with a church Bible to use for weekly Scripture readings. The intent is to share the physical word of God, not just the digital word, between generations.
Membership for church plants is held in the conference church until the church plant is organized into a company. Then, a family representative completes a short form with their membership intention and family profile.
