This year the Russian-Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Union, USA (RUEBU) celebrates one hundred years of its worldwide ministry. The Centennial celebration began in Philadelphia, PA, where sixty members from twenty Russian-speaking Baptist churches met on April 3-4, 1919 to organize themselves into a union of churches for a more effective ministry. At its inception RUEBU consisted of twenty-one Russian-speaking churches in the USA and three Russian-speaking churches in Canada. The theme of the Centennial Celebration was “Proclaiming the Glory of God” (Psalm 78:3-4).

The first celebration of RUEBU’s Centennial was hosted by the “New Beginning” Church on April 27 in Philadelphia, pastored by the Rev. Vitaly Yutchkovski. The festive program, led by Rev. George Harlov, president of RUEBU, included great music, testimonies of former members and workers of RUEBU, including that of Ruth Piatnochka Griffith, who served RUEBU for many years in many different capacities. Greetings were brought by P. Roman Kapran (president of the Ukrainian Baptist Union, USA) and Rev. Adam Korenczuk (Baltimore, MD). I was given the privilege to present a brief summary of RUEBU’s 100-year-old history.    

The second celebration of RUEBU’s Centennial took place in the Evangelical Christian Center (ECC) in Ashford, CT, on June 28-30. The joyous celebration began Friday evening with a banquet dinner prepared by Rev. Ishmael Sapoval, who formerly pastored our RUEBU church in Cleveland, OH.

The opening program was led by Rev. Victor Razumov (South River, NJ). It included short greetings from our guests: Dr. Petr Mitskevich (president of the Baptist Union and the Moscow Baptist Theological Seminary in Russia), Rev. Ivan Mileev (president of the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association), Rev. Juan Kulak (president of the Slavic Baptist Union of the La Plata Republics – Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), Rev. Yevgeny Sosnin (Hollywood, FL), Rev. George Kuzichev, (Hollywood, CA), Rev. Roman Kapran (president of the Ukrainian Baptist Convention, USA). Pavel Ozerkov, a Russian poet living in Minnesota, who carries on multiple ministries both in the USA and Russia, read a poem dedicated to RUEBU’s Centennial. A challenging message was brought by the Rev. Sergey Ivnitsky (Peabody, MA).   

On Saturday, the conference attendees enjoyed a rich spiritual menu. In the morning, a message was given by Rev. Juan Kulak. This was followed by a seminar dealing with the challenges of ethnic ministries, presented by Rev. Ivan Mileev. Before a brief Business Session, held in the afternoon, Dr. Peter Pleshko brought a challenging message. Greetings were brought by Rev. Ilya Babenko (Vineland, NJ), Rev. Gennady Maryanov (Charlotte, NC) and Rev. Victor Visotsky (Washington, DC). Rev. Mileev gave a brief report regarding the ministries of the Pacific Coast Slavic Baptist Association, and Dr. Petr Mitskevich spoke about the ministries of the Baptist Union in Russia.   

The evening service, led by Rev. Sergy Denysyuk (Cleveland, OH), was long but very meaningful. It focused on the history of RUEBU and its many ministries. Rev. George Xenophontos (Manville, NJ) gave a challenging message, emphasizing the glory of God. Greetings were brought by Jorge Puzenik (Argentina). In attendance were guests from numerous states, as well as Canada. Certificates of Appreciation were given to many who were present at the conference. Several videos, showing the ministry of RUEBU, were presented during the course of the day, and I had the privilege of sharing a brief history of RUEBU.

RUEBU’s Centennial Conference concluded on Sunday morning with a Communion Service led by Rev. George Harlov. Prior to the Lord’s Supper Dr. Petr Mitskevich and Rev. Ivan Mileev brought appropriate meditations. After Sunday dinner, as the delegates and guests prepared to return to their homes, the air in the Evangelical Christian Center was filled with the happy and excited voices of children and young people, who began to arrive for summer camp at Ashford. Their arrival reaffirmed the importance of the Centennial Conference theme, reminding us that we have a duty to “tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done” (Psalm 78:4).   

The Evangelical Christian Center in Ashford is the “missionary heart” of RUEBU. Today, it houses one of the offices of Slavic Missionary Service, the missionary arm of RUEBU, and the Slavic Missionary Publications Department, which publishes the Russian-language “Sower of Truth” magazine. ECC also ministers to the needs of the elderly through its Home for the Aged. 

The Evangelical Christian Center provides facilities for many important Christian ministries throughout the entire year. This includes retreats for American churches, ethnic Christian groups, university students, youth conferences, pastor’s and women’s retreats, winter retreats and, of course, the summer camping programs for many churches. It is our “thank you” to America for providing a safe haven for us and our families.

Dr. George Boltniew
SMS Representative