V. Franchuk. OCXVE and Other Pentecostals in the 1990s

August 21, 2011 · Belarus, Books, Unregistered Pentecostals, On Emigration, United Church of Evangelical Christians, Pentecostals, Religious Mafia, Russia, USSR, USA, Ukraine

United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith

Until the end of the 1980s, the fellowship of unregistered CEF churches, despite its illegal status, continued to grow numerically. The freedom that came for the CEF movement revealed a deep internal contradiction, which became apparent in the psychology of believers as a legacy they carried out of a tragic past, having endured persecution, repression, and the trampling of their human and civil rights in their own country. Largely for this reason, a number of churches preferred, even under the new democratic legislation, to remain unregistered. It took considerable effort on the part of Christian and state organizations to convince many churches, in light of the colossal transformations in the country’s life, that freedom had truly arrived—and for the long term—and that church-state relations could indeed be normal. International connections with the worldwide Pentecostal movement, with its vast experience of normal, constructive cooperation with society and the state, also played a significant role in this.

On 13–17 May 1992, in Moscow, during a conference held by the worldwide Pentecostal association “Church of God” under the chairmanship of Carl Richardson, an important event took place—the unification of the unregistered fellowship. The last remaining differences in some regions regarding the new strategy were resolved. The leaders of this fellowship—bishops Viktor Belykh, Ivan Levchuk, Ivan Fedotov, and others—decided to legalize the activity of their union and its centre. During this period, Pentecostal unions from America, Germany, Sweden, and other countries held large conferences in which representatives from all branches of CEF in the former USSR took part.

A significant deepening of this work took place in the course of preparations for the First World Conference of Slavic CEF Churches, which was held in Kiev on 26–29 August 1996, when all remaining differences between the established CEF associations were finally eliminated, both among the top leadership and at the local church level. That World Conference, at which I had the privilege to serve as a delegate, truly became a remarkable forum of Slavic Pentecostals from around the world, conducted in a very warm spiritual atmosphere under the skilful leadership of pastor P. P. Ionko. Present at this conference were not only Slavs, but also Pentecostals from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Germany, and other countries where, as Bishop N. I. Kotyakov rightfully said in his address, “they share our Slavic culture of worshipping God.” It was a great joy and honour for me to speak at this conference on the topic of missionary work among the churches of Ukraine, and also to present the final summary working document, on which I had laboured carefully.

The only exception to this unity was a small group of churches in the countries of Central Asia, under the leadership of Bishop P. S. Egorenkov, which to this day remains separate and is not ready for open dialogue with the rest of even the Pentecostal movement.

On 1–2 August 1992, the First Congress of the churches of this CEF fellowship took place in Moscow. One of the most prominent spiritual workers of this church union, Bishop I. A. Levchuk, did not live to see that day. Ivan Antonovich died on 6 January 1992 in Kiev.

At the First Congress, the union’s name was adopted: “United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith.” Viktor I. Belykh was elected as the presiding bishop of the UC CEF, with Ivan P. Fedotov as his deputy, and the Board of the UC CEF of the CIS was formed and approved. In the period that followed, national congresses in the independent states of the former USSR formed and approved the Boards of the UC CEF in those countries.

On 8–10 August 1997, the Second Congress of the UC CEF was held in the city of Maloyaroslavets (Kaluga Oblast). About 200 delegates attended. They approved the governance structure of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith and extended the terms of bishops V. I. Belykh and I. P. Fedotov. A charter for the united union formation was adopted, and the composition of the Executive Council of the UC CEF was approved, headed by V. I. Belykh and I. P. Fedotov.

On 19–20 November 1999, the Third Congress took place in Rybnitsa (Moldova), in which 150 delegates participated. The congress affirmed the governance structure of the UC CEF: the Board of the Council of Bishops, the Executive Council of the Board, and the Secretariat of the Board of the Council of Bishops.

The following presiding bishops and their deputies from the UC CEF of the republics and regions were elected to the Board of the Council of Bishops: Viktor Belykh (presiding bishop), Ivan Fedotov (deputy presiding bishop), Stepan Kostyuk (deputy presiding bishop of Russia), Vladimir Murashkin (deputy presiding bishop of Russia), Georgiy Babiy (presiding bishop of Ukraine), Pyotr Novorok (deputy presiding bishop of Ukraine), Pyotr Borshch (presiding bishop of Moldova), Mikhail Chizh (bishop, head of the educational department at Rybnitsa Bible College), Viktor Bashura (presiding bishop of Belarus), Mamikon Kazaryan (presiding bishop of Armenia), Stepan Kozitsky (bishop, Russia), Viktor Altukhov (bishop, Latvia), Boris Shutov (bishop, Estonia).

Elected to the Executive Council of the Board of the Council of Bishops were: Georgiy Babiy (UC CEF of Ukraine), Stepan Kostyuk (UC CEF of Russia), Viktor Bashura (UC CEF of Belarus). Elected to the Secretariat of the Board of the Council of Bishops were Nikolay Usach (editor of the magazine “The Christian’s Word,” Vinnitsa) and Mikhail Chizh (bishop, Kishinev).

On 25 February 2001, V. I. Belykh passed away.

In the obituary written by N. I. Usach on the occasion of his death, it said:

On Sunday morning, the heart of a fervent servant of God, the presiding bishop of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of the CIS and Baltic countries, stopped beating. Viktor Ivanovich Belykh was a leading minister in the Pentecostal movement of the former USSR throughout the 1950s–1990s, bearing the labours of a bishop. All in all, Bishop Belykh spent 25 years in prisons and exile.

On March 1, 2001, in the Transnistrian city of Rybnitsa (Moldova), a funeral service was held — the burial of the body of the bishop of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of the CIS and Baltic states. Bishop Belykh had been threatened many times that he would “rot in Siberia,” but he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 76 and was buried on the Alley of Glory.

A few days before his death, Bishop V. I. Belykh was still teaching, as usual, theology and exegesis to 153 students at the Rybnitsa Bible College, but the Lord had already seen fit to take the sufferer for the faith into His heavenly abode. The Lord allowed great trials in his life, but through God’s strength he endured them, becoming a hero of faith of the departing century.61

A multitude of people — about 2,000 — came to the farewell service, including from the United States, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, and other countries. Condolences were expressed by the leaders of Pentecostal unions who arrived for the burial: Ivan Fedotov — head bishop of the UCCEF of Russia, Georgy Babiy — head bishop of the UCCEF of Ukraine, Victor Bashura — head bishop of the UCCEF of Belarus, Petr Borshch — head bishop of the UCEF of Moldova, Adam Bondaruk — bishop of the Union of Evangelical Faith of America, Yakov Vibbe — bishop of the Evangelical Faith churches of Germany, and many other ministers.62

The magazine “The Word of a Christian” published one of the last interviews with Victor Belykh. He was asked:

— When you were behind bars or barbed wire, could you ever imagine that times would come when in Ukraine, in magnificent prayer houses resembling temples, numerous congresses would be held unhindered with the participation of ministers from all regions, that spiritual songs would be performed publicly for the whole city to hear, that the truth of Christ would spread with triumphant strides, and the Word of God would resound in crowded squares, stadiums, and halls?

Victor Ivanovich smiled and said:

— We dreamed of freedom, we believed that a favorable time for the gospel would come, we awaited it, but that it would happen on such a scale, of course, we could not even imagine. God’s blessings always surpass even the most daring human dreams and hopes.63

Many brothers forever remembered his heartfelt closing word, which he delivered five months before his death at the last Ukrainian congress of the UCCEF for him, held on September 15–16, 2000, in Berdichev:

Shepherd the Church of Jesus Christ, which He purchased with His blood. Serve God as He desires. The Church must be in the fullness of the Word of God. Cultivate perfection. Not only preach but also teach. It is necessary to teach God’s people systematically, using a developed program, repeating the most important points, explaining to those who have not yet understood. It is not easy to carry the cross, but that is why it is a cross. Prepare! The wait is not long. Labor for Christ, and the Lord will bless you. A great reward awaits the royal priesthood!64

The last, Fourth Congress of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of the CIS and the Baltic States took place on August 1–3, 2002, in Vinnitsa. It was attended by about 600 ministers of Evangelical Faith from 14 countries: Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, as well as guests from the USA, Canada, Germany, Poland, Israel, and Kazakhstan.65

After the death of V. I. Belykh, who for many years had been a cementing figure in the movement of unregistered Pentecostals in the countries of the former Soviet Union, the question of the future of this international entity inevitably had to arise. The congress demonstrated genuine unity by deciding to preserve this structure. I. P. Fedotov was elected as the head bishop of the UCCEF, and G. A. Babiy as his deputy.66

The Board of the Council of Bishops of the UCCEF was approved in the following composition: head bishop of the UCCEF Ivan Fedotov, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF Georgy Babiy, head bishop of the UCCEF of Belarus Victor Bashura, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Russia Stepan Kostyuk, head bishop of the UCCEF of Armenia Mamikon Kazaryan, head bishop of the UCEF of Moldova Petr Borshch, head bishop of the UCCEF of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Southern Kazakhstan Leontiy Lyulkin, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Russia Vladimir Murashkin, bishop of the UCCEF of Azerbaijan Vladimir Krasichkov, bishop of the UCCEF of Georgia Oleg Khubashvili, bishop of the UCCEF of Georgia Nikolay Kalutsky, bishop of the UCCEF of Kyrgyzstan Gennady Matveev, bishop of the UCEF of Moldova Mikhail Chizh, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Armenia Gevorg Babudzhan, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Belarus Igor Kosilov, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Ukraine Petr Novorok, responsible for the UCCEF of the Baltic region bishop Stepan Kozitsky, bishop of the UCCEF of Latvia Viktor Altukhov, bishop of the UCCEF of Estonia Boris Shutov.67

The Executive Council of the Board of the Council of Bishops of the UCCEF was approved in the following composition: head bishop of the UCCEF Ivan Fedotov, deputy head bishop Georgy Babiy, head bishop of the UCCEF of Belarus Victor Bashura, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Russia Stepan Kostyuk, head bishop of the UCCEF of Armenia Mamikon Kazaryan, deputy head bishop of the UCCEF of Ukraine Petr Novorok.68

The Secretariat of the Board of the Council of Bishops of the UCCEF of the CIS and the Baltic States was approved in the following composition:

Mikhail Chizh, Vladimir Murashkin, Nikolay Usach.69

The magazine of the United Church of Evangelical Faith, “The Word of a Christian,” wrote:

The congress, besides resolving organizational matters, became a truly unforgettable feast of faith. There were many fervent, sincere prayers, including for Israel, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Poland, Germany, the USA, Moldova, for the UCCEF of the CIS and Baltic States, its constituent churches, missionary brothers, and evangelists.

On behalf of the congress, a prayer for blessing upon the fellowship’s leadership in the persons of the head bishop of the UCCEF I. P. Fedotov and his deputy G. A. Babiy was offered by Bishop Ya. G. Vibbe from Germany. Then brothers I. P. Fedotov and G. A. Babiy blessed the members of the Executive Council of the UCCEF and the Board of the Council of Bishops of the UCCEF.

The congress honored the brothers who had endured suffering for the faith in bonds.70

I. P. Fedotov was born on September 13, 1929, in the village of Yeskovo, Staro-Yuryevsky District, Tambov Oblast, into a family of Orthodox peasant farmers. In 1936, the family moved to Moscow. After finishing secondary school, he began his working life as a carpenter at one of the Moscow factories. In 1949, he was called up for service in the Baltic Fleet, where he turned to God. From 1954 to 1957, he was a member of the Moscow church of the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (AUCECB) at 3 Malovuzovsky Lane. Beginning in 1957, Ivan Fedotov became a member and preacher of the Moscow Pentecostal church. In 1960, Ivan Fedotov was arrested by the USSR State Security Committee on false charges of inciting the murder of a child, allegedly for the purpose of sacrifice, and on the basis of a fabricated investigation, the Moscow Regional Court sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment. He served this severe sentence in corrective labor camps in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia. After serving the full 10-year term, the authorities did not permit him to return to live in Moscow, so he had to settle beyond the 101-kilometer zone from the capital, in the city of Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga Oblast.

In 1971, he married. His wife, Valentina Borisovna, was also tried and served 3 years of imprisonment in corrective labor camps for her active participation in building a Pentecostal community in Mordovia. In 1972, he was ordained to the presbyterial ministry. That same year, he became a member of the Board of the brotherhood of unregistered churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals) in the USSR and began working closely with Bishops Viktor Belykh and Ivan Levchuk.

In Maloyaroslavets, I. P. Fedotov founded a local church of Evangelical Faith Christians, for which he was again arrested and tried a second time by the Kaluga Regional Court. After release from imprisonment, he continued to labor in building churches of the Russian unregistered Pentecostal brotherhood.

In 1981, the Kaluga Regional Court convicted Bishop Ivan Fedotov for the third time. He served his sentence in Syktyvkar, the capital of the autonomous Komi Republic in northern Russia. After his release in 1986, he was under police surveillance without the right to leave.

Only the time of freedom that came after perestroika allowed him to engage in church activity without hindrance.

From 1992 to 2001, he was elected deputy to V. I. Belykh, and he worked diligently for the formation, strengthening, and unification of Pentecostal churches, establishing pastoral leadership in Georgia, Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Baltic countries after the collapse of the USSR. After the death of V. I. Belykh, he served as the Presiding Bishop of the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith (UC CEF) of the CIS and Baltic countries.71

Expressing his impressions of the recently held Fourth Congress, Ivan Petrovich Fedotov said the following:

I have been a participant in many congresses. In my view, the IV Congress of the UCCEF in Vinnitsa functioned as one big, warm, God-loving heart. I constantly felt this with gratitude in my Christian heart, which was a part of this great, sincere, and pure heart of our Church.

It was good that there were differing opinions, but there was a tremendous desire to reach a common opinion and unity, and with God’s help we achieved them.

I consider the principal task of the immediate future to be the achievement of the latter-day awakening, the overcoming of a certain cooling in faith and in service to God. The key to this is purification and sanctification, the perfecting of prayer life, including prayer with fasting, so that the Church might fully manifest its power and abilities. May the Lord Jesus Christ himself be our example in this.

I am grateful to the Lord that He has granted me the happiness to lead the church together with Brother Georgy Babiy. God placed us side by side not by chance. All matters of the pastoral administration of the UCCEF we will decide together.72

In the system of educational institutions of the UCCEF in the independent states that emerged after the collapse of the former USSR, the foundational educational institution is the Bible College in Rybnitsa (Moldova), which was opened on May 25, 1993. The first rector of the college was V. I. Belykh, and the academic dean was N. I. Kotyakov.73 To date, about three thousand workers of Evangelical Faith Christians have been trained here, coming from a vast territory stretching from the Carpathian Mountains and the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Far North to the scorching Kushka.74 Many of the graduates have already become authoritative church ministers, pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers.

As the radiant Victor Ivanovich Belykh joyfully told me in May 2000 during our meeting at the Rybnitsa Bible College, in 1993, 227 people completed their studies; in 1994 — 258; in 1995 — 625; in 1996 — 137; in 1997 — 296; in 1998 — 367; in 1999 — 247; and in 2000 — 266 pastors, choir directors, evangelists, and Sunday school teachers.75 The breakdown of graduates by region looks as follows: Ukraine — 1058 people, Moldova — 678, Belarus — 109, Germany — 27, Latvia — 20, Armenia — 16, Estonia — 14, Lithuania — 4, Kyrgyzstan — 3, USA — 3, Kazakhstan — 1, Uzbekistan — 1, Georgia — 1.76

In each individual state and region of the former Soviet Union, Pentecostal churches that belong to the UCCEF have their own unions located on the territory of that state, as well as their own senior ministers elected at congresses.

As regards Ukraine, the First Congress took place on September 4, 1992, at which G. A. Babiy was elected as the leader of the brotherhood, and his deputy was P. N. Novorok. In addition to these ministers, the Board included Gennady Tupikov, Parfen Voshchilo, Efim Mironets, Dmitry Fedorov, and Nikolay Kotyakov.

Under the governing body — the Council of Bishops — departments were also created: education (headed by N. I. Kotyakov), evangelization (leader — V. I. Bondarenko), mercy (leader — P. N. Novorok), and the department of information and publishing. In January 1993, the Sunday school department was formed, which organizes and conducts specialized courses, seminars, and conferences.

The youth movement in the brotherhood noticeably revived. For example, on August 26–28, 1995, the First All-Ukrainian Youth Conference of this union was held in Vinnitsa, attended by about 1,000 delegates and many guests from Moldova and Russia. Such youth conferences are now held annually in each region.

The information and publishing department also carries out notable work. The department regularly posts the latest news about the life of the union of churches into the international Internet system, publishes an all-Ukrainian newspaper and the magazine Slovo Khristianina (The Christian’s Word), whose editor since February 1996 has been N. P. Usach. A Christian publishing house under the same name edits and publishes Christian spiritual literature.

The last congress of the UCEC of Ukraine took place on September 15–16, 2002, in Berdichev. The congress confirmed a renewed Council of Bishops and elected the Board of this Council. The Board of the Council of Bishops of the UCEC of Ukraine included: Georgy Babiy — presiding bishop of Ukraine, Peter Novorok — deputy presiding bishop of Ukraine, Vasily Denisyuk — secretary, Mikhail Yakobchuk, Gennady Tupikov, Efim Mironets, Adam Ozerchuk, Mikhail Solovey, Dmitry Fedorov, Ludwig Golosinsky.77

The congress also confirmed the departments of the union and those responsible for their work: evangelism department (Mikhail Yakobchuk, Oleg Pyshnyuk, Sergey Bogachuk), youth department (Peter Tsymbal, Nikolay Usach), education department (Vasily Denisyuk, Andrey Babiy), mercy department (Peter Novorok, Nikolay Kovalenko), publishing and press department (Nikolay Usach), Sunday school department (Pavel Zhmur), material-financial department (Ludwig Golosinsky).78

G. A. Babiy was once again elected as the presiding bishop of the UCEC of Ukraine.

Georgy Arsentyevich Babiy was born on February 3, 1945, in the village of Golma, Balta district, Odessa region, into a family of believing parents who belonged to the church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith, founded in its time by the union evangelist V. S. Pavlov, a close associate of Voronaev. The Babiy family was large — besides Georgy there were six other children.79

Before being drafted for compulsory service in the Soviet Army, Georgy worked in a construction organization that dealt with electrification, and together with his believing parents he zealously attended church.

In 1965, while serving in the army in the Kaliningrad region in the Baltic city of Chernyakhovsk, he was convicted by a military tribunal because of his convictions and sentenced to 4 years of deprivation of freedom. He served his sentence in a prison and a corrective labor camp in Kaliningrad, where he met peers — brothers in faith convicted under the same article of the Criminal Code.80

By the time of his release from prison, the family had moved to permanent residence in the city of Kryvyi Rih, and Georgy joined them there. In 1970, he became a member of the Kryvyi Rih church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith–Pentecostals. In 1971, Georgy married. He was the leader of youth work in the church, was elected by the church for deacon ministry in 1973, two years later was elected pastor of the church, from 1988 became bishop of churches in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and on September 4, 1992, was elected leader of the United Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith of Ukraine.81

In 1997, at the Second Congress of the UCEC held in Maloyaroslavets, G. A. Babiy was elected to the Board of the Council of Bishops of the UCEC, and in 1999, at the Third Congress of the UCEC in Rybnitsa, he was elected to the Executive Council of the UCEC of the CIS and Baltic countries.82

In an interview for the magazine Slovo Khristianina, G. A. Babiy said:

“When by God’s will the non-viable USSR disintegrated, and on its ruins independent states began to revive, the United Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith, despite all difficulties, managed to preserve its unity, although for convenience it created autonomous territorial governance structures in the aforementioned sovereign states.

On the foundation of preserved concord and unity, a common doctrine of the UCEC was also created, which is now taught in all our educational institutions and local churches.

The Council of Bishops of Ukraine meets quarterly, resolving issues related to doctrine, improving the brotherhood’s activities, and further building up the Church of Christ. Each year, taking into account the most important proposals, we draw up a plan of spiritual labor in God’s field. After discussion and approval, as a guide for common actions, all bishops receive it.”83

Answering a question about the system of spiritual education, Babiy said:

“We try to pay the closest attention to organizing proper spiritual education for believers. In addition to the Kryvyi Rih Bible College and the Bible school in Sakhnovshchyna, Kharkiv region, we systematically conduct educational seminars traveling to the regions, during which the most prepared ministers and responsible evangelists deliver thoroughly argued lectures and engage in an interested exchange of views on the most important and pressing problems of contemporary church life. First of all, we strive to train qualified evangelists. All this very necessary work, at the direction of the board, is skillfully coordinated by Bishop Vasily Denisyuk of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Now many people with higher secular humanities or specialized education are coming to God. These include teachers, doctors, and officers… (by the way, we in Kryvyi Rih even have the ability to fully staff a crew of first-class pilots, if the church suddenly decided to acquire its own airplane). To preach to such a contingent of believers, to give answers to their troubling questions, one needs deeper preparation and more than sufficient knowledge of the Word of God.”84

Speaking about the dynamics of growth in communities and membership numbers, G. A. Babiy said in 2000:

Only this year in the city of Kryvyi Rih, where I live, about 300 new converts received water baptism. Now there are more than 2,500 church members here (in the early 1990s there were only 370). If four years ago there were about 400 of our local churches in Ukraine and up to 40,000 members, now the number of churches has grown to approximately 500, and genuine believers number more than 50,000.

Evangelization is more effective in rural areas, where spiritual awakening is more noticeable. More new churches are being planted there as well.

For example, our Kyiv brothers are successfully carrying out evangelism, purposefully and persistently conducting the large-scale campaign “Ukraine for Christ.” They skillfully use the widely distributed feature film “Jesus,” their best evangelists and preachers, singers, and musicians.

Existing churches are growing, and new ones are being founded. In connection with this, new Houses of Prayer are also being built, which in turn attracts future sincere Christians to us. God is blessing this construction, so beautiful, solid, and spacious Houses of Prayer are being successfully erected even amid the economic crisis Ukraine is experiencing. They are becoming true centers of high spirituality, helping to activate the work of local churches and expand the gospel.85

At present, the United Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith of Ukraine already numbers about 700 churches with a total membership of approximately 65,000 people.

Training of ministers is carried out at the Bible College in Kryvyi Rih. Construction of the college began on April 29, 1997, and was completed by the end of 1998. The opening took place on January 17, 1999. In the first year alone, under an accelerated one-month program, three groups of evangelists and preachers were trained—81 people; one group of Sunday school teachers—42 people; two groups of choir directors—48 people. In total, 171 people received training in the first year.86 According to the head of the education department, V.S. Denisyuk, about 500 people have now completed training at the college under this program. In addition, a Bible school also operates in Sakhnovshchyna, Kharkiv region.87

Now in the Sunday schools of this fellowship, about 1,200 teachers instruct approximately 16,000 children. More than fifty experienced instructors train Sunday school teachers and counselors for summer children’s camps.88 A widespread form of spiritual work among the younger generation has become summer Christian camps, where children from large and disadvantaged families, thanks to the care of believers, often get acquainted with Christians for the first time and learn the basics of Christian teaching. This useful and socially significant area of church work is developing particularly successfully in Vinnytsia, Kyiv, and Zhytomyr regions. Gradually, this idea is finding support in other regions as well.

Active evangelism is conducted by 67 evangelistic groups, which have significantly contributed to the planting of 152 new churches over the past five years, especially in Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kyiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.89

Bishop Petr Novorok, who heads the department of mercy, says:

“If a person is hungry and naked, they must first be fed and clothed, and then told about God’s love. Spirituality goes hand in hand with charity, to which kind-hearted, sensitive, and compassionate people are capable, like our brothers and sisters from Germany, whose generosity and mercy are priceless. Just through the mission in Novograd-Volynsky last year, they sent 200 tons of humanitarian aid—food, clothing, and footwear.”90

In addition to existing charitable missions, departments of mercy have been established at churches. The task of the volunteer workers in these departments is first of all to gather information about those in extreme need of material or physical help and to come to the aid of those low-income people who sometimes do not even have a few hryvnias to buy bread or the most necessary medicines. Moreover, believers, whenever possible, set aside certain funds from church coffers to help those below the poverty line, the frail elderly, widows, the disabled, and the sick; they organize help with fuel, assist in tending gardens, repairing homes, and distribute food, footwear, and clothing received as humanitarian aid from fellow believers living in other countries. The most significant partner in this regard is the Christian charitable mission “Stefanus” from Germany.91

It must be said that the churches continue to help the Ukrainian state solve other acute social problems as well, including the fight against crime, drug addiction, alcoholism, and child homelessness. For example, a Christian center for the rehabilitation of those suffering from drug addiction has been established in Cherkasy, and a rehabilitation center for children prone to vagrancy has been opened in Kryvyi Rih. In this children’s shelter, housed in a building provided by local authorities and restored by the church, more than twenty children are now being raised. They are provided not only with nutritious food and good clothing but also with the care and attention of medical staff and caregivers chosen from among the most qualified church members. Most of the children in this shelter were found by mercy ministry workers in abandoned basements and heating pipeline manholes, where they had previously sought refuge from winter frosts.

Observing the commandment of Jesus Christ that it is not the healthy but the sick who need healing, above all spiritual healing, the United Church of the CEF of Ukraine is carrying out extensive work among prisoners in jails, patients in drug treatment centers and hospitals in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Vinnytsia regions. As a result, many former criminals and drug addicts find new life, freedom from sin, and grace.

According to G. A. Babiy, the head of this Union of churches, among the problems the brotherhood is tackling at the present stage, the most acute is the need to prepare talented and God-blessed ministers who are able to properly organize and ensure the life and activity of existing and newly established churches.92

The Union of Free Churches of Christians of the Evangelical Faith of Ukraine
As already mentioned, the Union of Free Churches of Christians of the Evangelical Faith of Ukraine (UFC CEFU) was officially registered on 22 November 1990. The founding congress was attended by 78 ministers of CEF churches.93

The congress approved the leadership of the Union in the following composition:

Glukhovsky V. S. — chairman of the Union
Raichinets V. F. — deputy
Shevchuk M. K. — secretary
Kirpach P. V. — member of the Presidium
Tamozhnikov E. M. — member of the Presidium
Sestrinsky A. V. — member of the Presidium
Kravtsov V. P. – member of the Presidium94

In March 1996, more than 270 ministers of CEF churches from Ukraine, Russia and Moldova gathered for the next congress, during which development plans for the Union were approved and a new leadership was elected:

Raichinets V. F. — chairman of the Union
Glukhovsky A. V. — responsible for education
Shevchuk M. K. — responsible for charity
Borodenko V. K. — chairman of the Audit Commission
Lagutin V. M. — member of the Presidium
Sestrinsky A. V. — member of the Presidium
Prodan D. Yu. — member of the Presidium95

In September 1998, at the next congress of the Union of Free Churches of Christians of the Evangelical Faith of Ukraine, the leadership was elected in the following composition:

Raichinets V. F. — chairman of the Union
Glukhovsky A. V. — deputy
Lapchenko M. A. — assistant for the Church Department
Glukhovsky L. V. — assistant for the Charitable Department
Shevchuk M. K. — regional deputy
Lagutin V. M. — regional deputy
Borodenko V. K. — regional deputy
Prodan D. Yu. — member of the Presidium
Sestrinsky A. V. — member of the Presidium
Glukhovsky V. S. — honorary member of the Presidium96

The Union has sufficient potential to develop spiritual education. The Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) trains ministers for churches who could be good spiritual mentors both for believers and for non-believers. Students study the basics of the Bible and Christian life, as well as the fundamental principles of Sunday school teachers’ work. The most developed is the UETS correspondence program, with more than 3,000 students enrolled. The entire educational process is conducted by mail: textbooks are sent to the student, and after he returns the exam cards, the textbook for the next course is sent to him. Thus, many have the opportunity to systematically study the Bible, theology and the fundamentals of doctrine.

The Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary is accredited by the European Association for Theological Education and is a member of the World Evangelical Alliance. This gives it the opportunity to have professional interaction with leading Christian universities and seminaries in Europe and America. Certificates and diplomas of UETS are recognized by the Association for Theological Education, and this enables students to continue their studies abroad. In 2000, UETS opened its faculties in Poltava and Krasny Luch.97 In addition, there are 25 Christian education centers at local churches.

Even back in the days of the Soviet Union, members of CEF churches systematically helped both large families and elderly people. At present, the Union pays special attention to developing assistance for children and disabled victims of Chernobyl. More than 200 children annually have the opportunity to rest in Christian camps in the Carpathians, Crimea, Sweden, Belgium, England, and assistance to oncological hospitals and clinics serving victims is being coordinated.

The Union’s charitable department provides humanitarian aid to the disabled, veterans, orphans and large families, of whom there are currently about 400 on the list.98 Unfortunately, this list is growing.

According to statistical data, at the present moment this Union includes 258 churches (of which: 18 churches are in the process of registration, 14 churches have no registration), with a total membership of about 22,500. The geographical configuration of the union covers the territory of 20 regions of Ukraine, while the structural scheme consists of 10 interregional associations.

The last congress of the UFC CEFU took place in Kyiv on 28–29 August. It was attended by 300 delegates, as well as about 40 guests from the USA, Australia, the Republic of South Africa, Belgium, Denmark and other countries. At the congress, the central leadership of the Union of churches was elected in the following composition:

Senior presbyter — Raichinets Vasiliy Fedorovich
First deputy senior presbyter — Glukhovsky Anatoliy Vladimirovich
Deputy senior presbyter — Sychev Nikolay Ivanovich
Deputy senior presbyter — Zalizny Petr Nikolaevich

At the center of the church Union, the following are successfully functioning: the education department, the missionary department, and the charitable department. There is also a medical center “Caridad”, and the Christian brotherhood “Kovcheg” is active.

The Church of God of Ukraine
At a conference in Nova Kakhovka on 20–25 September 1993, a union of churches named the Church of God of Ukraine was formed, and A. A. Demidovich was elected bishop of this union.

Alexey Alexeevich Demidovich was born on 17 December 1954 in Zorinsk, Luhansk region, into a large Christian family where he was the eldest of 10 children. Having received a Christian upbringing in the family, from his youth he actively participated in church life. Musically gifted, he played various musical instruments, was a preacher and youth ministry leader in a Baptist church. Later he joined the Pentecostal movement and became pastor and teacher of a newly formed Pentecostal church in Slavyansk.99

Currently, this union includes 34 churches with 4,300 members. The Church of God of Ukraine has no educational institutions of its own; ministers receive training at the Euro-Asian Theological Seminary in Moscow, which opened on January 12, 1998. A branch of this seminary has also recently opened in Donetsk. The Union of the Church of God of Ukraine is actively involved in works of mercy — children’s shelters have been opened in Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Mariupol, and Alexandria. In addition, 400 children receive free meals every day. 100

The newspaper “Christianity Today” is published (editor-in-chief G. V. Mokhnenko, Mariupol), and the “Shalom” studio (Sloviansk) produces many albums by various Christian music groups.101

The Pentecostal Movement in the CIS: A Dangerous Trend

I often regret that in our modern evangelical churches, unfortunately, one can rarely hear a sermon about the prophet Ezekiel; very rarely is a sermon preached on any text from his remarkable book. This is sad and strange, considering the colossal importance of Ezekiel’s ministry in the Babylonian captivity. It must be said that the people of Israel, surrounded on all sides by pagan nations, were always in danger of sliding into idolatry — and often this indeed happened. To our Christian mind today, it is simply incomprehensible how the Jews, under Moses’ leadership, traveling to the promised land and daily witnessing God’s miracles and God’s hand with their own eyes, could fall into the abominable service of idolatry! Moses, God’s greatest prophet, fought this shameful phenomenon all his life but could not eradicate it. Another great prophet of God named Elijah beheaded the idolatrous priests in Israel, yet even after Elijah, the Jews continued to worship idols, despite the existence of a magnificent temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem, where carefully trained priests ministered and the people were taught from childhood about the living God of Israel. In Ezekiel’s time, during a severe crisis, the people were taken captive to a foreign land in Babylon, where the Jews were left without a temple, without the ark — the symbol of God’s presence — without an altar, without incense, without ceremonial rituals and priestly service. From a natural human point of view, the people of Israel in Babylon, which culturally far outshone agricultural and pastoral Judea, were in danger of complete dissolution, assimilation into pagan Babylonian society. Yet in Babylon, an inexplicable great miracle, from a human perspective, happened with the Jews: from a religiously wavering nation, they turned into a deeply spiritual people — and the greatness of spirit dwelling in them successfully competed with the pagan beliefs of Babylon, grew strong, and prevailed. What happened?

In the Babylonian captivity, deprived of their customary ritual temple service, the Jews rallied around the prophet Ezekiel, who became their spiritual leader — and not without reason is Ezekiel sometimes called a second Moses. Through God’s miracle, Ezekiel succeeded in doing what Moses and Elijah tried but failed to do: the Lord used Ezekiel to open the eyes of the Jews to their great wealth — the spiritual knowledge of God. Gradually, around Ezekiel, a new type of service arose — not a temple-type ritual service, but an assembly where, instead of rituals, there were songs, prayers, and the reading of Holy Scripture. The Jews discovered the greatness, depth, and uniqueness of their religion by reading and listening to the scrolls of Holy Scripture. Thus the synagogue was formed — an assembly where they read the Word of God, prayed, and sang, where spiritual service took first place. And from that time on, the Jews never again in history fell into idolatry, having discovered the profound spirituality and uniqueness of God’s Word.

When the Jews returned to their native land, the first thing they did was to rebuild the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but at the same time, Jewish prayer houses began to be established everywhere, which also came to be called synagogues. The spiritual life of Israel was concentrated in the synagogues, and gradually — alongside the temple form of worship — a synagogue form took shape, whose three main components were: prayer, singing, and the reading of God’s Word. Synagogues acquired special significance among the Jews of the diaspora, where they served not only purely religious functions but also became cultural centers, centers of unity, centers for the development of Jewish business and banking, places of fellowship and social assistance to needy Jewish families. The synagogue thus combined both religious and social, as well as material-financial features. Each synagogue was led not by priests, but by elected, most respected community members known for their good deeds, who were called elders. At the head of the elders was the most respected one, who was sometimes called the ruler of the synagogue.

When, by the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, beginning on the day of Pentecost, the apostles set about building the Church of God, they largely organized it according to the pattern of the Jewish synagogue: such a model was understandable both to the apostles themselves and to the believing Jews. Today, we indeed rarely reflect on where the roots lie, where many of the institutions, traditions, customs, and rules of our own church life originate. In fact, many of them were borrowed by the apostles from the synagogue.

For example:

The three main components of the church service — prayer, singing, and the reading of God’s Word with preaching — exactly reflect the order of the synagogue service.
In the temple, there was a free attendance. The concept of fixed membership, as belonging to a specific congregation, has its roots in the synagogue.
It was from synagogue life that the custom was adopted of noting those who sin and not greeting them, in order to shame them for their evil deeds.
It is a principle of the synagogue, not the temple, to exclude unworthy members from the synagogue.
This rule of the synagogue, not the temple, is to give the floor to all who have a prompting to speak, in order to serve the word of edification.
Since the synagogue also performed the social function of a mutual aid fund, insurance, and social assistance to the needy, disabled, and elderly, those who believed in Christ and belonged to these categories were expelled from the synagogues and remained, in essence, without means of subsistence. That is why the early apostolic church needed to provide for disabled widows. And the solution to this problem was very simple and symbolic: the apostles recommended that the church elect special ministers of social assistance in the church — deacons. The election of such ministers is also nothing other than yet another borrowing from the order established in the synagogue, where there was a similar ministry of those called, in Hebrew, chazanim.

One could list many more borrowings from synagogue customs into the church life of Christians, but that is not the subject of this book — on the borrowings from the synagogue, if the Lord grants me life, I would like to write a special theological dissertation. In this case, however, it is important for understanding how the leadership of local churches was exercised in the apostolic times, being, in fact, an apostolic institution.

During their first missionary journey, which is described in detail in Acts chapter 13 and which could not have lasted more than 2–3 years, returning along the familiar route where churches had been planted by the apostles, Paul and Barnabas in each community ordained elders for the leadership of the communities. (Note: not one elder, but several in each community!)

It must be said that in the time of Jesus’ disciples in the early apostolic church, the words “presbyter” and “bishop” were used equally often and interchangeably. But the early apostolic church also well and firmly knew (something that some interested people today with rare stubbornness do not wish to know) that these words have exactly the same meaning: “elder, senior, leader, overseer, supervisor.”

The same word “presbyter” also designated the Old Testament elders of the community of the people of Israel. Continuing the tradition of the Jewish way of life, the tradition of the synagogue’s structure and organization, the apostles created approximately the same structure of church governance — through elders. Elders can be seen from the very beginning of the Christian church; they are called alternately presbyters and overseers (Greek “episkopos”), for example: Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2. And sometimes in one chapter the same brothers are called by one word and then by another (For instance: Acts 20:17 and 20:28 show us the same group of people, who are called in the first case the elders of the Ephesian church, and a few verses later — bishops).

That is why the apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy chapter 3, speaking about the selection of bishops and deacons, does not mention presbyters. That is why the author of Acts, telling in detail about the apostolic council in Jerusalem, does not mention the presence of bishops (Acts 15). A careful examination of the Holy Scriptures convincingly and unequivocally shows that according to the apostles’ institution, local churches were led by groups of brothers who can be called presbyters or bishops in the Greek language, or elders in English, or старейшины in Russian. The office of bishop, as a higher and more honored one in relation to the pastors of local churches, was proclaimed later, after the death of the apostles, when, contrary to the teaching of the Bible, a three-tiered system of church ministers was created. To a large extent, this sad circumstance contributed to the church’s departure from true early Christianity and in subsequent centuries brought very bitter fruits of apostasy from the simplicity in Christ, striking with metastases of vanity and pride the true Christian brotherhood and the evangelical principle of the universal priesthood of all saved in Christ.

As already recounted in Chapter 7 of this book, during the German occupation in 1942–1943, the activities of the Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith were to some extent restored—both in Ukraine and Belarus. In order to be represented before the German occupation authorities, the first leader of the Pentecostal brotherhood needed to bear a title that was familiar to the German authorities (who were by no means inclined to preserve the distinctiveness or former order of the occupied territories, of course) and to use their terminology, which had been adapted to the ministerial structure of the Lutheran Church. The majority of Germans nominally belonged to that church, or at least were acquainted with its order and ministerial ranks. This was the reason why, during the occupation, a decision was made to rename G. G. Ponurko’s title of Union evangelist—which he had held in the Voronaev Union—to that of bishop. Since then, in the Eastern Pentecostal brotherhood, senior presbyters have been called bishops. (It should be noted that in Belarus I. K. Panko was also styled a bishop by the German authorities, but that title never took root and disappeared of its own accord after the war.) Replacing one word with another, of course, plays no role and changes nothing in essence.

A serious problem, however, began to grow later, already in the post‑war period, when certain leaders of a particular part of the Pentecostal movement gradually, yet purposefully and persistently—contrary to Christian modesty and humility—began to implant the idea, teach, persuade, and then even proclaim and demand that the episcopal office be recognized as higher and more honorable relative to the office of presbyters or pastors. This is absolutely contrary to the New Testament teaching on Christian leadership in the church. Thus a three‑tier, three‑storey system of ministerial ranks in the church began to take shape: deacons, presbyters, and bishops, with a differentiation of authority in the performance of various functions of church service; and the types of church services themselves sometimes began to be called by the word “rites,” a term foreign to evangelical Christianity.

A further departure from simplicity in Christ gave rise to the contrived title of “ruling presbyters” and “ruling bishops” in one part of the Pentecostal movement, and “senior bishops”—that is, “archbishops”—in another part… And if we do not put an end to this as soon as possible, if we do not return to the Bible and take our stand on the ground of Holy Scripture, it will be time to expect the appearance of a Pentecostal “Patriarch of Kyiv, Lviv and All Ukraine,” a “Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,” a “Patriarch of Minsk and All Belarus,” and so on.

Let us think and stop! For it is well known from church history that the decline of Christianity began precisely with this—the establishment and subsequent exaltation of the authority of bishops. And it is equally well known that the revival of Christianity begun during the Reformation started precisely with the rejection of this authority! Let us think about the future of our movement!

What ingenious fabrications and conjectures one hears today from the defenders of the caste of “bishops,” who are granted this title for life, like the Pope of Rome, regardless of whether they have actual ministry in the church or not! Repeatedly, as a member of the Union Committee, I raised these questions at meetings of our leadership during my time as assistant to the president of the Union. No one could object—neither from a theological, nor historical, nor moral point of view. And yet no one wished to agree to renounce this pernicious practice!

When the All‑Ukrainian Union of Churches of Christians of Evangelical Faith restored its activities in 1990, its charter proclaimed continuity with the pre‑war Pentecostal unions, which had no knowledge of any episcopal titles—and would never have agreed to them, rightly assessing such a move as a return to Orthodox or Catholic episcopocracy! At that time a proviso was inserted into the text of the charter: “in order to preserve historically established titles, the title of bishop is to be considered equivalent to the ministry of senior presbyter.” In essence, this concerned two ministers—N. A. Melnik and N. M. Kaminsky—who had come into the Union from the unregistered brotherhood, where such titles existed. But the exception made from the rule soon began to override the rule itself—in subsequent editions of the charter, arbitrarily and single‑handedly, without any discussion at the congress, the title of bishops not only appeared but came to dominate. At first it was soothingly said that it was the same as senior presbyters; later it began to be implied that it was not the same, and that certain senior presbyters could be ordained into the episcopal office, although no lawful regulatory documents on this matter ever existed, no criteria for such selection were ever developed or agreed upon, and, naturally, the role of local churches in this issue was never defined.

In the latest edition of our Union’s charter, adopted at the 13th Congress in May 2002, the title of bishops is not provided for at all. Nevertheless, in complete contradiction to the charter, this title continues to appear in correspondence and publications, and it flatters the proud ambition of a dozen individuals who are unable to renounce that ambition, inflicting colossal damage on our brotherhood of many thousands.

This phenomenon appeared especially ugly during the years of emigration to America, where so-called bishops sit on church benches, having treacherously abandoned their flock in their homeland for a fat slice of respectable American life, grossly trampling on the pastoral duty to remain with their flock to the end, especially in such times of crisis. How could they remember the iron law of the sea, that the captain is the last to leave his ship! (A captain who would flee the ship, abandoning the captain’s bridge, would simply be put on trial in disgrace.) How far the actual deeds of such bishops have diverged from the fine words about self-sacrifice and the priority of spiritual values over “the values of this fleshly world”! Yet, by inertia, they continue to speak those same fine speeches in America as well, without even reflecting that by their personal example they have demonstrated the exact opposite. Nevertheless, having no real ministry in the church today, they do not want to settle for the role of private individuals, demanding from the active pastors of the churches that took them in (fugitives, not refugees) some special privileges, hinting at their lifelong episcopal titles.

It is precisely the seeking after high church titles, the ambitious and proud pursuit of human glory, that has led in some churches and fellowships of Evangelical Christian believers to presbyters and bishops being regarded as two completely different and unequal groups of Christian ministers. Such an artificial division of ministers into presbyters and bishops is a relic of the fallen Catholic and Orthodox Church… One would like to think that everything is due to… misunderstanding and misapprehension. Misapprehension multiplied by human pride and ambition.

Having rejected many non-biblical institutions of the fallen church, Evangelical believers should consistently renounce this artificial, contrived, alien graded division among their ministers as well.

For, having begun in the Spirit, one can end up establishing a new system of totalitarian church clericalism and return to that from which the fathers of our movement tore themselves away with great difficulty. May the Lord preserve us, so that another trouble does not arise in our history according to the principle: What we fought against, we ran into.

Christians, be vigilant!

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