May 19 - 20, Bryte Church, our largest Slavic church, celebrated its 90th anniversary. The celebration began on Saturday in West Sacramento Park. About 4,000 people attended the event, and more than 300 volunteered at the festive occasion. After an hour of worship, the participants took part in various entertainment activities.
The celebration continued on Sunday during the morning service. The service lasted for three hours, and service program included sharing of testimonies and greetings, as well as showing the video of church history. A broadcast of celebration from the park may be found here, and the the Sunday service broadcast is published here.
Below, Svetlana Timopheev shares her narrative about the events that took place during festive Sunday service in observance of church anniversary. Pictures of Saturday celebration are presented below the narrative.
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BRYTE CHURCH CELEBRATED ITS 90TH ANNIVERSARY
On Sunday, May 20, Russian Church of Evangelical Baptists in Bryte celebrated its 90th anniversary. Festal worship service, which overlapped with Pentecost Day celebration, was attended by numerous guests. Welcoming address was made by Pavel Mikhailovich Khakimov, the former pastor of the church for the last twenty years, Leonid Petrovich Kioroglo, currently elected pastor, and Alexey Kolomytsev, a pastor of “Word of Grace" church from the state of Washington, who partook in festal service.
Interesting facts about the church's history were carefully collected by brother Yaroslav Dmitriyevich Diordienko. They made into a video plot that aroused a keen interest of those present. A more detailed historical study is being prepared for print by a group of church brothers. The main milestones of the Bryte Church history are connected to three waves of Russian immigration to America.
The West coast of North and South America hosted communities of believers since going back to the time of tsarist Russia. Slavic Christians fled there mainly through China. In 1921, brother Daniel Leskovsky moved that rout from Harbin to Bryte. Other families of believers followed his steps. Leskovsky's wife and daughter, his father-in-law Nikolai Zelinsky, and his wife Anna arrived as well. Through the efforts of their ministry, the Lord founded Bryte Church, and this church consisted about 30 people in 1928.
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Zelinsky was elected first pastor of Bryte Church and served the Lord in that role for 16 years. From 1944 until 1948 brother Chepurenko was carrying the pastoral service after him.
After the World War II, the church began receiving believers, who fled from the Soviet regime in the late 1930 and early 1940. Peter Grigorievich and Lyubov Mikhaylovna Shilohvostovs and their six children were the first ones who made it to Bryte from that group. At that time, the church consisted of 40 people, and worship services were held in the house on 701Solano Street.
By late 50s, the number of church members has grown to 60 people. The families of Loktevs, Krivonogovs, Granchukovs, Zabudskys, Chekhammestrovs, Tkachevs, Levchenko, Kuznetsovs, and Baybeson have arrived to Bryte.
Close ties were established with other communities of believers from the West coast. In 1951, 14th spiritual-edifying Congress of Pacific Association of Evangelical Christian Baptists was hosted in Bryte.
Nikolai Alexandrovich Vodnevsky and his wife arrived to Bryte same year. His creative and spiritual gifts became a blessing not only for Bryte Church but also for Christians around the world. The newspaper “Nashi Dni” (Our Days) started in 1966 and was one of the vital fruits of his ministry. Vodnevsky was the chief editor for many years of this newspaper. Till this day, the newspaper serves many as source of blessings and spiritual edification.
In 1952, Bryte Church bought a parcel on 828 Solano Street and built there a house of prayer. November 18, 1953, the church officially registered as a corporation and was named Russian Church of Evangelical Christian-Baptists.
In 1956, the church was pastored by Efim Vikentyevich Zabudsky. In February of 1957, Bryte Church started a new church in Sacramento. Brother Peter Grigorievich Amegin was assigned to lead pastoral ministry there. In 1965, Amegin was succeeded by pastor Fyodor Petrovich Karpets, who came from Canada being invited by Bryte Church.
From 1958 to 1971, Bryte Church was pastored by Daniil Terentyevich Loktev, Kirill Efimovich Ivanov, S.P. Dyachenko, and Kaplich. From 1971 to 1988, Vladimir Ivanovich Kuzmenkov ministered there as ordained lead pastor.
The first chorus of Bryte Church was organized in 1963 under the leadership of Daniil Terentyevich Loktev. Initially it consisted of 30 people. Currently Bryte Church has eight choruses praising God.
Evangelism has always been and currently remains an important part of the ministry at Bryte Church. "The Word to Russia" mission was organized at the initiative of brother Alexander Fedorovich Yefimov. The mission, currently in operation, was headed by Mikhail Danilovich Loktev.
By early 1991, the church received a new wave of immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union. Numerically, the church grew to 213 people and celebrated two baptisms of 15 believers. Through that time, the lead pastors were Konstantin Andreevich Bondar, Anatoly Kostenko, and Sergei Ivanovich Neverov. At his initiative, a brotherly council was organized in the church. It was elected of 24 people.
In 1993, the "Gift of Love to the Poor" foundation was established alongside with the church committee, officially representing church before the state and various civil institutions.
The church continued to grow via the arrival of new immigrants from about a hundred to hundred and fifty families a year. In 1999, brother Pavel Mikhailovich Khakimov replaced temporarily acting head pastor Vladimir Fedorovich Burbel. The decision was made to build a new house of prayer, and in early January 2000, the construction fundraising started. The consecration of the newly constructed church took place in the presence of numerous guests and the whole family of believers from Bryte Church who for several years worked so diligently, sacrificing their efforts, means, and time to complete the construction.
In 2018, Leonid Petrovich Kioroglo was elected as a senior pastor of Bryte church.
The Church was active all these years, developing services in a variety of ways: Family Day, peer fellowship, Vodnevsky’s reading, music services and much, much more. Bryte Church repeatedly became the venue for Pacific Slavic Baptist Association's congresses, interchurch conferences, fraternal meetings, and other meetings. Sunday school for adults and children as well as Russian school were organized on Church premises.
Thanks to the media service led for many years by Nikolai Sukach, a great enthusiast in this area, an opportunity was created to broadcast services all over the world on Internet, to create media archive, and to produce dozens of TV programs.
Bryte Church's social services are expanding: missionaries are being supported in various countries, brothers and sisters are involved in the ministry of rehabilitation centers and prison service. The church supports orphans, widows, victims of wars and conflicts in various countries, including Ukraine.
The history of Bryte Church, whose chronicle began in 1928, continues, as does its work for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One Who set it to serve His people and the cause of the Gospel.
Svetlana Timofeeva
Please click on the first slide to view pictures in slide-show format
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