On August 23, Slavic Baptist Church of Yuba City held a joyous church service, which was attended by not only the members of the local church, but by other guests and representatives of other churches of the Аssociation.
The church of this city went through difficult experience of its development. Unfortunately, not all of the local Christians see the need in supporting the local church and prefer to go to other churches in Sacramento and other cities on a weekly basis. On August 23, the church service was dedicated to the ordination of a new minister. Andrey Parkhomenko, who is the head pastor, with tears in his eyes recalled how God sent a wonderful family who moved to an area close to the city. The local church joyfully decided to ordain Vladimir Khokhlov for a deacon’s ministry. Before moving to this area, Vladimir Khokhlov was a member of the Slavic Baptist Church of West Sacramento, where Igor Antonovich Verstak served as a senior pastor. Vladimir went through a good school of training for ministry at that church. Igor Antonovich Verstak and I gave words of exhortation for Vladimir and his wife Nina, after which he was ordained. The representative of the second generation received a blessing from pastors of the first generation of immigrants.
I wish the Lord’s blessings for Vladimir and his family in their new page of the life of service. I was filled by great joy as I was ordaining this young minister, Vladimir for the ministry to which God called him. He gave him the courage and the faith for the present and the future of this local church, but most importantly, the confidence of His presence, and that He is with us always, to the end of the age.
Ivan Mileyev
