Church Life
Like an army, the mighty Church of the Lord leads the way
In those places, in those footsteps where the saints went before us,
And in the Church we are all one, the body of Christ is in this.
And God grant us, having understood, to keep those simple truths.
The history of the formation of our Church in the city of Harrisonburg, which is located in the state of Virginia, begins in the early 1990s. With the beginning of the collapse of the atheistic Soviet Union, when believers, by the grace of God, were no longer persecuted by the authorities for their faith in the Lord. Christians were given the right to emigrate to other countries. And then many believers left their country and arrived in the United States. Among them were our Baptist brothers with their families. For the first time, on December 25, 1991, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, 7 families, Russian Baptists, gathered for their first festive Divine service in the house of Mikhail Vladimirovich Bondaruk and, from that time, our meetings at home became regular. Life went on and relatives came from the republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as from other states of America. The home premises no longer accommodated everyone who wanted to serve God, and then, by the grace of the Lord, an agreement was signed with the American Church (West Side Baptist Church), according to which they generously provided premises for worship. And our first meeting that took place in the Church was May 10, 1992.
In November 1992, the Church already has about 40 members in its composition. The duties of a minister of the church were initially performed by Vasily Vladimirovich Bondaruk. The church needed an elder who had experience in leading church meetings and who would be fully involved in the organization of the Church. And so, by the grace of God, in December 1992, Father Ivan Karpovich Klopot came to Harrisonburg with his family from Brest (Belarus). In January 1993, he was unanimously elected pastor of the Church. The church grew and in May 1995 there were already 152 members and 275 church attendees. On May 28, 1995, the brothers gathered for a business meeting at the West Side Baptist Church led by Church pastor George Fletcher.
Emigration continued, new families arrived, and children grew up, who subsequently made a covenant with the Lord, becoming members of the Church. And accordingly there was a great need to acquire a more spacious Prayer House. In 1997, by the grace of the Lord, we acquired the Prayer House, which previously belonged to the Nazarene Church. On June 13, there was a solemn meeting at which the children of God dedicated this House to the Lord.
On June 3, 2001, the Church asked God's blessing on her newly elected brothers: Pyotr Fadeyevich Tkachuk for the presbyter service, and Nikolai Vladimirovich Bondaruk for the deacon. In December 2001, the grace of the Lord was again given to us and we acquired the Church in the town of Bridgewater.
In 2003, the Church elected new ministers and thus, in the House of Prayer, responsible service is carried out by:
3 presbyters - P.F. Tkachuk, I.K. Klopot and D.V. Slashchev;5 deacons - N.V. Borodin, N.V. Bondaruk, M.A. Zotov, S.V. Peichev and M.M. Khikhol.
Every year, in November, we have a youth conference. In 2007, about 1300 young people participated in it, and this number is growing every year, by the grace of God.
For 2018, by the grace and love of the Lord, the community of the local church has grown and is growing every year. Today we have 625 church members, about 100 young people, 205 children who attend Sunday school.
3 presbyters - P.F. Tkachuk, D.V. Slashchav and O.V. Artemiev
12 deacons - N.V. Borodin, N.V. Bondaruk, V.M. Levshin, S.V. Peichev, V.G. Shindyapin, A.N. Korotkevich, S.P. Kasyanov, V.V. Borodin, Yu.S. Suslyaev, A.P. Kalashnikov, O.A. Romanenko, A.O. Artemiev.
Our God endowed his people with many gifts with which we serve the Lord and people, so in the local community there are: Choir, orchestras (wind, folk instruments, bells, symphonies, etc.) and a wide variety of ministries in which the people of God work.
In the same year of 2018, the Lord helped us in completing the reconstruction of the prayer house, and for this mercy we sincerely and unceasingly thank Him.
Looking back at the whole journey, I want to exclaim:“How great is your mercy, Lord! How wonderfully You have blessed us immigrants in this new country of our earthly habitation!”
How good it is that
Christ ate us into one family with His blood,
And put His song into our souls,
And taught us to love and believe.
We were brought up in different ways,
We are different from different places of the earth,
But each of us in his day and hour
The roads led to Harrisonburg.
Here in our native, familiar language
We hear the Word, pray, sing.
And we forget that we live far
from our earthly Motherland.
We are travelers to the heavenly glorious city.
We wish with faith to complete the earthly path.
And it will be the highest of rewards
To hear: “Well, my faithful servant!
"People! Trust in Him at all times; pour out your heart before Him: God is our refuge."
Psalm 61:9
Creed
The basis of our faith is the Bible (the canonical books of Holy Scripture), as the only complete and complete revelation of God. What we believe and what we teach is summarized in the Baptism of the Baptist Church.
The Church adheres to the biblical principle of respect for the laws and the Constitution of the country (Rom.13:1-7; Tit.3:1-2; Acts 5:29).
Church Charter
“Only everything should be decent and orderly.” “For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:40;33).
This charter was adopted at a meeting of church members.
Church Agreement
“I am the Almighty God; Walk before Me and be blameless ; “(Genesis 17:1).
The general agreement and responsibility of the Members of the Church, on the basis of the Word of God, of our Christian beliefs and church structure expressed in the doctrine of the Evangelical Christians of Baptists and in the Charter of the Church; in matters of our behavior, appearance and relationship with each other. In personal and joint devotion to the service of God, the fulfillment of His commandments and the preservation of oneself undefiled from the world.
“… Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it, to sanctify it by purifying it with the word; to present it to Himself as a glorious Church, not having a stain or blemish, or anything of the kind, but that it be holy and without blemish. “(Eph. 5:25-27.).
“… We will serve the LORD our God, and we will hear his voice.” “(John Paul II: 24).
“… To observe and obey all the commandments of the Lord our God, and His statutes and His injunctions.” “(Neh. 10:29.)
We base our consent on the following:
Our Church is a voluntary association of Evangelical Christian Baptists, professing Jesus Christ as their personal Savior:
“For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we ought to be saved.” “(Acts 4:12.)
“And to those who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave power to become the sons of God,” (John 1:12.)
The One Head of our association is Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church:
“And He is before all things, and everything by Him is. And He is the head of the body of the Church. “(Col. 1:17-18.)
Our one leader is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, which teaches, reminds, encourages and comforts us.
“The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have told you. “(John 14:26.)
The sole basis of our teaching is the Word of God, recorded by the saints of God, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, (2 Peter 1: 19-21), one that can be prepared for every good work.(2 Tim 3:16-17).
Our main responsibilities are:
Consecration:
“For the will of God is your sanctification …” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)
“… according to the example of the Holy One who called you, and be holy in all your actions; “(1 Peter 1:15).
Evangelism:
“You are the light of the world. “(Mat.5:14),
“Go … and preach the Gospel …” (Mar. 16,: 15).
Spiritual increase:
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “(2 Peter 3:18).
Prayer Life:
“Be constant in prayer, being awake in it with thanksgiving. “(Col. 4:2).
christian brotherly love:
“We will be attentive to each other, encouraging to love and good deeds. “(Heb. 10:24).
Dedication to the ministry:
“Serve each other, every gift that you have received, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. “(1 Peter 4:10).
In matters of our conduct, appearance and relationship with each other, as members of the one body of Jesus Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will strive:
Walk together in Christian love; try to make our church grow in knowledge, holiness and piety.
Take care of increasing her spirituality and well-being. Support her worship, established order and teaching.
It is good to participate in the material ministry for the work of God and church expenses.
Remember each other in prayers, help each other in illnesses and needs.
Try to be mutually polite and considerate.
Avoid all offenses, envy, anger, irritability. To be able to forgive and strive to preserve peace and unity.
Have personal and family fellowship with God, raise children according to the Word of God, take care of saving relatives, friends and acquaintances.
To be blameless in this world, fair in our actions, faithful in our commitments and exemplary in behavior.
Following the Biblical principles, be categorical in matters of drinking alcohol (including beer), tobacco, drugs.
The appearance of a member of the church should be “… as decently holy…” (Tit.2: 3). Frank nudity, tightness in clothes, use of colored cosmetics, wearing earrings, rings, chains – is considered unacceptable. The decoration should be evangelical and not mundane. (1 Peter 2:9).
By accepting this church agreement, we will rely on the Lord, making every effort not to shy away from the truth and not to commit a conscious sin, but constantly to follow the path of sanctification. We will strive to give our whole life to His order, fully trusting His leadership.
“… That, when He appears, have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. “(1 John 2:2).