Slavic Christian Church dedicates new building

By RICHARD KOE

SALEM - Members of the First Slavic Christian Church of Salem, a part of the new wave of Russian-speaking immigrants to America since 1990, dedicated their $1 million church building on Sunday, Oct. 31, the eve of All Saints Day.

The congregation formed nearly 10 years ago as emigrants from the former Soviet Union relocated in the mid-Willamette Valley to reunite their families and to escape the troubled economic conditions of their homeland. They come from many different Slavic countries - Russia, Belarus, and the Ukraine - and from different churches and denominations, blending into one congregation.

Some 1,000 Slavic-speaking Christians, joined by American friends and local civic leaders, crowded in the main sanctuary, which seats about 600, and a large back room with two video screens for the almost four-hour service filled with greetings, testimonies, messages, special music, video, and full translation from Russian to English by three interpreters.

Special guests included Salem Mayor Bill Swain, pastors from Woodburn and Salem, and Pastor Lowell Funk with the Mennonite Brethren churches in Fresno, Calif.

A 50-voice choir and the Slavic Christian Singers, a six-member group from Salem who minister in English and Russian, provided music. The singers, all members of the Slavic Christian Church, have ministered in churches across America since February 1995. Marilyn Huber, the singers' American manager and the Slavic church leaders were interviewed for KPTV 12 News.

Construction of the 17,000 square-foot building started in May 1998 with the help of local friends, contractors, and volunteers. Filigree and marblized painting, all done by volunteers, adorn the sanctuary's walls and ceiling. Refurbished pews were obtained from a Salem church.

The congregation is similar to American churches of Pentecostal background. Worship services are long - a minimum of two hours - with members permitted to preach in addition to the pastor's sermon. About 10 percent of the people speak only English, so personal radios are available to receive translations of the service from Russian.

Before coming to the U.S., Senior Pastor Bycheslav Boynetskiy organized a church in the Ukraine, while working secular jobs, jobs he often lost because of the government's anti-Christian atttitude. His wife's relatives sponsored his move to Oregon. Boynetskiy has completed correspondence courses with Logos Bible Institute of Tulsa, Okla., and the Russian Ukrainian Bible Institute in Sacramento, Calif.

Boynetskiy echoed the words of Swain, who told the congregation that it was a proud day both for the Slavic Christian Church and the local community. The pastor believes the future is bright for the congregation as it seeks to proclaim the gospel and to equip the saints among Russian immigrants.

The church is located on a 2.4-acre site at 4913 Auburn Road N.E., not far from the State Capitol building, and is affiliated with the Slavic Churches of America (SCA), a fellowship that includes Slavic Pentecostals, Baptists and Evangelicals.

Worship begins at 10 a.m. on Sundays and Bible study and prayer is at 7 p.m. on Fridays. For more information, call (503) 370-4929.