The Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention in the U.S.A. has moved into a new era by electing for the first time as its president a person who was part of the so-called “fourth wave” of Ukrainian immigration.
The Rev. Anatoly Moshkovsky, who arrived in the United States in 1990, was elected president for a three-year term during the 66th annual conference held Sept. 2-4 and hosted by the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Crum Lynne, 1110 Chester Pike, Crum Lynne, Pa., whose pastor is Dr.Vasiliy Kravchuk.
Rev. Moshkovsky, 58, was pastor of the Crum Lynne church from 1991 until 2000 and still is a member there. Before being elected president, he served a term as vice president for North America missions; and previously he served six years as secretary of the UEBC. He succeeds the Rev. Avdiy Chripczuk, pastor of the First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Levittown, Pa., who was ineligible after serving two terms as president. Rev. Moshkovsky’s full-time job is director of ethnic church planting for the Southern Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania/South Jersey.
Rev. Moshkovsky said that some of his main goals will be striving to retain young people in the churches and establishing a college scholarship for those interested in entering Christian ministry.
Except for one, all of the other officers elected to the executive committee also were part of the “fourth wave,” including the presidents of the youth association and the women’s association.
Elected to three-year terms were vice president for domestic missions: Rev. Dr. Sergio Sauchuk, pastor of Grace Ukrainian Baptist Church in Hatboro, Pa.; vice president for foreign missions: Rev. Anatoliy Sakhan, pastor of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Vineland, N.J.; treasurer: Rev. Leonid Bliznyuk, pastor of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Lancaster, Pa.; assistant treasurer: Mr. Vadim Moshkovsky, of Crum Lynne Baptist Church and who recently moved with his family to Charlotte, NC; secretary: Rev. Victor Pilipchuk, pastor of First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Cleveland (in Parma, Ohio); and assistant secretary: Rev. Roman Kapran, director of the Russian-Ukrainian Mission in Newark, Del.
The women’s association re-elected Mrs. Halyna Bliznyuk of Lancaster, Pa., as president; and the youth association re-elected as president Mr. Roman Bilyk, a deacon at Ukrainian House of Gospel in Vineland, N.J.
More than 600 delegates and guests attended the conference. The main speakers were the Rev. Ihor Bandura, vice president of the Baptist Union in Ukraine and Dr. Stan K. Smith, Mission Director of Baptist Convention of PA/SJ
During the business meeting Saturday morning, reports showed that the largest churches by membership (not including children) are First Slavic Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. (420); First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Sacramento, Calif. (314); Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago in Berwyn, Ill. (291); First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Cleveland (230); First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Philadelphia (220); and Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Crum Lynne, Pa. (200).
During the Sunday morning service, the Rev. Volodymyr Kondor, an administrator from the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary in Borislav, Ukraine, presented a doctorate of ministry to the Rev. Michael Jakubovich for his many decades of service as treasurer of the UEBC. Rev. Jakubovich, 76, who still is pastor of the Ukrainian Baptist Church in North Port, Fla., decided to retire this year from the treasurer’s position.
Rev. Moshkovsky, who was born in Zhitomir oblast in Ukraine, and his wife, Lilia, have three children and 7 grandchildren. He can be reached at email.
The Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention in the U.S.A. has moved into a new era
News article for The Ukrainian Weekly By Alex Harbuzyuk
