It’s not that uncommon for a church to use “first” in its title – such as First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, or First Presbyterian Church of Greenville. But how does First Slavic Baptist Church of Startex sound? Or, what about the “First and Only” Slavic Baptist Church of South Carolina?
Lesya Khaylewko, playing guitar, leads a group of young people in song just before First Slavic Baptist Church, Startex, began its two-hour service Feb. 5.For an out-of-towner, seeing a sign with “Slavic” in its title in a small town such as Startex might raise an eyebrow. However, those familiar with the business climate of Spartanburg County know it’s home to many international companies. Thus, it’s only natural that its religious denominations and their affiliates would be as equally diverse.
According to Jim Goodroe, director of missions for Spartanburg County Baptist Network, the Slavic church in Startex has ties to Pennsylvania, California and the Ukraine. In fact, most of its members are of Ukrainian/Russian ancestry, but church leaders chose the name “Slavic” in hopes of reaching “their larger people group,” Goodroe says.
While it might be the only Ukrainian-oriented church in the SCBN, it’s not the only one in the county – which has the largest Ukrainian/Slavic population in the state.
“There are several Ukrainian churches in our county, but I think ours is the only one not Pentecostal,” said Goodroe, whose network ministers to the local community through 93 participating Southern Baptist churches. “The largest is Slavic Pentecostal Church, which bought the property of Rock Hill Baptist Church, Inman, when it relocated as Lake Bowen Baptist. We also have the only Cambodian and Laotian churches in the state Baptist convention; the largest Hispanic church, Iglesia Bautista Renacer; and another Hispanic church, El Buen Pastor.”
The latest SCBN average attendance figures for Renacer is 150, followed by First Slavic Baptist (70), El Buen (25), the Laotian Mission (25), and the Cambodian Mission (10). All but First Slavic have Spartanburg addresses, although the Slavic church originally occupied a building on Cherokee Circle in Spartanburg that became available when a Hispanic Baptist church disbanded.
A similar fate also brought First Slavic to Startex, according to Goodroe.
“I had visited them at Cherokee Circle on Oct. 15, and they told me they needed a larger facility,” he explained. “Jeff Chastain (pastor of Victory Baptist in Startex) phoned me on Oct. 21 to give us the Startex property, so the timing seemed providential. The Ukrainians looked at the property within a few days and said they loved it and it was perfect for them, and began repairing and painting.”
Giving thanks
First Slavic Baptist met in its new Startex facility for the first time on Thanksgiving Day, and held a dedication ceremony Dec. 11. The sanctuary was packed with members and visitors from Charlotte and Asheville, where its closest sister churches are located.?The three-hour service included music, poems, the key message and a hearty meal.
Aleksander Mikhaylenko, a Ukrainian native who was recruited from a church he had served in Sacramento, Calif., conducts all services in the Ukrainian or Russian language. However, interpreters are usually provided for those who don’t speak the language.
“The Ukrainian pastor speaks a little broken English, but his young adult daughter Lesya can speak English fluently,” said Goodroe.
According to Lesya, her father was brought up in a Christian home in a small Ukrainian village at a time when the Russian government was still persecuting people for what it considered to be a religious cult.
“A lot of Baptist churches were prosecuted, and they put parents in jail for taking their children to church,” said Lesya. “My mom wanted to go to college, but she couldn’t because she was also a Baptist. Now we have freedom of religion over there. When some missionaries opened a Bible college in Kiev, which is the nation’s capital, my father – who had always wanted to study the Bible – started taking classes and became a minister.”
Lesya followed in her father’s footsteps in 1997 by also attending the school, known as St. James Bible College.
After the Ukraine established its independence in 1991, the new republic has struggled to overcome the political and economic legacies of communism. As a result, the 1997 U.S. Census reflects there are now about 750,000 Americans of Ukrainian descent.
Coming to America
In 2000, Mikhaylenko’s brother, who had been living in California for several years, invited Mikhaylenko and his family to come live with him, so the crew of nine immigrated to America with virtually nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Meanwhile, several dozen Ukrainian Baptists who had settled in Philadelphia uprooted and moved to the Upstate, where they established First Slavic Baptist Church of Spartanburg with assistance from the SCBN. They met for the first time on Palm Sunday in March 2001, but they were still in need of a Ukrainian-speaking pastor who could lead them.
That’s when Mikhaylenko and another Californian “music pastor,” Vasily Chernyak, were recruited. In August 2001, both pastors and their families moved to the Upstate to join the fledgling congregation.
“We drove our cars all the way across the country – again – with basically nothing but our clothing,” recalled Lesya. “But when we got here, the people of Boiling Springs First Baptist and Inman First Baptist rounded up furniture and other items for our homes and helped us get settled in.”
Now the once-fledgling church is growing at a modest rate, and the new location in Startex could not have come at a better time.
“The church members are so grateful that God has provided this new place to worship with?a larger sanctuary and more educational space,” said Lesya.?”It was like a miracle to us. We welcome everyone to come and experience one of our services in the Ukrainian or Russian language, including the songs we sing. You don’t have to know the language. Someone is always willing to interpret for you, and we teach from the same Bible the Baptists use.”
While many of the adult members still struggle at times with the English language, Lesya says most of the children and teens speak English well because they attend area schools.