Each month we hope to highlight a local church from our area with pictures and a report written by the local pastor. This month our report is from the village of Balabino, located about 5 miles from Zaporozhye. The pastor is Edward Petrov, a graduate of ZBC, and a member of our faculty.

Special Announcement: The church featured on this page is looking for a
"sister" church in America to share prayer requests with, and to aid them in evangelizing their village. If your church would be interested, or if you would like more information about the joys and expectations of this kind of arrangement, please contact the Sniders.

Above: The pastor's son,
Elijah, in front of the
church "New Year's tree."

The history of Balabino church

Beginning.
Our Church has the name after the village of Balabino and started as an answer to prayer. Christians who lived in Balabino and were the members of Kushugum church (nearby church) regularly gathered at home for prayer for their own church in Balabino. They had prayed for four years and God provided. The building was purchased with the help of the regional union of Baptist churches. The church was registered in March of 2001 and beginning that summer we have had services regularly in our new building.

Now.
We have 16 members. About 15-20 children who regularly attend our Sunday school and Saturday children's club. In the church there are some new converts who have repented and we pray for their baptism.

Activities.
Balabino is a big village. It has about 6000 people living there. Two times we have had evangelism "from home to home" with a help of students of ZBC. Each summer we have a children's day camp. Usually the camp runs 3-4 hours a day during the week and includes games, a Bible story, songs, and some presents. We have a program for parents.

Ministers.
We pray for more leaders for our church. We need deacon and music director, for teachers for Sunday school. Nicolay Nesterenco, a student of ZBC preaches in the church. Some visitors help us in leading the services.

The pastor of Balabino church is Edward Petrov.

Plans.
We pray for spreading of the Gospel throughout all village so that every person can hear the Good News, and has opportunity to except Jesus Christ. We pray for organizing youth group.

	Left: The Balabino church building. The caretaker -- every church has one -- lives upstairs in one room, and the rest of that floor is for Sunday school. The auditorium is in the front half of the downstairs.
Right: The church congregation after their Jan 7 Christmas service. The pastor and his wife Olga are in the middle at the back. The sister on the far right is a graduate of the ZBC Christian education program, and works with the Sunday school.