PHILADELPHIA (BRN) — For many, 2020 was a year filled with many ups and downs and little celebration, but for the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention, or the Ukrainian Baptist Convention (UBC), it was a milestone. Last year marked 75 years of sharing the Gospel, supporting churches, and growing a Christ-centered community for the UBC.
“The Ukrainian Baptist Convention is basically a network of about 20 churches throughout the United States; reaching from the southern church – a church in North Port, Florida – to the Northern most point – Minneapolis, Minnesota – then Sacramento on the West Coast and Vineland, New Jersey on the East Coast,” explained UBC Leader of Youth Ministries Denis Sichkar.
The UBC first started in 1945, when a small group of Ukrainian Baptists met in Chester, Pennsylvania, to discuss supporting those who were exiled from Ukraine during World War II.
“There’s been multiple waves of immigrants from Europe into the United States, including Ukrainians. There were waves post World War I and post World War II. The churches are located, typically, near bigger cities – primarily because that’s where immigrants flock to,” said Sichkar.
“The reason for existence is, ultimately, for cooperation, working together, building each other up, sharing resources, encouraging prayer, and achieving more together than we could as a single church.”
Sichkar originally migrated from Ukraine to the U.S. when he was nine years old. Since then, he has lived in the Philadelphia area and attended First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church.
“I have been privileged to grow up in a Christian family, with loving parents that taught me and read a lot of Bible stories to me growing up. So, I was a frequent at our local church.”
In that same church, Sichkar came to Christ, grew in his faith, and, eventually, was called to ministry.
“My calling to ministry has been kind of two-fold. There’s some people who say, ‘Hey, I knew that I was going to be in [a] leadership role since age three,’ [and] I can’t really say that was the case for me.”
He continued: “However, as I grow and mature spiritually, I see the Lord kind of pushing me into leadership roles more and more, so it was just opportunity.”
Sichkar also credits mentors and dear friends as being the force God used to push him into a ministry leadership role. These include many of BRN’s collegiate ministers, namely Brian Musser, who leads the campus ministry at Drexel University, where he attended, and Eric Reiber, who leads at Penn State University. He also has participated in BRN Next’s/Send Relief mission trip to Puerto Rico, among other opportunities.
“Ultimately, people and mentors around me said, “Hey, we believe that this is something that would be a good fit and something you should try, and something you should really let the Lord guide you through.’”
Sichkar officially started his role as the Leader of Youth Ministries in 2017.
“I think, specifically, I just feel more at home speaking to college students and high school students… [I]t’s still recent in my memory and some of the struggles that I had, and some of the obstacles that I had to overcome, I kind of want to help them though it as well.”
Sichkar continued: “I mean, that’s why I enjoy it, because I think high school/college is this time of learning, transition, a lot of questions, and being able to find that truth in the Word. Finding that truth in God gives you such a firm foundation to build on, versus kind of bouncing around from this to that.”
For many young people, identity proves to be a reoccurring obstacle; one that Sichkar also wrestled with during his earlier years in the U.S.
“Being an immigrant, when I moved here when I was nine years old, it was a little bit tough fitting into the groups at school and so forth. So, for a while, I was trying to find my identity in my group of friends and trying to find identity in something else.”
Continuing, he shared, “I wish that I was more comfortable with who I am and more comfortable with finding my identity in God earlier on, and understanding that [as] your true identity, you don’t have to seek elsewhere.”
Specifically within the Ukrainian youth community, and other ethnic groups, Sichkar has also noticed a theme of “limitation.”
“Just from the unique perspective, let’s say like, a young person growing up in an ethnic church in the United States, there is a feeling of limitation. You feel like, ‘I’m just a part of something very small…’ you feel like there is more action elsewhere,” said Sichkar.
“Ultimately, the message I’ve been trying to send, and I believe the Lord is trying to communicate as well, is that knowing multiple languages is not a limitation, it’s an ability to serve more…or being able to be the bridge between two cultures.”
Throughout his years at the UBC, Sichkar has seen God take this perspective of “limitations” and turn it into a source of confidence within young people.
“Just trying to view that from a different perspective and communicate that in a different perspective, I believe, has been helpful to the younger generation growing up. They are more willing to plug into ministry and plug into some of the various opportunities that the Lord puts before them, because they have a little bit of confidence behind them,” shared Sichkar.
Although he is often interacting with young people, another large part of Sichkar’s role at the UBC is to minister to youth leaders at the local churches. He expressed that “being there for them, assisting them along the way, [and] getting them to talk to each other…” is a central part of his ministry.
As the UBC moves into its fourth quarter and toward 25 more years of ministry, Sichkar will continue in his role as the Leader of Youth Ministries for another four years.
“The Lord has been showing me that He is truly in control. His work will go on whether I’m a part of it or not, but it’s my privilege to be plugged in [and] to be engaged,” he said.
“I get to experience God in a different way, a more meaningful way [and] I think once you kind of experience it, you never want to be outside of that.”
Want to connect with Denis? Email him at denissichkar@gmail.com.
Listen to the podcast interview.
The “50 Stories of Transformation” series, told in honor of the Baptist Resource Network’s 50th anniversary, highlights the many ways God has moved throughout Pennsylvania, South Jersey and beyond. Your generous support of the Cooperative Program makes this ministry possible and fuels evangelism and outreach in our local churches and all over the world! Thank you!
