SGA serves evangelical churches in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States by helping national pastors and their congregations reach their own people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Slavic Gospel Association traces its history back to 1934 and the city of Chicago. Peter Deyneka, had come to the United States from the former Soviet republic of Belarus at the age of 15. A few years later,
Peter repented of his sins and trusted in Christ as Savior during a worship service at Chicago’s renowned Moody Church during the pastorate of Dr. Paul Radar. After his salvation and graduation from St. Paul Bible School in Minnesota, Peter returned to Chicago with an overwhelming burden to see his people won to Christ. In 1925, he went back to his homeland and traveled extensively, sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. But in the early 1930s, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin intensified persecution of the churches and it became no longer possible for Peter to travel to his homeland. Convinced that there were ways to help the churches from here, he and a small group of Chicago-area businessmen met in the back of Hedstrom’s Shoe Store and founded the Russian Gospel Association, later renamed as Slavic Gospel Association. For many decades, SGA covertly distributed millions of Bibles and Christian books under the Iron Curtain into the hands of believers throughout the Soviet Union, while producing and broadcasting thousands of Christian radio programs over the Iron Curtain. The first Russian language Bible institutes in the world were established to train the Russian immigrants in Toronto, Canada; Temperley, Argentina; and other parts of the world. The mission also had an extensive ministry to Russian-speaking refugees and immigrants living in various countries throughout the world. Throughout the Cold War era, Peter Deyneka traveled the globe holding prayer meetings, often overnight, encouraging the Lord’s people to pray for the opening of the Soviet Union for the preaching of the Gospel. His motto became, “Much prayer, much power. Little prayer, little power. No prayer, no power!” His powerful preaching resulted in the nickname, “Peter Dynamite.” Having poured out his life in service to the Lord, the Lord called him to his heavenly reward in 1987. Then, in 1989, the Lord answered Peter’s lifetime prayers and brought the Iron Curtain crashing down — surprising the entire world. SGA leaders and missionaries immediately began to seize the unprecedented new opportunities for reaching the people of the former Soviet Union for the glory of Christ. Since those early days, SGA has grown to become an international ministry with autonomous offices in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and England. Today, our mission works primarily in the former Soviet nations of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. In addition, we sponsor Bible training for Russian churches in Israel, and assist there with training initiatives, conferences, and Russian-language publications. We provide Russian-language Bibles and Christian literature, provision of solid Bible training for pastors, church planters and church workers, sponsorship of church-planting missionaries, and sponsorship of youth and children’s ministries including outreach to orphans. SGA partners also help provide funds to help churches purchase occasional humanitarian aid on an as-needed basis.
