Answers to Questions You Have Recently Asked.....

QUESTION:  I was wondering if you could send me more on the 
Ukrainian brethren's  early history.  How did they come to 
understand the truth?
 
ANSWER:  The group of Sabbatarians that we have come in contact 
with have been in existance since 1946, although Trans-Carpathia 
and Rumania have long histories of Christians who observed the 
Sabbath Day.  I will be happy to post information about these groups 
under separate cover. 
 
In 1946 Michael Palchey pastored a Sunday-keeping congregation.
In services one Sunday a woman told him that she had a dream that 
their church should be keeping the Sabbath.  Michael Palchey told 
her to keep quiet and ignored her.  The next Sunday, the woman 
mentioned her dream again.  This time he listened and did a study 
of the scriptures on this subject.  He came to understand that the 
correct day of worship was the Sabbath.  He told the congregation of
his understanding.  The brethren came to see this, too, and started 
observing the Sabbath.  They also began to keep the Passover and
came to understand more truths as they studied.  

As the years went by Michael Palchey continued to establish 28 more 
congregations of Sabbath-keepers.  The Sabbath-keeping churches 
became the third largest denomination following the Orthodox and 
Catholics and  became widely known in western Ukraine.

Michael Palchey has since emigrated to the United States with his 
extended family and currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.


QUESTION:  Are there any other Slavic Sabbatarian groups that might 
stretch back to the apostolic era or shortly thereafter?  

ANSWER:  It’s very difficult to link any group to a direct succession from 
the apostolic era, however, some areas have had a history of 
Sabbath-keepers.  Usually, with Sabbath-keeping there was a rejection 
of the common Roman holidays and an acceptance of the biblical days 
of worship such as the Passover.  In addition, these groups kept the 
dietary laws and had a high respect for God’s law.  
  

QUESTION:  What form of governance did/do they have?  Is it more like 
the locally administered COG7th Day?  

ANSWER:  During the times of their survival under Communism, the 
governance was very loose.  Every aspect of their existance illegal.  All 
they cared about was to assemble and read the word of God.  Still, they 
were able to know each other as congregations and recognized Michael 
Palchey as their spiritual leader.  He was known as a caring, dedicated 
man who through his personal way of interacting with many different 
kinds of people and being a peaceful man, was able to keep the 
confederation of 28 Trans-Carpathian churches together.

Since religious freedom has come, governance has predominantly been 
congregational, however, they are allied  with a larger association of 
fourteen Sabbatarian groups worldwide.  Their leader is Franz Klausen 
who lives in Dushanbe, Tadjikistan.  His assistant is Vasyl Mondich of 
Khust, Trans-Carpathia.   He is also the leader of the one of the fourteen 
regions called "Christians of the Sabbath Day."   Some of  the other 
regions are Rumania, Greater Ukraine, Russia, Moldava and the 
Caucuses.  Some regions contain only a handful of believers.  The 
Ukrainian group is by far the largest.     

They have been holding conferences about twice a year to try to 
determine the best way to govern themselves.  This is still an on-going 
process.  While I worked in Church Administraiton of the Worldwide 
Church of God they had many questions about how we did things 
centrally.   They wanted instruction on how we communicated and how 
ministers should be accountable.  The leadership wanted more 
interaction and unity among their ministry.  


QUESTION:  Have you been in contact with them recently?

ANSWER:  Yes, I have.  I have spoken with the director of  Mission 
Nazareth, Victor Pavliy on the telephone and told him of the formation of 
the United Church of God.  I told him that I very much wanted to visit 
them again.  The last time that my wife and I had been back was in July 
1994 while students of Ambassador College were working in the 
community teaching English.  Last week I received an official invitation to 
come and visit them.  The government has become very particular who 
comes over and visits and to visit one must have an invitation signed by 
a city official. 


QUESTION:  Is  there anyway for private individuals to support THEIR 
work directly?  

ANSWER:  Yes, there is.  Keep watching my updates on HELPING.  
They are very active in their work of evangelizing.   They need tools 
such as literature translated in Ukrainian or Russian.