Our History
On August 28, 2004, the story of our Adventist community began when Vladimir and Natalia Nesteruk arrived to minister to a small group of believers. At that time, about 12 people gathered in the facilities of the Spokane Central Seventh-day Adventist Church to conduct Sabbath School and heartfelt worship services in their native Russian language.
In August 2006, the community took a significant step forward, receiving group status under the Spokane Linwood Seventh-day Adventist Church. This marked the beginning of an active and wonderful development: regular Russian-language services were held, family and health ministries were launched, and evangelistic meetings were organized. Our message reached the local television airwaves, church members actively participated in community expos and the Better Living Center ministry, personal Bible studies were carefully guided, and warm family camp meetings at Camp MiVoden and beautiful parks across Washington State brought hearts closer together. A special inspiration has been our long-term, sincere cooperation with Palisades Christian Academy and Upper Columbia Academy to nurture children in Christian values.
This year marked a major missionary breakthrough: with the active and enthusiastic participation of our church members, the very first Russian-language Seventh-day Adventist television channel in the United States was established. This event opened new doors to share the message of hope and the Gospel with Russian-speaking people all around the world.
In June 2011, the group took a new step of faith and applied for Company status. Upon approval, 26 dedicated members were officially transferred to form the Spokane Slavic Company. The congregation continued to meet in the welcoming atmosphere of the Spokane Linwood SDA Church until the fall of the following year.
In September 2012, the community relocated to a rented facility at the First Methodist Church. Finding this new space gave our church family even greater opportunities to expand our ministries and continue building up the congregation.
After Pastor Vladimir Nesteruk was called to serve an English-speaking church, the congregation prayed for a new spiritual leader. In 2013, Grigory Grigorievich Arutyunyan was chosen as the pastor of the Slavic community. His rich spiritual heritage, hospitality, and deep, sincere love for people left an enduring, beautiful mark. Practically every family in our community experienced the warmth of his home, his attentive pastoral care, support in times of need, and his special dedication to family ministries.
In March 2019, Pastor Vyacheslav Ostapenko accepted the call to leadership and continues to lovingly guide our church family today. His deep devotion to God, active love for the church, and missionary passion help us grow, open new avenues to serve people, strengthen our faith, and faithfully carry the message of God’s love to the residents of our region.
Today, the “Open Book” church is a vibrant, friendly community of people of all ages and generations, united in their desire to serve God and their neighbors. Remembering God’s guidance at every turn of our history with deep gratitude, we look to the future with hope. We continue to fulfill the mission entrusted to us by the Lord: to preach the Gospel, to comfort and support families, to raise children in Christian values, and to stand as a bright witness of His endless love to the world around us.