The Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention of Canada is a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
organization serving the Ukrainian Baptists in the country of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
History
Ukrainian Baptists became established in Canada early in the 20th century from two independent sources. A group of Ukrainian immigrant families laid down the foundation and established the first Ukrainian Baptist church in Canada, electing Rev. Ivan Shakotko to be the pastor in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
in 1903. Around the turn of the 20th century, English-speaking Baptists sent a missionary to labour among the
growing Ukrainian population in western Canada. From this work, a church was organized in
Overstone, Manitoba in 1904. Around this same time, Baptist work among Ukrainian Canadians was started in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, and in
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
. John Kolesnikoff, a missionary, moved to Canada from eastern Ukraine in 1907. These churches were successful in attracting
Mennonite
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...
, ''
Shtundist
The Shtundists (russian: Штундисты, ''Shtundisty''; uk, Штундисти, ''Shtundysty''; British: Stundists) are the predecessors of several Evangelical Protestant groups in Ukraine and across the former Post-Soviet states, Soviet Unio ...
'', and
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
emigrants from
Imperial Russia
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
. The first annual conference of Ukrainian Baptists in Canada was organized by Rev. Shakotko and Rev. Kolesnikoff in
Canora, Saskatchewan
Canora is a town, located at the junction of highways No. Saskatchewan Highway 5, 5 and Saskatchewan Highway 9, 9 in east central Saskatchewan, about 50 km north of Yorkton. It is centrally located on the corners of four adjacent rural mun ...
in 1908. It was originally called the "Russian-Galician Evangelical Convention" and gradually changed to "Russian-Ukrainian" as the name Ukrainian was popularized. For a number of years afterwards the body operated as the "Federation of Ukrainian Baptist Churches in Canada". In 1961, they incorporated under the current name.
See also
*
Baptists in Ukraine
The Baptist Church in Ukraine ( uk, Баптизм в Україні; ) is one of the oldest and most widespread Evangelical Christian denominations in the country. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, over half the 1.5 million acknowledged Bapti ...
*
*
*
Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada
The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada is an Evangelical Baptist association in Canada. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The national headquarters are located in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. In 2011 Rev. S ...
*
List of Baptist denominations
This list of Baptist denominations is a list of subdivisions of Baptists, with their various Baptist associations, conferences, conventions, fellowships, groups, and unions around the world. Unless otherwise noted, information comes from the Worl ...
*
Union of Slavic Churches of Evangelical Christians and Slavic Baptists of Canada
References
* ''Profiles in Beliefs: the Religious Bodies in the United States and Canada (Vol. II)'', by Arthur Carl Piepkorn
*
100th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Historical Review: 1903-2003. John Tkachuk, October 19, 2003'' Retrieved 27 December 2022.
*
'' Retrieved 27 December 2022.
Christian organizations established in 1908
Baptist denominations in North America
Ukrainian Canadian religion
Ukrainian Baptists
Evangelical denominations in North America
1908 establishments in Canada
Baptist Christianity in Canada
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