October 29, 1999  Novomarievskaia, Stavropol'

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1. Ground breaking. (American Molokan 2nd from left?)

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2. Delivering bricks, colored for decor. Little wood is used in construction.

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5. The crane is lifting concrete "plates" to make the ceiling. The next steps are to finish the roof and interior.  A wooden roof frame will support "shifer", corregated fiber reinforced concrete sheets. Electric wire will run in the walls before plastering. The building probably will have no plumbing. The toilet will be outhouses. Cooking will be on an outside fire. Walls will be painted with white wash--lime and water.

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3. Near: tractor hydrolics. Background: sand for  cement and white-grey exterior bricks.

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4. Delivery of "plates" for the ceiling.

Above are photos of a church in Stavropol Russia, Colony Novomarievskaya. [Click on photos to ENLARGE.] A few churches and individual people helped to build it to it's present stage. An amount of $10,000 to $11,000, will be needed to complete the building, equip the kitchen and purchase a furnace. [See map that shows Novomarievskaya to be 10 miles northwest of Stavropol'. Paul Slivkoff helped raise funds to build the church in Nadezhda, 5 miles east of Stavropol'. The Molokan church in Shpakovsoie, 5 miles north of Stavropol', was built mainly by refugees from Azerbiadjan.]

The Minister and 9 elders are listed below. They all belong to the Molokan Spiritual Christian Church, (Priguni sect.) For 77 years, the religious people in Russia were denied the right to go to church and worship. Now they are free to worship and could build a House of Worship, but they have no money to do so. They have a hard time feeding themselves and their children. We ask everyone to please open your hearts and send a donation so they could complete their church. Donations can be sent to me at the address below.

Thank you,

John A. Kochergen
8163 W. McKinley Ave.
Fresno, CA 93722

Address for the preacher of the church:

Russia 356236
Stavropol' region
Shpakovsky district
Village Novomarievskaya
Street Uzhnaya  4
Petrushkin, Ivan Timofeevich

Families of:
  • Petrushkin, Ivan Timofeevich
  • Samarin, Timofey Ivanovich
  • Portnovs
  • Belyakovs
  • Konovalovs
  • Galicins
  • Kochergenovs
  • Kolpanovs
  • Desyatovs
  • Bogdanovs

         And all our community from young to old, God bless you. We look forward to hearing from you.

See map that shows