"In family life, when you choose a specific conflict
Never allow yourself to become personal,
and lose focus with the problem ..
Eradicate phrases like "you always," "but you never."
Mike Khochay

On Sunday April 7th, another premarital counseling meeting was held. This was meeting 5 of 7, with the theme "Conflicting situations in the family." Alex Korenchuk, began the evening by welcoming all the atendees and began with prayer.

A pleasant surprise this evening was the attendance of a young married couple, Alex and Lily Koval, who briefly shared the experiences of their family life. "Sometimes we can misunderstand each other, and on this basis sometimes small conflicts happened that could lead to the already serious quarrels. In such cases, we just sat down and tried to look into the situation," our friends shared.

Also this evening Pastor Mike Khochay and his wife Inna were invited. Pastor said that the conflicts in the family happen very often, and that the main thing is to deal with them in a timely manner.

Pastor Mike named areas in which conflicts can arrise: 1. Finances, 2. Intimacy, 3. Expectations.

He also named the common responses to the conflicts that occurr: 1. Avoid, 2. Ignore 3. Solve. "Never let a conflict remain unresolved. It can be solved with communication, love and respect," pastor explained.

Resurrection of Jesus Christ was and will always remain one of the most magnificent and meaningful holidays in the Christian calendar. Although the date of Easter varies each year, the meaning is always the same - Jesus Christ conquered death by rising from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, and gave the fallen humanity a chance to reunite with everlasting Creator.

On March 31st, half of the Christian world celebrated the Resurrection of Christ. Our church is no exception as many gathered on a Sunday afternoon, to give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. The service began with praise. Pastor Yuri Litvinchuk and the band played the famous hymn:

Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!

A great blessing this day was also performances of young students from the "Live Music Academy" led by founders, Yuriy and Zhanette Litvinchuk. Talented and trained students performed several psalms.

After the first part of the worship service ended, Pastor Andrew Muzychuk read a passage from 1 Corinthians 15:3 (NIV), "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,." Sharing his thoughts, he called the church to trust the Word of God more, and remember that Christ did not just die and rose again then, but after His resurrection, He continues to be today with those who love Him.
 

"What is the meaning of resurrection of Christ for me?" - This question was asked by Pastor Russell Korets during the service. On the basis of Scripture, he offered some answers to this question. "Thanks to the resurrection of Jesus - the pastor said - believers receive a new body, they are redeemed from sin and have free access to communion with the Father."

The next and final sermon was by Senior Pastor Vasiliy Botsyan, who drew the attention of the faithful to a passage from the Gospel of Matthew:
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matthew 27:50-53 NIV)

His reflections on this passage pastor into the following three main points:
1. A miracle occurred in the sight of God, when the veil was torn. Relationship with God is restored through Calvary.
2. Being dead in the tomb, Christ continued to live.
3. The power of Christ gives us people a path to the heaven.
"Without Jesus we have no future. We are dead without Him" - with these words, pastor Vasiliy concluded his sermon.

On a given Saturday, Men's Breakfast has already become an integral part of the schedule in the monthly chart of our brethren of the church and beyond. Every time the next meeting is in session, all have the opportunity to enjoy a cooked breakfast prepared by sisters which offers coffee/tea, and of course delicious sandwiches, fruit and sweets that are already "settled" on the table appearing at the door of the church office, for men.

We all know that the man's breakfast - it is not just a holiday for the body of men, but it is also an anticipated event for the inner, spiritual man who, by the way, also needs to be fed. That is exactly what we would like to talk a little more about.

At the beginning of the second part, or "breakfast" for the soul, Sergey Lobozinsky, as the organizer, welcomed all those present and spoke on the way this session will be led, and introduced the guests. After that, Vasiliy Spatarel and a team of brothers declared a time to focus on worshiping God in prayer and praising the Lord in singing hymns of praise.

Pastor Russell Korets took the microphone, introduced guest, Dr. Roger Olson, who is quite well-known in surrounding academic communities. With his lectures, he tries to compare positions of Arminianisim and Calvinism, as close as possible to Biblical truth in his claims.

Dr. Olson is indeed very well versed in these views, and at this breakfast, brothers could clarify many things for themselves. Dr. Roger Olson, being a supporter of Arminianism, introduced many Biblical evidences to suggest that in his view, the position of Arminianism better explains the relationship between God's power and human responsibility in the matter of salvation.

Between Arminianism and Calvinism are the following 5 major differences.

1. Calvinism is the view of the complete depravity, while Arminianism says partial depravity. Total depravity states that every aspect of humanity tainted by sin, so that the man can not come to God on his own. Partial depravity states that every aspect of human nature tainted by sin, but not to such an extent that he could not believe in God alone.

2. Calvinism holds the position of unconditional election, while Arminianism involves conditional election. Unconditional election means that God chooses people for salvation based entirely on His will alone, and not on anything that depends on the person. According to the conditional election, God chooses people for salvation based on His foreknowledge of who will believe in Christo as Savior.

3. Calvinism says about limited atonement, and Arminianism holds an unlimited atonement. This point is the most controversial of all five. Limited Atonement - is the belief that Jesus died only for the elect. Unlimited atonement - Jesus died for all, but his death has no effect until the person believes.

4. Calvinism holds irresistible grace while Arminianism - "resistible." Irresistible grace suggests that if God calls a person to salvation, that person will inevitably be saved. The idea of "resistible" grace states that God calls all to salvation, but many people resist and reject this call.

5. Calvinism also talks about saving of the saints, and Arminianism, by contrast, takes the position of conditional salvation. Preservation of the saints means that a person chosen by God, will be saved in faith and never reject Christ, and shall not depart from Him. Conditional salvation - a believer in Christ can voluntarily depart from Christ and, therefore, lose his salvation.

March 2nd, youth leaders from the southern and northern campuses of City on a Hill Church had a great opportunity to participate in youth training. The event was organized to inspire, guide and strengthen young people as they serve God. The training covered three main topics: the relationship between a man and a woman, spiritual discipline and teamwork.

Alexander Korenchuk, covered the first theme. He drew special attention of participants on the motives of relationships. He spoke of marriage as unity, having the right motives in the relationship between a man and a woman.

Speaking about the basics of spiritual discipline, Pastor Russell Korets pointed out the following areas: Bible reading, prayer, personal worship, personal evangelism, personal finances, time and the state of the minister’s heart. He also advised those who attended to read Donald Whitney's book "Spiritual Discipline in the Christian Life," which he has read several times.

Victor Kostrub, having a great experience with people at different levels, openly shared primary keys of building a successful team. He spoke of the need to be fair, both to themselves and to God, the importance of building and maintaining confidence and trust in the team, as well as honor, which should always be maintained.
 

After each section, participants eagerly asked questions, and at the end of the meeting they were able leave ideas for future similar events. At the end of the training, senior pastor Vasily Botsyan summed up all that has been said for the evening, making the emphasis on loyalty and devotion when serving God.

Vahe Minasyan