Rev. olexa  Harbuziuk Legacy

Пастор олекса Романович Гарбузюк

American church with Ukrainian roots
 
In the state of Pennsylvania

Here is an excerpt from the web site of Faith Community Church in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania:

Faith Community Church's roots lie in a Ukrainian Baptist church founded in Chester, PA in the 1920s pastored by Rev. Paul Bartkow Sr. With services steeped in the traditions of the old country, the church provided a secure base for its newly transplanted immigrant congregation.

Before long, though, the young people of the church became dissatisfied with the backward-looking stance. They felt God was calling them to relate more fully to American culture. So in 1948, the pastor's son, Danny Bartkow, started a new English-speaking church which met in borrowed facilities.

Crum Lynn Baptist Church, as it was then called, flourished. The church became known for solid biblical teaching, a vibrant music ministry, and its appeal to youth. By the 1950s, Crum Lynn Baptist was bulging at the seams. It was time to plan for a larger, more permanent facility. Property was purchased on Edgmont Avenue in Brookhaven, PA and the church changed its name to better identify with its new community.

The cornerstone of the new church building was laid in 1956 and by the end of that year the congregation moved into the still unfinished building. With great faith, extensive volunteer labor, and sacrificial financial commitment, church members and friends put all the finishing touches in place and the new building was finally completed in 1961.

Many changes have occurred at Faith Community Church since that first Sunday: changes in leadership, in ministry programs, in church government, and even the name of the church to Faith Community Church. But, one thing remains the same: the desire to share God’s love with others!

Rev. Dan Bartkow was the pastor of this church for 21 years. On many occasions, when the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Crum Lynne or the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Chester was the host church for an annual conference of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention, the American church facility was used for the Saturday evening youth program.