Historical notes

Anna and Paul Bartkow in an undated photo

Ukrainian Baptists started immigrating to America in the 1880s. Some Ukrainians who already were living in America converted to the Baptist faith in the early 1900s, most notably Paul Bartkow (Павло Бартків) in Chester, Pennsylvania and Joseph Skula (Йосип Шкула) in Chicago, Illinois.

Brother Bartkow started the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Chester in 1915.

Also in 1915, Brother Skula started the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Chicago.

Brother Bartkow was one of the founders of the Ukrainian Missionary and Bible Society in 1945. Brother Skula soon joined that effort, and the society was incorporated in 1946 in Chicago.

A few years later, the leaders of the Bible Society organized the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention, and the name Ukrainian Missionary and Bible Society was retained to denote its missionary division.

Other pages on this web site and links provide more information about the history of these churches and organizations.

Maria and Joseph Skula in 1951