Through the Russia Initiative of the United Methodist Church's General Board of Global Ministries, Front Street has become the "supporting congregation" or sister church for the Methodist church in Sochi, Russia.  Transfiguration Church is part of the United Methodist Church in Russia.  They are in the Annual Conference of the South of Russia.

Pastor Alexander Pererva preaches in a worship service

 In 2004, when we initiated our sister church relationship, they had no name, a brand-new pastor, and 15 members.  This year, 25 members celebrated Easter as Transfiguration Church.

The church still has no place of its own to meet, and their financial situation is weak because of the high cost of living in the resort city of Sochi. But the Spirit is active and they have established outreach ministries to invalids and children in Sochi. They pray daily for us - the members of Front Street UMC - and they treasure our prayers for them and for their ministry.

Meet some of the congregation of Transfiguration Church

See the pictures from our mission team's visit to Sochi in June 2006

Some links of interest 

Sochi is one of the candidate host cities for the 2014 Winter Olympics - a curious fact for a city called "The Russian Riveria"! 
     read more about the city here

The Russian United Methodist Church is part of the UMC in Eurasia.  Link to their website (in English) here.

The General Board of Global Ministries sponsors the Russia Initiative.  Link to their Russia Initiative page here.


Our North Carolina Conference has a website devoted to Missions, including the Russia Initiative.

      North Carolina Conference Russia Initiative page

The Virginia Conference of the UMC sponsors two churches in Russia, including the one in Stavropol whose pastor, Yelena Menyailova, is the district superintendent for Sochi.
                  Virginia Conference Russia Initiative page