CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF THE PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT IN LITHUANIA
1912-1940
In 1912 the Fellowship of Evangelical Christians of Birzai was established.
Around the year of 1922 the Pentecostal group was formed in Vilnius which became the basis for the Evangelical Faith Christian Church of Vilnius established in 1928.
On September 13, 1923, the Fellowship of the Evangelical Christians (FEC) of Birzai was registered in Birzai-Pasvalys region.
Around the year of 1928 the Evangelical Faith Christian Church of Vilnius was established. The church rented the facilities on Kijevo st. 4 (now Sopeno st. 2).
On August 25, 1930, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Lithuania gave permission to the leader of the FEC of Birzai to temporarily conduct and handle marital and other registry.
On December 3, 1931, for the purpose of opening the opportunities of bringing the testimony of the Gospel also to other areas of Lithuania, the constitution of the FEC of Birzai was changed: the word Birzai was replaced with the word Lithuania (from that point on stating The Constitution of the Fellowship of the Evangelical Christians of Lithuania), and the eighth paragraph of the Constitution stated: 8. The territory of the activity of the Fellowship is the Republic of Lithuania. The center of the activity is Birzai town.
On March 2, 1932, the churches, previously having the status of the departments of the FEC, were established in Zagare (Joniskis region) and in Vargeniskiai (Raseiniai region) villages.
By the effort of the FEC of Birzai since 1935 a monthly newspaper “Evangelijos Sviesa” (The Light of the Gospel) began to be published.
In 1940, once Lithuania regained its Vilnius region, the parish of the Evangelical Christians of Vilnius decided to join the center of the Evangelical Christians of Lithuania in Birzai.
In 1940, during the first Soviet occupation, the construction of the annex of the building of the ECF of Birzai was stopped, the construction plans were taken away.
In 1940 the EFC church of Vilnius was banned. In summer time church services were hold in the forest, in winter time – in the apartments of some members.
1941-1985
In 1944, when the German army was retreating from the territory of Lithuania, the old building of the Fellowship of the Evangelical Christians (FEC) of Birzai got burnt and the Soviet authorities took away the construction materials prepared for the construction of a new church building.
When the war ended the authorities banned the activity of the FEC of Birzai, of the Evangelical Christian Church of Vilnius and the activity of the other Evangelical Christian churches. According to the requirements of that time the reregistered church of Birzai was allowed to hold services only in Birzai region, but not in Birzai town. In 1948, regarding the policy of the Soviet authorities of that time and in order to further maintain its function the Evangelical Faith Christian Church (EFCC) of Vilnius was compelled to unite with the Vilnius Baptist Church. The united church was led and consisted of mostly those who adhered to the fundamental beliefs of Evangelical Faith Christians.
In 1948 the Pastor of the EFCC of Vilnius was convicted for the ten years of imprisonment. After 6 years he came out of prison.
In April of 1948 in order to be able to function officially the church of Birzai registered itself as the Baptist church. It became a church where the believers of the other Evangelical churches (which were scattered) found their shelter.
In 1950 the registration was taken away from the united church of Vilnius. The house of prayer was confiscated.
In 1957 the authorities gave permission (not written one) to the church of Vilnius allowing them to openly conduct services in the rented facilities on Gerves st. 9, Zverynas city district, Vilnius.
In 1961 Povilas Volkovas establishes the church in Siauliai. Some baptists and methodists also participated in the services. They tried to register the church, but their efforts failed.
In 1967 due to the policy of the authorities of that time Vilnius church was compelled to register as the Evangelical Christian Baptist Church. The church bought a building on Krivules st. 12, Vilnius.
In 1968 the believers of Birzai received the permission from the authorities and the priest Povilas Jasinskas to hold church services in the Evangelical Reformed Church building.
In 1974 the Birzai chuch received permission from the authorities to gather on Sodu st. 4.
On January 20th, 1985, the Church of the Living God was established in Panevezys.
1986 – 2002
In September of 1989, once the Nation Wide Revival began the Pentecostal churches withdrew from the Union of the Evangelical Christian Baptists of USSR.
In 1989 The Pastoral Training School was established, later it grew into Vilnius Theological College.
Once Lithuania regained its independence The Evangelical Faith Christian churches of Vilnius and Birzai restored their previous names.
In 1991 the Union of Pentecostal Churches of Lithuania was registered consisting of churches in Birzai, Kedainiai, Klaipeda, Panevezys and Vilnius; thus, a normal fellowship of the Pentecostal churches was restored. The churches were active in new church planting, and 15 more churches were established in the period 1991-2003.
In fall of 1995 – Vilnius Theological College was opened. The same year the construction of its building was finished. The first enrolment - 12 students.
More on period from 1989 till now
Before the World War II the started fellowship of the Union of Pentecostal Churches of Lithuania was terminated by the Soviet occupation. Up until the year of 1989 the Pentecostal churches of Lithuania as well as of the other former USSR countries were having their fellowships in unofficial way. In the Baltic countries the current condition of the churches was a little bit better than in other former Soviet Union countries –Christians in the Baltic countries had more freedom to gather or invite ministers from other locations. Youth would gather at the Vilnius EFC church; they held conventions which drew Christian guests from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and other countries. The Christian gatherings were conducted under the coverage of the state festivals, weddings and other occasions. In the other USSR republics Christian youth was being banished from the higher educational institutions and, therefore, coming to the Baltic countries to study there. Most of them would remain living in the Baltic’s. Thus, even in the Soviet times churches were getting established and growing too. During the seventh decade the Christian revival took place in Tallinn, the Spirit filled church services were conducted in Jelgava, the capital of the Pentecostal believers in Latvia.
In May of 1989 the Pentecostal churches withdrew from the USSR Evangelical Christian Baptist Union.
In the fall of 1989 the Pentecostal churches in Vilnius, Birzai and Panevezys decided to join and form a Union in order to reestablish the previously active church fellowship though now weakened by the Soviet regime.
On February 16, 1991, the representatives of Pentecostal churches from Vilnius, Panevezys, Kedainiai, Klaipeda, Birzai gathered at a convention where they established the Union of Pentecostal Churches of Lithuania, as well as, endorsed its Constitution and the Fundamentals of Faith. The Union’s Pastoral Council was elected as follows: I.I. Panko as the Union’s President, P.Volkovas as the Union’s President Assistant, V.Zdanevicius as the Union’s Superintendent for the Spiritual Education Department, R.Kupstys as the Union’s Superintendent for the Foreign Relations Department, I. Skulis as the Union’s Superintendent for the Evangelism Department and as the Union’s Financier; B. Filon, J.Malko, S.Olesik, V. Drevalis as the Council members. The Senior Pastor of the Union of Pentecostal Churches of Russia R.Bilas (served as a Chairman for the Convention) and the Senior Pastor Assistant of the Union of Pentecostal Churches of Ukraine F. Marciuk, both took place at the convention.
In 1994, at the Church Convention of the Union of PC of Lithuania V. Zdanevicius was elected as the Union President, R. Kupstys and I. Skulis were elected as the Union President assistants.
In March of 1995 the Union President position was commissioned to R. Kupstys because V. Zdanevic was getting sick at that point.
In April of 1998 the ordinary Convention of the UPCL took place which resulted in election and designation of R. Kupstys to serve as the Union Bishop. I. Skulis was elected to be the Bishop Assistant of the Union. T. Maceliunas was assigned to be the Secretary and the Financier of the Union. There was formed the UPCL Administrative Committee and the elected members were as follows: R.Kupstys, I.Skulis, B.Filon, R.Kairys,V.Latys. Olga Skul became responsible for the women and children‘s ministries.
In November of 2001 there was established of the UPCL Mission Committee. The main goal of the Mission Committee was to oversee the work of church planting all over the country. Now the Union incorporates 20 church congregations (plus 10 mission places), including 12 churches of having legal entity status. There are 14 pastors ministering in these churches right now, as well as, additional 136 other active ministers. These churches include about 1200 adult members, in addition to that - 200 older than 16 years old people and about 340 even younger ones.
