A Church for Second-Generation Russians

Cross-Cultural Voices · Apr 14, 2026 · 19m

You grew up translating for your parents, caught between two worlds — and maybe wondering if there's a church that actually gets that.

Pastor Dima Pilipchuk moved from Belarus to Minnesota at age 10, not speaking a word of English. Today he leads a thriving English-language congregation at Grace United Full Gospel Church — built from scratch by young leaders who had vision but no roadmap.

In part one, Dima talks about growing up between cultures, why looking "fully American" on the outside doesn't mean you feel that way on the inside, and how one senior pastor took a risk on younger leaders…