Road 3:16

Denis and Albina Nikitin are reaching the Slavic diaspora in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with the hope of the Gospel. Their ministry is comprehensive, and their empathy springs from first-hand experience at seeing lives turned upside-down.

“I was born and raised in Moscow,” Denis shares. “I saw my atheist parents lose the foundation of their lives when the Soviet Union collapsed. Yet, this was also how their journey to God began. I know personally how a crisis can open our hearts to the Gospel.” 

At age eleven, he began attending a Christian church in Russia with his parents. Over the next few years, Denis watched a transformation take place in their lives. “The foundation of their lives was turned upside-down again, but this time it was by choice—the best of all possible choices!”

His wife Albina, also began her journey with Jesus at age eleven. “Even though my dad was a pastor in Moscow and my grandparents were devoted Christians, I began to wonder: Is it enough? Is it enough for me to just be a good person, not commit big sins, go to church, pray a little? I realized that the faith of my ancestors would not save me; I needed to know God—and have him know me—personally.”

Albina and her husband met while Denis was studying in a Bible School. On graduation Sunday, the small school scheduled a celebration service in a local community hall, which Albina inadvertently ended up attending. 

“I was invited by our youth group to a Christian concert,” she recalls, “but they mixed up the dates. When I arrived at the community hall, there was no one there! Then one of the staff told me, ‘The concert was yesterday, but people from your sect are singing upstairs, on the second floor.’” Albina then explained, “Orthodox people in Russia refer to Evangelical Christians as a sect, you know.”

Curious, Albina went upstairs and found herself in the service that Denis was attending. “I think it was God’s providence,” she says with a smile. “There was a spark between us right from the start.”

The spark they experienced was more than just romance; it was a shared passion for mission. The couple was focused on ministry right from the beginning of their marriage, and immigration to Canada simply meant a new frontier for reaching the lost. 

“We began pastoring the Slavic Evangelical Church in the west end of Winnipeg in 2019,” Denis says. “The problem was that most of Winnipeg’s 5000 Ukrainian and Russian speakers lived in the northeast corner of the city. So, together with some Ukrainian friends, we started doing outreach events in the apartment buildings in that end of the city. We did ten events throughout the year, with up to sixty people attending each one. People began expressing interest in church, but our Slavic church was over one hour away by bus! Besides this, new immigrants often have to take jobs which require that they work weekends as well as weekdays. Sunday morning church was, for them, impossible.” 

In partnership with Eastview Community (MB) Church, they began to envision a fellowship that would meet later on a Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the leadership team at their Slavic church grew and, in November 2024, Denis felt it was time to resign as pastor of the Slavic Evangelical Church. 

“One month later, we launched a new ministry. We called it Road 3:16.” 

The name came from their whimsical observation that so many city streets in Winnipeg had numbers instead of names. “It’s not so common where we come from,” Denis shrugs, “but when we thought about it, we saw that John 3:16 is also a kind of road—the road to salvation through Jesus. That’s how the name ‘Road 3:16’ came to us!”

Their ministry involves a presentation of the Gospel that addresses both spiritual and practical needs. For refugees coming to Canada out of the trauma of war, this offers healing, forgiveness, and hope—in and through the community of God’s people. For immigrants facing the added complexities of integrating into a new culture, it offers tangible support.

“We begin at 4:30, with an English conversation class,” Denis says. “One hour later we have a coffee break—this is such an important thing! It is during this time that we build relationships. New immigrants need someone to listen to them, to know them, to care about them. Even our church services, which follow this break, are kept informal, open for questions and stories. We want people to find a sense of belonging—in Canadian society, in our church community and, ultimately, in Christ.”

From this holistic approach, beautiful fruit is being born, as in the life of a woman named Oxana. 

Oxana had been brought to the Slavic Evangelical Church by a couple that had helped her to find a job, but her shift work often made it impossible for her to attend Sunday morning services. The launch of Road 3:16 on Sunday evenings offered a way for her to continue to be discipled. “It was a long journey for her to come to the Lord,” Denis admits. “She would only come occasionally to our Bible studies, picnics or other events.” 

At first, Oxana did not share many details of her life in Ukraine. “It is a very sensitive topic,” Denis admits, “and not easy to speak about. Over time, she shared that her husband was conscripted into the army and died almost at the beginning of the war. It was very hard for her, and especially for her daughter, who was only seven. I remember how tough it was for them both when we celebrated Father’s Day.”

Even through the pain, Denis and Albina could see that God was at work in Oxana’s heart. “In April, a word of repentance touched her deeply,” he relates, “and she finally made the decision to become a follower of Jesus. We were so glad!” 

Looking ahead, Road 3:16 anticipates seeing many more Ukrainian immigrants giving their hearts to the Lord. “Please pray for us,” Denis says. “Pray for all those who come to our English class and to the Road 3:16 fellowship. May God touch their hearts and bring them to salvation. May our team of volunteers serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.”