Viktor Ivanenko
Bro. Viktor has been a deacon at House of Fellowship since 2016. He was born in Krasnodar, Russia. His family moved to Washington State in the early 90s where he resided until he was 21 years old. He relocated to Florida in 2004
Viktor’s family introduced him to The Message when he was 13 years old. However, during his teenage years, he drifted away from the Lord. Despite the years of not serving the Lord, his family remained steadfast in their faith and continued to pray for his return. They thought that if he were to re-embrace the Message, it would likely lead to his wife leaving him. However, in 2013, a significant shift occurred. Viktor and his wife Jessica began attending services at the House of Fellowship together. It was during this time that we were both moved by the Lord’s presence, and remarkably, this spiritual awakening happened simultaneously for both of them.
During one particular service, his wife felt a strong calling and decided to speak to a deacon about the possibility of baptism. She left him in the pew and went to find the deacon to ask about getting baptized. Shortly after she left, Viktor also felt the same calling and approached the same deacon with the same request for baptism. The deacon, recognizing the divine nature of this, arranged for them to have a meeting with the pastor, Bro. Danny Stemen. The following Sunday they were both baptized and took the additional step of dedicating our two young sons to the Lord. From that day forward, Viktor and his family have been faithfully attending House of Fellowship.