In late August of 2018

Pastor Russ Sukhia joined our staff.

(He's the one without a hat.)

 

Russ' last ministry was at Liberty Church, PCA in Owings Mills, MD, where he served as Senior Pastor and Pastor of Preaching for 13 years.  Liberty is a church of over 250 believers on the border of Carroll and Baltimore Counties.  A brief biography is printed below:

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Russ was born and raised in the suburbs of Baltimore, the middle child of five.  His dad was an electrical engineer at Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin).  The family moved to the Orlando area when Russ was 11, and he remained in Florida through his college years. 

 

Donna was born in Scranton, PA, one of four daughters.  Her family moved to Central Florida when she was eight, where her father, who was an auto-mechanic, found a position with the postal service.  Russ and Donna met in what was known then as Junior High, dated in high school, and married during their college years. 

 

In their youth, their families attended Protestant churches, but Russ and Donna do not recall hearing the gospel clearly proclaimed.  In the months after their wedding, they were led to Christ by Russ’ older brother Doug, who was himself dramatically converted in his last year of college.

 

Hungry for biblical truth, Russ transferred from the University of Florida to Shelton, a small Christian College in Cape Canaveral that was affiliated with the Bible Presbyterian Church.  That was a conservative denomination whose most prominent minister was Dr. Carl McIntire of Collingswood, NJ. 

 

While at Shelton, Russ was immersed in Scripture, and he was introduced to the Doctrines of Grace. He saw that the Bible taught that his faith was the gift of God, who mercifully opened his blind eyes, and who deserves all the praise for it.  While at Shelton, Russ began to perceive that God was calling him to preach the gospel.

 

After college, Russ attended Faith Theological Seminary in Elkins Park, PA, near Philadelphia, where his brother Doug was already studying.  Russ and Doug graduated together in 1976. 

 

Since then, Russ and Donna have served churches in Orchard Park, NY, near Buffalo; Palm Harbor, FL, near Clearwater; Maryville, TN, near Knoxville; and Owings Mills, MD, near Baltimore.  (As you can see, Russ’ ministry could be characterized as “near,” but never “there.”  Now, rumor has it, he is ministering “near” Hopewell, VA.)  

 

You may be interested to know that after Russ and Donna left their first pastorate in Orchard Park, NY, that church called his brother Doug, who served there for 33 years.

 

Russ and Donna were blessed with two children, both graduates of the PCA’s Covenant College.  Nathan is an attorney in Gig Harbor, WA.  He and his wife, Noël have four sons, and the family worships at Faith Presbyterian (PCA) in Tacoma.  Grace is a Christian counselor with Well Spring.  She and her husband Jed have three children, and the family worships at Spring Run Presbyterian (PCA) in Midlothian.

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