Deyneka, Peter, 1931-2000.
Dates
- Existence: 1931 - 2000
Biographical Statement
Peter Simon Deyneka, Jr. was born in Chicago on September 13, 1931, the second child of Peter and Vera (Demidovich) Deyneka, both Russian immigrants. His father founded the Russian Gospel Association, which later became the Slavic Gospel Association. Growing up Peter lived in the Russian-speaking immigrant community in Chicago and attended Carl Schurz High School where he was active in the band playing the trombone and the Crusaders Club, a Christian fellowship group. After graduating in 1949 he enrolled as a student at Wheaton College. He received his BA in 1953 and later received a master's of divinity ('57) and honorary doctorate ('96) from Northern Baptist Seminary.
During his time as a seminary student Deyneka spent a year in Alaska working with the Slavic Gospel Association a SGA as a village pastor and evangelist among the Aleut peoples. After graduation he returned to Alaska as a missionary. In 1961 he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina as director of SGA's Russian Bible Institute, teaching for two years. He then moved to Quito, Ecuador working on Russian language broadcasts for HCJB. Continuing his radio work, Peter spent 1963-65 at HLKX in Inchon, South Korea.
In 1966 and back in the United States Deyneka became an assistant director of the Slavic Gospel Association. In 1975 he became general director, a position he held until 1991. Due to disagreements with the board over how best minister in Russia after the fall of Communism, together he and his wife, Anita Marson whom he married on June 14, 1968, created a new organization called Peter Deyneka USSR Ministries (later changed to Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries). He also launched a comprehensive ministry plan to train nationals to minister to every community of the former Soviet Union. The staff of Russian Ministries grew to over 300 staff in the former Soviet Union and 16 in the United States.
Deyneka has served a guest lecturer at Fuller Seminary and the Wheaton College Graduate School. He also served on the board of directors of the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association (IFMA). . He was on the Executive Committee of The CoMission from 1992 to 1997 and in January 1997 was elected chairman of the CoMission II Partnership Council. Peter and Anita Deyneka responded to the great need to minister to orphans and underprivileged children of the former Soviet Union by helping to found two cooperative organizations for ministry to children—To Russian Children With Love (based in Moscow) and The CoMission for Children at Risk (based in Atlanta, Georgia).
Peter Deyneka also co-wrote with Norman Rohrer a biography of his father called Peter Dynamite (1975) and with his wife Anita Christians in the Shadow of the Kremlin (1974) and A Song in Siberia (1977).
Peter Deyneka, Jr. died on December 23, 2000 after a six-month battle with lymphoma. He was 69.
Citation:
Author: Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections staffFound in 18 Collections and/or Records:
Acc. 1997-067 - EuroVision records. COMPLETED
Anita and Peter Deyneka, Jr. Papers
CoMission and CoMission II Records
Donn G. Ziebell Papers
Eastern European Mission (Russian and Eastern European Mission, EuroVision) Records
Esther L. Filkin Oral History Interview
Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association (IFMA) records.
Leighton Sandys Ford oral history interviews {UNPROCESSED}
Miscellaneous audio recordings of Evangelical radio programs, worship services and speeches
MSS | Deyneka {2019-0036}
Paul Rader Collection
Peter and Anita Deyneka Papers
Peter Deyneka, Jr. Oral History Interview
Phil Shappard Ephemera
Slavic Gospel Association Records
Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) records. COMPLETED
Torrey Maynard Johnson, Sr., Papers.
Additional filters:
- Type
- Unprocessed Material 9
- Collection 9
- Subject
- Missions -- Russia. 7
- Missions -- Soviet Union. 6
- Evangelistic work -- United States. 5
- Missions -- Europe, Eastern. 5
- Bible -- Publication and distribution. 3
- Christians -- Soviet Union. 3
- Church and state -- Soviet Union. 3
- Conversion -- Christianity. 3
- Evangelistic work -- Russia. 3
- Fundamentalism. 3
- Missions -- Czech Republic. 3
- Missions -- Poland. 3
- Prayer. 3
- Radio in religion -- United States. 3
- Soviet Union -- History -- 1985-1991. 3
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Alumni. 3
- Aleuts. 2
- Antisemitism. 2
- Berlin (Germany) 2
- Bible -- Publication and distribution -- Soviet Union. 2
- Chicago (Ill.) 2
- Christian education -- Russia. 2
- Christian literature -- Publishing -- Russia. 2
- Christian literature -- Publishing. 2
- Church work with youth -- United States. 2
- Evangelistic invitations. 2
- Evangelistic sermons. 2
- Evangelistic work -- Canada. 2
- Evangelistic work -- South America. 2
- Fund raising. 2
- Independent churches -- United States. 2
- Mass media in religion -- United States. 2
- Missionaries -- Training of. 2
- Missions -- Argentina. 2
- Missions -- Austria. 2
- Missions -- Bulgaria. 2
- Missions -- Germany. 2
- Missions -- Hungary. 2
- Missions -- North America. 2
- Missions -- Romania. 2
- Missions -- South America. 2
- Missions -- Ukraine. 2
- Motion pictures in church work -- Russia. 2
- Pentecostalism. 2
- Persecution -- Soviet Union. 2
- Prayer groups -- United States. 2
- Preaching. 2
- Radio in missionary work. 2
- Radio in religion -- Russia. 2
- Radio in religion. 2
- Russian language. 2
- Sermons, American. 2
- Songs in the night (Radio program) 2
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Alumni -- Oral history. 2
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Religious life and customs. 2
- World War, 1939-1945. 2
- Worship. 2
- Administrative Records. 1
- Alaska. 1
- Apostles' Creed. 1
- Articles. 1
- Audiotapes. 1
- Baptism. 1
- Belief and doubt -- Sermons. 1
- Belief and doubt. 1
- Bible -- Prophecies. 1
- Bible -- Publication and Distribution -- Poland 1
- Bible -- Publication and distribution -- Europe, Eastern. 1
- Bible -- Translating. 1
- Bible stories, Russian. 1
- Bible. 1
- Billy Graham Berlin Crusade (1960) 1
- Billy Graham Greater Chicago Crusade (1962) 1
- Billy Graham Moscow visit (1982 : Russia) 1
- Billy Graham New York Crusade (1957 : New York, N.Y.) 1
- Billy Graham Soviet Union visit (1984) 1
- Boca Raton (Fla.) 1
- Bulgaria. 1
- Businesspeople -- Religious life -- United States. 1
- Catholic Church -- Relations -- Protestant churches. 1
- Chapel Hour (Radio program) 1
- Charismatic movement. 1
- Chicago (Ill.) -- Religion. 1
- Children -- Conversion to Christianity. 1
- Christian education -- Albania. 1
- Christian education -- Bulgaria. 1
- Christian education -- Estonia. 1
- Christian education -- Latvia. 1
- Christian education -- Mozambique. 1
- Christian education -- Ukraine. 1
- Christian leadership -- United States. 1
- Christian leadership. 1
- Christian life. 1
- Christian literature -- Publishing -- Soviet Union. 1
- Christian martyrs -- Soviet Union. 1
- Church and social problems -- United States. 1
- Church and state -- Biblical teaching. 1
- Church and state -- Europe, Eastern. 1
- Church and state -- Korea. 1
- Church and state -- Russia. 1 ∧ less