Molokan Center, Kochubeevskoe, Stavropol'skii krai, Russian Federation

New Center: Union of Spiritual Christians — Molokans Союз духовных христиан—молокан
The world-wide Molokan Center was built south of the capital city of Stavropol', in the town of Kochubeevskoe. The building was modeled after the 2-story Molokan prayer building in San Francisco, California, from plans drawn by architect Peter Kostrikin, assistant presbyter in SF (died Aug 2005).
View from top of nearby apartment. Workshops are on left, caretaker's home is in front of assembly. Dotted line in background is the highway bridge railing. After 2000, the shops were converted to guest rooms for the 200th Anniversary Celebration.	The woodshop is the long building in the left foreground, and the brick factory is on the right. The toilet building is behind the left edge of the woodshop. Many homes were built behind the assembly in this new suburb served by the Molokan construction supply business which closed about 2000.

View from top of wall between workshops looking north. Upstairs, the assembly hall is on the right side, classrooms on the left.	Maps: Kochubeevskoe is about 20 miles south of the city of Stavropol'. 8 nearby Molokan and Dukh-i-zhinik congregations are shown underlined. Click here to see an aerial photo of the Center. Click here for the cemetery. 100s of family gardens — dachas — can be seen south of town, each about 600 square meters — 1/6 acre.
Sign at top of outside stairs, center entry, displays greeting: "peace to your house."	Looking north-east.
Looking east at head presbyter Vasili Tim. Schetinkin in main hall. Pipes along the wall are for winter heating.	Looking south-west, from opposite corner of above. The brown pipes are for natural gas, which are often above ground.
Open-House Ceremonies — August 1997
Note the camera man at center-left, video-taping the entire event.	A dozen presbyters lined the head table with the city and province leaders.
The Kochubeevskoe congregation offers their prayer of thanks. Most in the front row are wearing clothes donated by American Molokans and Jumpers	Starting 3rd from left: American Elder Presbyter Fred Kappsof from San Francisco, California; Stavropol' administrator (tallest); then Elder Pete Wm. Loskutoff, San Francisco.
Head presbyter Schetinkin and family ask for forgiveness and blessings.	Final prayer with all presbyters.
Day After Open-House — August 1997
Guest presbyter Fred Kappsof from San Francisco speaking on Sunday after the open house.	Guests from California at Sunday meal.
Youth on steps. The older girls, wearing scarfs, were helping cleanup (below).	Guests who wanted their photo taken for you to see. 3 presbyters are seated in the center row.
Girls washing mop rags outside.	Elder presbyter Kharitonov and wife from Melitopol, Zaparozhe province, Ukraine. He helped host the 1992 International Molokan Convention.
Samovars fired with scraps in front of woodshop.	Large pot for soup on the "outdoor" stove.
Decoration wall towels in basement prayer house, also seen above.	Looking south. Caretaker family lives in this house at the Center to guard prayer house and shops. Brick factory is in back.
Woodshop interior. Here all the doors, windows, stairs and floor planks were made with table saws, lathes and hand tools. The shop sold finished lumber and wood items to the public, providing a few jobs for Molokan refugees. It is now closed.	Brick factory interior. Here bricks to build the shops, house and church were made. Cement is mixed, poured into the form (front) and vibrated. The form is pulled outside where the wet bricks are dropped on a slab (below) to cure. The factory sold rough brick to the public, providing a few jobs for Molokan refugees.
During planning for the 2005 bi-centennial conference, the unused brick factory and woodshops were converted to guest rooms.	Looking east. Customer picking up bricks on drying slab. Caretaker house on left, factory on right. Many buildings are made with large reinforced concrete slabs called "plates" (behind tractor) which are positioned and welded together.