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Ukrainian immigrant church grows into fast-expanding Washington ministry
HungryGeneration, founded by a persecuted Soviet-era pastor’s family, has grown from a single Tri-Cities congregation to multiple campuses statewide — with a Yakima expansion planned this fall and millions following online.
By Renee Diaz | For FāVS News
A small church founded by Slavic immigrants in the Tri-Cities has grown into one of Washington’s fastest-expanding pentecostal ministries. HungryGeneration, led by Pastor Vladimir Savchuk, now has campuses in Spokane, Everett and Renton, with plans to open in Yakima this fall.
Church leaders said the growth has been fueled by years of digital outreach, strategic expansion and a focus on developing future leaders. Alongside their multi-campus congregations, the church has a strong presence online. Casey Slack, Hungry Gen’s operations pastor, said they have been ahead of the curve when it comes to reaching people globally, and they have always wanted to make ministry accessible to everyone.
“Knowing that we have in a sense two heartbeats, we want to make sure we’re caring for the local community, but also for those who may be in countries where Christians can be persecuted,” said Slack. “We do put in a lot of time, money, and labor into our production element just to make sure that we are giving a quality opportunity to encounter the Lord through our digital platforms.”
HungryGen traces its roots to Good News Church in the Tri-Cities, founded by a Ukrainian immigrant Pastor Vasiliy Parkhotyuk in 2001. When Parkhotyuk moved to the United States, according to Slack, God called him to start a church. Before arriving in Washington state, Parkhotyuk served as a missionary in the former Soviet Union, where he helped establish underground churches while evangelical Christians faced systematic persecution by the Russian government. The church eventually evolved to the Hungry Generation under the leadership of Parkhotyuk’s nephew, Vladimir Savchuk, lead pastor of HungryGeneration, who is also an immigrant from Ukraine.
Today the church reports an average weekly attendance of about 2,000 people across its campuses, nearly doubling from an average of about 1,000 attendees in 2025.
A global digital presence
Its YouTube channel now has more than 900,000 subscribers while Savchuk’s personal channel has surpassed 2 million subscribers. Slack said the online ministry has done more than attract viewers. It has prompted some people to relocate to the Tri-Cities after discovering the church online.
“They had an encounter with the Lord through one of Pastor Vlad’s videos,” Slack said. “They decided they needed to be where they believed God had met them.”
The church also livestreams services in multiple languages including Russian and Spanish and is developing additional translation tools to reach more audiences. Slack said for some these videos are a life line for people locally and across the world.
A major pillar of Hungry Generation is their focus on reaching younger generations. Their “Unashamed Clubs” operate in more than 20 middle and high schools across Washington and neighboring Oregon. The clubs meet on school campuses with faculty sponsors and student leaders, offering Bible studies and other gatherings before inviting students to church events.
Slack said the church also invests heavily in children’s and youth ministries while creating volunteer opportunities for older members, including retired pastors who provide hospital visits and pastoral care.
”We ask all of our campuses to reach the youth. With our Unashamed Clubs instead of waiting for the youth to come to use we’re going to them,” said Slack. “We want to make sure that our worship isn’t a check in the box, but you can actually encounter the Lord in it is a part of the reason why we have seen the growth that we have had.”
Expanding to Yakima
Hungry Generation plans to open a Yakima Campus this fall, its latest expansion as the church continues to grow across Washington state. Slack said the move is intended to reach people who are not attending church rather than compete with existing congregations. Slack said church leaders have met with local pastors in an effort to avoid conflict with existing congregations and reach different communities while working toward the same goal.
The church has held interest meetings in Yakima and plans to begin weekly services in the fall. The campus will be led by Rudy Perez and Erika Perez, Yakima locals who church leaders said felt called to return to their hometown.
“We see Yakima as a place where there are more souls to be saved,” said Slack.
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