www.masslive.com/metroeastplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-0/109091664460243.xml
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Vasiliy Shtyba, a 44-year-old pastor of the Russian Pentecostal Church "Hope," is preparing to move from West Springfield to South Carolina.
Four families belonging to the church have already departed, and six more are preparing to join them to settle either in South or North Carolina soon, says Shtyba.
"Personally, my wife and I, we've been thinking about this for a while," he said. He and his family came to America from the Ukraine about seven years ago.
At first, he quite diplomatically indicates the reason for moving as we talk a little bit about climatic conditions in Western Massachusetts and about places that have better ones.
Then he gets to the point: as a Pentecostal, Shtyba shares with many other religious refugees a critical view of this state's attitude toward same-sex marriage.
"Probably, that's what triggered our decision," he said. "We are raising our children in America. Many of them were born here, but we are going to stick to our morals."