Our Staff

Dema Barishnikov was born December 1, 1971 in Lviv , Ukraine . He grew up in a time when his country was still under the Communist rule. After the fall of the iron curtain, missionaries from different parts of the world flooded the former republics of the Soviet Union, including Ukraine . It was January of 1993 when Dema heard the message of the gospel for the first time when missionaries from the USA evangelized on the streets of his city. Not long after this, he accepted Christ in a church organized also by American missionaries. Dema has been living in the U.S. since 1994 and has 15 years of ministry experience. He and his wife Trena have ministered together throughout U.S. and internationally. Dema holds B.S. in civil engineering from University “Lvivska Politechnika,” Lviv Ukraine , Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte , NC and Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Southeastern University in Lakeland , FL. He also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University .

Trena Barishnikov was a native of Fletcher, NC. Even before she got married, Trena had been involved in mission work in several countries, such as Trinadad , Jamaica , and Russia . Trena earned BS in Nursing from Gardner-Webb University  and Master of Science in Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health. One of her many strength was definitely compassion for people. For the last several years of her life Trena had been working as a RN case manager at Four Seasons Hospice in Hendersonville , NC . Together with her husband Dema, Trena was the founder of Destiny Christian Fellowship in Brevard, NC. On December 30, 2010, Trena went home to be with the Lord. Through her ministry at the church or on a mission field, or through her work as a nurse at Hospice, Trena has touched many people with love, kindness, and compassion. She was a true woman of God and her impact on the lives of others will be felt for many years to come.