Our Biographies


Craig’s Story

	Family Background Craig was born the third child, but first born son, in a family of six. Raised on the south side of Chicago, his parents became interested in the small church at the end of their street. It was through the ministry of this church that he, at the age of seven, and the rest of his family, became followers of Christ. Growing up in the church, he saw the importance of teaching youth, so by his senior year he had decided to become a youth pastor. Educational Background Craig went to Moody Bible Institute and completed both the Bible Theology and the Pastoral Training majors with a Greek minor in three years. He then began his studies at Trinity Divinity School working toward a MA in Youth Ministry and a Masters of Divinity. After a one year internship at the Chapel in Akron, Ohio, Craig returned to Chicago to become the full time Youth Pastor at Skokie Valley Baptist in the northern suburb of Wilmette. During his first two years there, he continued his masters level studies at Trinity, but was unable to complete his studies during the remainder of the seven years he served at that church.

Our Story Together


	Carol Lynn’s Story

Family Background
Carol Lynn, the third daughter of Bob and Charlotte Holmes, was blessed by being born into a wonderful Christian home. At age seven, alone in her room one night, she prayed to accept Christ as her Savior. Even then, she felt that someday she would teach others about God. In high school, she made a commitment to serve the Lord in a full time capacity.
Educational Background
During the time Craig was a youth pastor at Skokie Valley, Carol Lynn attended Moody Bible Institute and she also began dating Craig. Since she was an International Studies major, they attended Urbana 90 and it was there that they became interested in Pioneers. She graduated early with her Bachelor’s Degree, at the end of the fall semester in 91.

After Carol Lynn graduated from Moody Bible Institute, she and Craig were married in January of 1992. She took a few additional classes in child care at the local community college and began working as a day care teacher in Skokie Valley Baptist’s Wee Care Center. At the end of 1993, Craig completed his ministry as Youth Pastor and Carol Lynn resigned from Wee Care. They attended Pioneers Candidate School and were unconditionally accepted for appointment in Russia. For nine months they returned to the Akron, Ohio area to become reacquainted with the Chapel in Akron, their sending church, and in 1995, they returned to Chicago where Craig found employment at Hewitt Associates and Carol Lynn worked for Moody Church in their Children’s Learning Center. During this time they took a survey trip to Izhevsk and began to raise their support.

In June of 1996, Craig and Carol Lynn departed for Russia and began their ministry in Izhevsk. Through the Russian-American Christian Professionals Institute (RCPI), they studied Russian and taught English. They also had an active interest in assisting churches on their own time. Later, as RCPI became Slovo (Russian for Word), Craig took on an administrative role in the organization and worked full time as the International Director, and Carol Lynn led a club for mothers and young children to teach the kids English through games and songs. They continued to help out where ever they could with the church, and had a special heart for reaching the Tatars (Russian muslims) for Christ. Craig taught classes on church leadership and pastoral training through which several new churches have started in and around Izhevsk, including a Tatar church.

During their time in Russia, Andrew Craig, (Feb 4, 1998) and Katrina Lynn (April 30, 2000) were born. Carol Lynn and Craig continued to serve God in Izhevsk until July of 2001, when Craig’s visa was revoked, for still unexplained reasons. They lived in Budapest, Hungary for six months, during that time they sought God’s direction and felt His call to Lublin, Poland.

In February, 2002, Craig and Carol Lynn began the first Pioneers team in Poland. Since that time several have joined them and it is their hope that working with the Baptist Church there and with other organizations and denominations that they will see the church planting movement in Poland expand.






			Craig and Carol Lynn Rucin are serving with Pioneers in Szczecinek, Poland to assist the local church with evangelism and to help facilitate a church planting movement, both in the Western Pomerania region and throughout Poland. If you would like more information about their team or about the country of Poland, go to pioneerspl.org.

Craig and Carol Lynn Rucin are serving with Pioneers in Szczecinek, Poland to assist the local church with evangelism and to help facilitate a church planting movement, both in the Western Pomerania region and throughout Poland.

If you would like more information about their team or about the country of Poland, go to pioneerspl.org.

If you would like more information about their team or about the country of Poland,
go to pioneerspl.org.