Baptist Church Celebrates 135 Years in Historic War-Torn Grozny, Chechnya

Six years ago, a Pastor Ruvim Voloshin came to Grozny and basically started his ministry from scratch. A lot has been done during this time: Relationships are improving, a new House of Prayer has been built, services are held regularly, which are attended by about 20 people. And for the first time in the last 26 years, a baptism took place in the church!

On saturday, all members of the previous church of the 90s were invited to a memorial. Those people had experienced the horrors of war; many had to flee for their lives. Some lost everything they had (not only property, but also relatives and friends). Some of them managed to leave before the war, as the tension was growing. Some survived the first war, but left during the second one. As a result, three elderly ladies remained in the city, who simply had nowhere to go.

In the lobby of the House of Prayer, stands were hung with old photographs, archived materials that showed almost a century and a half of the history of the church. The meeting turned out to be very touching and joyful, many had not seen each other since the 1990’s. Those who had gone into eternity were honored by a minute of silence by those assembled. Regional Pastor, Viktor Levashov spoke, "Remember all the ways that the Lord your God led you ..." (Deut. 8: 2). A total of about 70 people attended this day.

Then 170 people came for the Sunday morning service. It was a joyful and worshipful time. Musical groups from Vladikavkaz, Georgievsk and Maykop came and they relayed greeting from Rostov, Prokhladny, Maysky, Vladikavkaz and others ... then in the courtyard of the church in the baptistery, baptisms took place where four people made a covenant with the Lord. Each of them had their own unique salvation story, which they shared, and the whole church praised and thanked the Lord for His saving power!

Preaching and communion was led by UECB President Peter Mitskevich,  together with Pastor Levashov, Pastor Vladimir Miskevich, and Pastor Voloshin. The history of the evangelical movement in the Caucasus’ and in particular, the Grozny church, was presented by Dimitry Demchenko, a noted church historian.

After the worship service, more guests arrived - leaders of religious affairs from Chechen Republic, the Grozny Mayor, and other authorities came  to congratulate this little church. One said, “I am glad that church-state dialogue is being established.” The authorities are interested in such development, because over the past 15 years, 1,500 mosques have been built in Chechnya, and only one Orthodox church remained, and now the Baptist church appeared.

Vladimir Miskevich noted: “I was very pleased to see that the church is alive! Someone visits it, the Lord acts, and new people find salvation. It is very great that the church has been rebuilt, that it is not empty, and  services are taking place. I was especially touched by the baptism, and that the baptistery in the courtyard of the church does not serve to collect rainwater, but is used for its intended purpose, and this was the first baptism in 20 years! We pray that the church will grow and develop. Overall, it was a very inspiring celebration for me! "

Peter Mitskevich emphasized: “How nice and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters get together! The Church in the city of Grozny is 135 years old! Such occasions are always associated with memories and this community has gone through very difficult trials, even in our modern history. We thanked God for the opportunity to continue our ministry. This time we witnessed how God continues to add those who are being saved to the church. The purpose of our trip there was not only congratulations, but also support and encouragement. Church-state relations are being established. The work continues. I would like to note that the authorities of the Republic have set a course for peace and security. The city of Grozny is changing. As Evangelical Baptist Christians, we pray for peace, so that we can lead a quiet and peaceful life (1 Tim. 2: 2), without rebellion, without riots, without wars.

Summing it all up,  Ruvim Stepanovich Voloshin said: “This celebration has been a great blessing for us. Because we personally came into contact with the living history of the church - former members of the community came, their stories revived history, and we became the heirs of people who served here until recently. After all, before 1995, baptisms were performed here. Times were difficult, but the church was alive! The next day, representatives of the authorities joined us. There was a nice exchange of communication. Also, baptism has become a special blessing for us these days. One of those baptized is the daughter of a minister. Sometimes it seems to us that our children are in no hurry to be baptized, but she had this desire for a long time, and when they announced that there would be a baptism, she even cried with joy. Of course, each of those baptized had their own way to God. Some we shared the Gospel with for a year, with others even more. But to be baptized was their personal decision by conscience. And joy filled not only them, but everyone present. And we hope that with God's help we will endure everything, because He promised to give strength not only for a godly life, but also as a testimony. The Church can give birth to new souls! With a prayer for everyone who was not present personally, but participates invisibly ... " but also all those present. God gave us happiness to be in His palm, gave us the opportunity to help people next to us. And we hope that with God's help we will endure everything, because He promised to give strength not only for a godly life, but also for a testimony. And the Church will give birth to new souls! Prayer was made for everyone who was present, and not present personally, but participates invisibly."