Adventists in Russia Dedicate a New Church Building in Prayer

On March 18, 2023, a prayer house was dedicated in Kaluga, Russia. Members of the Kaluga Adventist community have been waiting for this moment for almost ten years. The old building cracked after the slope where it had been built began to slide during heavy rains. It seemed that the community would roam the rented premises for decades, but God decided otherwise.

For ten years, the people of Kaluga believed and prayed. Together with them prayed members of all the communities of the Southern Conference, who were aware of the situation. And all this time, God urged generous donors to contribute to the construction of a new house of prayer. 

The decision to start construction was made in 2014. They prayed for a long time, asking God to indicate a place for the building. The choice fell on a site on Khrustalnaya Street. Construction began under the leadership of Pastor Sergei Torsky; the land was formalized, and the foundation was poured. Day after day, the walls of the new house grew. In gray slabs, they nestled the walls of prayer halls, spacious corridors, and children's classes. How happy the members of the community were when they watched the video reports from the construction site! 

In dreams, everything seemed almost ready, but in reality, the construction of the house went slowly. During the coronavirus pandemic, work came to a complete standstill. A serious problem was the permission to connect gas. This is how God developed patience in His children and taught them to rely only on Him as the only Builder and Creator of life.

When the work was completed, the congregation began preparations for the dedication service. The program and menu were drawn up; the guest lists were approved. They prepared thoughtfully and thoroughly so the main day would not be overshadowed by fuss.

In the hall, which accommodated 200 people, silence reigned—a common prayer and a welcoming speech by the pastor of the community sounded. Then the choir of the Zaoksky Church, under the direction of Sergei Polyakov, took the stage, opening a series of glorifications of God. Experienced singers were replaced in turn by three groups of the Kaluga community at once: a combined choir with singers as young as seven years old, a youth choir, and a choir of the deaf, whose performance especially touched the guests. Pastor Torskoy showed a film about the history of the creation of the Kaluga Church, which included archival photographs from 30 years ago. Many recognized themselves and their friends in the photo. And the youth already looked differently at the elderly sisters who were sitting next to them.

After the sermon, delivered by Viktor Goryuk, the most important moment of the day came. The leaders of the community, led by the pastor, raised their hands, calling on God to fill this place with Himself and dedicating a new house to Him. “We dedicate this house to You, O God!” the gathered words of the solemn litany were repeated.

Then the guests from the Southern Conference addressed the meeting: Sergei Kemyashov, president; and Mikhail Ignatiev, treasurer. The Adventists' joy was shared by invited leaders of Protestant churches in Kaluga: Pastor Vladislav Yudanov and Deacon Konstantin Gurikov from the Grace Church of Evangelical Pentecostal Christians; Valery Pashkovets, presbyter of the Church "Renaissance" of Evangelical Christians-Baptists; a plenipotentiary representative of the commanding bishop of the Russian United Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals); a member of the Public Council under the governor of the Kaluga Region; Pastor Alexei Rudenko, of the "House of Faith" Church; and Pastor Yuri Sorokin, of "The Rock" Church.

Through the lips of the speakers, God generously blessed His children. The guests glorified the great mercy of the Creator, revealed during the construction of the house of prayer. The community was instructed to tirelessly serve people in need and reveal God to every person who crossed the threshold of the building. The first pastor of the community, Pavel Zubkov, congratulated the believers through a video message.

After the thanksgiving prayer, everyone was invited to dinner. The menu was varied, from pâtés, vegetables, and salads to hot dishes like rustic potatoes, lobio (bean stew), and fragrant pilaf.

The celebration continued into the afternoon. At 6:00 p.m., the choir of the Zaoksky Church again took the stage. The team performed classical and modern spiritual works. The listeners were delighted with the professionalism of the singers and the sincerity with which they performed the program.

The Kaluga community sincerely thanks the leadership of the conference who provided support in the construction of the church and all the brothers and sisters who helped with prayer and donations.

The original version of this story was posted on the Euro-Asia Division website.