The Adventist Community of the Village of Bogdanovka in Ternopil Celebrated Its Centenary

On Sabbath, August 14, at the premises of the House of Prayer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, more than 100 people gathered in Bogdanovka to celebrate the centenary of the local community. Many guests came to congratulate the community on this significant date. There were guests from Ternopil, Chernivtsi, Kremenets, Kalush, Volochisk, Mukachev, Zhitomir, and Kiev. Also, representatives of the local authorities came to the celebration: Igor Teodorovich, the village head; Vitaly Datsko, the chairman of the Podvolochisk OTG; Maryana Kuzmin, the secretary of the Podvolochisk OTG; and Tamara Vasilchuk, the deputy of the district council. The authorities wished the community prosperity, good health, and happy family relations.

Pastors who, at one time, served in Bogdanivka, as well as those who were district pastors in the Ternopil region, arrived for the holiday. Among them were Vasily Velichko, Joseph Borakovsky, Vasily Vovk, Alexander Lutsky, Alexander Lyulich, Roman Makarchuk. Representatives of the administration of the church in the Bukovinian region came to congratulate the Bogdanov community: Ivan Zavadyuk, president; Vitaly Gunko, secretary; Vasily Kapitanchuk, district pastor; and Volodymyr Velechuk, secretary. They came from representatives of the administration of the Adventist Church in Ukraine. Among the guests were pastors who, although they did not serve in this community, are closely connected with Bogdanovka: Lyubomir Masyuk and Sergey Litovchenko.

The history of the Bogdanov community over the years was not an easy one—war, famine, occupation, the years of Soviet power—but with God's help, for more than a hundred years now, the community has been proclaiming the message of the gospel on the territory of Podvolochiskaya OTG. All those present watched a video, which presented the history of the church, how the community was formed, facts about its first members, ministers, the hard life of the church, oppression, attacks of opponents, and God's love that keeps the community to this day. Members of the Bogdanovskaya Church continue to live with God, serve Him, and glorify His name.

At the celebration of the jubilee, the choir of adults and children offered praise to God in songs and verses.The guests also greeted the community and praised the Lord in psalms. Pastors Vladimir Velechuk and Vasily Kapitanchuk shared the words of instruction from the Word of God. The members of the community solemnly dedicated themselves to the service of God, reciting the litany of dedication in one meeting. During the lunch break, all those present could taste the dishes that were lovingly prepared by local hostesses.

The celebration of the anniversary began at 10:00 a.m. and lasted until 6:00 p.m. The church of God was like a beehive that hummed with joy, preaching about the great works of God.

“Glory to our God and Father forever and ever. Amen ”(Philippians 4:20, ERV).

This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site