Oldest Evangelical Christian Baptist Community in Lviv region celebrates 90th anniversary

The oldest Evangelical Christian Baptist church in the Lviv Oblast, located in the village of Zabirya, celebrated its 90th anniversary. This village is where the Evangelical Baptist movement began in Galicia.

The oldest Evangelical Christian Baptist church in the Lviv Oblast, located in the village of Zabirya, celebrated its 90th anniversary. This village is where the Evangelical Baptist movement began in Galicia.

For the celebration, more than 350 people came from Ravskyi district, as well as from Volyn, Lviv, Boryslav, Kyiv, and the United States.

The event began with Brother Andrii Matviyiv recounting the history of the church in Zabirya from its beginnings to WWII. Brother Ivan Haiduchok continued by describing the history of the community during the Soviet times, and read a poem he wrote dedicated to the pioneers of the Baptist movement in Galicia. Pastor Bohdan Nestor described the current conditions of life and service of the church.

Presbyter of the Evangelical Christian Baptists of the Lviv Oblast Dr. Ivan Romaniuk congratulated the church on its 90th anniversary and presented the pastor with a souvenir – a Bible translated by Rafaiil Turkoniaka and a special certificate with the signatures of the leadership of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (AUC ECB), the press service of the AUC ECB reports.