Воспоминаний было так много, что в рамках богослужения верующие смогли поделиться лишь частью из них. Помогал вспомнить события прошлого и установленный во дворе красочный стенд с историей общины в фотографиях. Естественно, наибольшее внимание привлекали самые старые фото. Гости праздника пытались угадать, кто же запечатлён на пожелтевших от времени изображениях.
История зарождения церкви в этом селении удивительна. Однажды в деревню пришел нищий, просящий хлеба — в то время это была не редкость. День клонился к вечеру, нищий попросился на ночлег в семью Ефима Настычука. За то, что его приняли в дом, он спел хозяевам песню, в которой говорилось о скором пришествии Христа, и звучал призыв приготовиться к суду. Хозяев она взволновала. «Где ты научился такой песни»? — спросили они нищего. И он поведал, что в селе Гопчице есть люди, которые Бога любят, да и к людям по-особому относятся. Нищему всегда подают больше, обходятся с ним ласково. Отправившись на поиски, хозяин дома и его друг Федот Таранюк вскоре нашли этих людей, называвших себя «духовно верующими». После радушного приёма в Гопчице в село Овсяники были приглашены два «духовных брата» — Павел и Остап. Собрались родственники, друзья и с неподдельным вниманием и благоговением вслушивались в каждое слово братьев. Вокруг царила атмосфера святости, казалось, ангелы сошли с небес и наполнили дом. С этого времени к новому движению начали присоединяться друзья и односельчане. Первыми последователями стали Е. Настычук, Ф. Таранюк, К. Андрейчук и Л. Грущук. В сравнительно короткий срок в Овсяниках образовалась группа верующих, насчитывавшая 18-20 человек.
Как только о «ереси» узнал местный священник и сельское начальство, незамедлительно были приняты всевозможные меры по «искоренению» нового движения. Раскольникам запретили хоронить своих умерших на общем кладбище, к ним приезжали миссионеры для наставления в вере. Но никакие меры не помогали. Группа продолжала расти, собираясь по домам.
Зимой 1917 года вернувшийся из Полтавы брат Байдачный пригласил проповедника Гонтаря, который приехал в Овсяники. Впервые в селе прозвучала проповедь пастора-адвентиста.
В 1920 году в г. Бердичеве брат Пастушенко встретился с пастором С. Ткаченко. Тот был удивлен, узнав, что в с. Овсяники есть группа соблюдающих субботу. Когда в село прибыли адвентисты, они нашли 35 человек, чтущих четвертую заповедь. Было решено организовать курсы для подготовки ко крещению, которые проводил библейский работник М. Горбенко.
Весной 1922 года по завершению библейского курса состоялось торжественное служение крещения. Так как в Овсяниках не было подходящего водоёма, верующие с песнопениями дружно проследовали через всё село к водоёму соседнего села Збаража. В присутствии председателя Днепровского союза общин, пастора М. Грица, пастора С. Ткаченко и библейского работника М. Горбенко в завет с Господом вступили 22 человека. Так была основана община Адвентистов седьмого дня в селе Овсяниках.
Верующие делились воспоминаниями и за праздничным обедом, и на вечернем богослужении. На улице стемнело, на небе загорелись звёзды, а вокруг сельской церкви продолжалось тёплое общение. Не видят первые члены общины, давно почившие, обновлённого молитвенного дома, не слышат звуков духового оркестра, пения молодёжи и детей. Не знают они о том, в какое чудное время совершает свой путь их церковь. Придёт день славного Вселенского Юбилея, когда встретятся искупленные всех веков. Там мы узнаем имена тех, кого сегодня и вспомнить невозможно — чьим подвигом веры, искренними горячими молитвами и неустанным трудом созидалась Церковь Христова.
On October 13, 2012 the Seventh-day Adventist church of Ovsyanyky village, Vinnitsa region, celebrated its ninety-year anniversary. The walls of a house of worship, which were reconstructed before the event, could not accommodate so many guests. Pastor Vasily Sulzhenko, who was grown up in this church, lead the Sabbath School lesson. Additional Sabbath School lessons were held in the courtyard of a house of worship.
There were so many memories that within the time of worship believers were able to share only a part of them. A collection of pictures was displayed so that the history of the congregation could more easily be recalled. Of course, the oldest photos drew the most attention. Guests of the event tried to guess whom the people in the pictures are.
The history of the church in this village is amazing. Once a beggar came to this village asking for a piece of bread, and at those times this practice was not uncommon. It was late afternoon, and a beggar asked to stay overnight with the family of Yefim Nastychuk. Out of gratitude he sang a song to the hosts, which told of the imminent coming of Christ, and gave the call to prepare for the Judgment. The hosts were deeply touched. “Where did you learn this song?” they asked the beggar. He told them that in the Gopchitse village there were people who loved God, and treated people with special concern. Beggars are always served and treated there more kindly. Going in search of these people, the host and his friend Fedot Taranyuk soon found those who called themselves “spiritual believers.” After a warm welcome in the village of Gopchitse, two “spiritual brothers” Paul and Ostap were invited to Ovsyanyky. At once relatives and friends gathered, and with sincere attention and reverence they listened to every word of brothers. They were surrounded by an atmosphere of holiness, and it seemed, that the angels came down from heaven and filled the house. Since that time, their friends and fellow villagers began to join to the new movement. The first followers were E. Nastychuk, F. Taranyuk, K. Andreychuk and L. Gruschuk. In a relatively short time a group of believers was formed in Ovsyanyky, numbering 18-20 people.
As soon as the local priest and village authorities heard of the “heresy” all possible measures were immediately taken to “eliminate” the new movement. Dissenters were banned from burying their deceased on the public cemetery. But all these measures failed. Missionaries visited the new believers, and provided instruction for their new faith. The group continued to grow, gathering from house to house.
When in 1914, the war broke out some brothers were drafted into the military. For refusal to take up arms F. Kochubeynik was sent to the St. Petersburg’s prison, where he became acquainted with the Adventist message. Upon returning home, he decided to keep the Sabbath and to adhere to the Adventist doctrine. Although he tried to do it secretly, soon other brothers noticed it and joined him.
Brother Baydachny, when he was returning home from Poltava, in winter of 1917, invited preacher Gontar to come back with him. Subsequently, the village heard a sermon delivered by an Adventist pastor.
In 1920, in the town of Berdichev, brother Pastushenko met with pastor Tkachenko. He was surprised to learn that in Ovsyanyky there was a group of Sabbath-keepers. When Adventists came to the village, they found 35 people observing the fourth commandment. It was decided to organize courses to prepare them for baptism, with the leadership of Bible worker M. Gorbenko.
In the spring of 1922, at the end of the Bible courses, the baptismal ceremony took place. Since there was no suitable body of water in Ovsyanyky, believers with songs marched through the village to the lake in the neighboring village of Zbarazh. In the presence of Pastor M. Gritz, the chairman of the Dnieper Union of churches, Pastor Tkachenko and Bible worker M. Gorbenko, 22 people made a covenant with the Lord and were baptized. Thus the Seventh-day Adventist church in the village of Ovsyanyky was founded.
The veterans of the church, who have lived for decades, shared what they had encountered over the years, and their memories of the church’s journey.
Pastor Vasyli Humenyuk remembered the time before his baptism when his parents and he visited the pastor in town of Kazatin, and expressed their concern for the construction of their church. It was a dry summer that year and water was needed for building. However, it was the busy season for farming and the chairman of Kolkhoz refused to lend horses to bring water, “I have all the horses in the field. I can not help you.” “Where is the water?” asked the brothers and sisters who came on the building area. “There will be water, you can set the table in the meantime,” said the young pastor. Then he went to a place where no one could see him, and in tears begged God for mercy. Then a miracle happened: on a hot summer day appeared a cloud and it starts to rain! The brothers and sisters built a dam on the street and gathered a lot of water. By evening, at the building site, joyful songs of gratitude could be heard for the answered prayer.
Pastor Ivan Chernichko recalled how they had to resist the pressure of militant atheists who had forbidden the Adventist children to attend the worship service. Repeated threats, fines, and moral pressure at school from their peers and teachers could do nothing to break the spirit of young followers of Christ.
At this great event was present Tatiana Tsiptsyura, a chairman of the village council, who congratulated the congregation with the anniversary. Her thanked the church members for their active social position, for their kindness and compassion. Mingled with his compliments was the undisguised astonishment; “I was born here and have lived with you all my life. But I have never realized how long-suffering the history of your church!”
Believers shared their memories during a festive dinner and evening service. The street was dark, but and the sky was lit up with the stars and warm fellowship continued around the village church. The first members of the congregation, who passed away a long ago, could not see the renovated church, nor could they hear the brass band and singing of youth and children. They know nothing about wonderful progress the church has made. But there will come a day of glorious universal jubilee when the redeemed of all the ages will meet together. There we learn the names of those whom we cannot remember today – by whose fight of faith, sincere fervent prayers and hard work the Church of Christ was built up.
