Bright morning rays drift in through the tall, rectangular windows along the perimeter of the sanctuary. High above, in the center of the ceiling, a single opening directs a stream of light onto the face of a suited man in the elders’ choir who calmly closes his eyes in response. Mothers and fathers sit their families along wooden pews carefully positioned into the shape of a V facing the pulpit.
Pastor Pëtr Tkachuk — a former youth mentor in Belarus — begins his most populated sermon of the week, the gentle hum of the Russian language filling the room. Men and women bow their heads in prayer, their children following suit. Neatly fastened around the heads of wives, sheer sashes — a sign to the angels and obedience to one’s husband — sweep the women’s hair away from their faces. Older children tend to the younger, calming their cries and restlessness by gently rocking carriages back and forth along the aisle.
It is 10 a.m. Sunday and not a single empty seat remains in Mount Crawford’s First Russian Baptist Church. It is not uncommon for the church to be crowded, and today is no exception; the hall is filled to capacity with about 700 people.
| From the Author: The first time Curio ran a story about local Russian immigrants was in the summer of 1993, less than a handful of years after the end of the Cold War. JMU graduate Jennifer Rissler ('94) wrote that Harrisonburg was home to about 500 citizens of the former Soviet Union. More than a decade later, the story has changed quite a bit. Today, 500 would be considered a slow day to those at the First Russian Baptist Church in Mount Crawford. When brainstorming topics linked to religion for this year's Curio, senior Casey Templeton mentioned that he had seen photos of the church, and suggested we look into it. What we found beyond the photos were stories. Stories of faith. Stories of struggles. Stories of life. And after attending church services, meetings and hours of interviewing, we realized the Valley Russian community has a special perspective to offer; one that comes only from such deep faith. |
