OREANDA-NEWS. On 19 August 2008 was announced, that in Lavy village of the Valuiki district a solemn ceremony of opening of the church of Saint Venerable Theodore of Pechora was opened; the construction of the church was started in 2007 with an active participation of  Belgorod power industry personnel.

The following people took part in the ceremony:  Chairman of the regional Duma Anatoly Zelikov, General Director of IDGC of Centre, JSC  Evgeny Makarov, Deputy General Director  of IDGC of Centre, JSC  and Director of "Belgorodenergo", an IDGC of Centre, JSC subsidiary,  Victor Filatov,  archbishop John of Belgorod and Starooskol, head of the local government of Valuiki and Valuiki district Ivan Posokhov, representatives of the power companies of the region and inhabitants of Lavy village.

Revival of the orthodox relic was started by request of the rural people. The church here was destroyed at the early 30s of the 20th century, and since then the inhabitants of Lavy and nearby villages waited for the day of its restoration. The mortgage stone in commemoration of building of the new church was consecrated on 22 September, 2007. On 8 May, Master John consecrated the dome, and today, on 15 August, he consecrated the church.

The new church was erected thanks to Creation welfare fund with the help of donations of the Board of Guardians under Evgeny Makarov's presidency. At the active support of the regional power and local government, tens of enterprises and organisations of the Belgorod Region, and also hundreds of its inhabitants, the revival of the orthodox relic in Lavy village was carried out in the shortest terms - within a year.

Belgorod power companies took an active part in the church building, among them   "Belgorodenergo", an IDGC of Centre, JSC subsidiary, and JSC "Belgorodenergoremont".  JSC Stroybusiness became the general contractor. The main complex of the general construction works and also capital improvement of the adjoining territory was executed by Valuikistroiservice ltd; electric installation works were executed by JSC Impulse.

After the Divine Liturgy, a solemn meeting devoted to revival of the centre of Orthodoxy in Lavy took place. Anatoly Zelikov congratulated the attendees on this significant event. He also thanked all people who took part in the church construction and expressed his satisfaction with the active work conducted by Valuiki people for the spiritual and cultural revival of their native land. Anatoly Zelikov gave to the new church an icon of the Sacred Trinity. Archbishop John of Belgorod and Starooskol adressed the ceremony participants with a vicarial parting word. He noted that the church was erected in the Valuiki land in a significant year Ї the year of the 1020 anniversary of the Christening of Russia. Theodore of Pechora, after whom the church in Lavy village was named, was  among the people who started the Orthodox Russia. The Master congratulated the village inhabitants  on appropriation of the relic and  told that great actions and great belief begin with small things, with such centres of Orthodoxy as this church.

Evgeny Makarov warmly congratulated his  fellow countrymen. "Everything that people make here they make with love, sincerity and from all their hearts," he said. According to Makarov, Lavy demonstrates the fact that the Belgorod land has already passed the breakthrough period and is actively developping now. It is worth mentioning that Fyodor Vasilievich, Evgeny Fyodorovich's father, a well-known person for the Valuiki people and a revered power industry worker, was the main initiator of the church construction.  "A church made of stone is the sky on the earth, our road to God; the same is true for the flesh-and-blood person the main part of whom is the spirit: if the spirit is strong, everything around him will go well", stressed Evgeny Makarov.

E.Makarov handed over a symbolical key from the church to Rural Dean Vladimir. After that Master John, E.Makarov and the head of the local government Ivan Posokhov signed the certificate on transfer of the church to the eparchy of   Belgorod and Starooskol. The best construction participants were awarded with the certificates of honour and letters of thanks by the eparchy, Board of Guardians of the church and the local government of Valuiki district.

Besides the church revival, hard roads were laid, a rural club and a rural health post were opened after the reconstruction and a new pedestrian bridge was built; it will allow  the inhabitants of neighbouring Koloskovo village to come to the church by the  easiest and shortest way. All this was demonstrated to the village visitors. A festival of Valuiki district creative teams was held for the Lavy people in the reconstructed club.