The capital of Udmurtia is the city of Izhevsk. Philadelphia Church has settled here. This is a Protestant religious organization that is part of the Russian Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith. In Izhevsk, it is located in the Ustinovsky district. You can easily find a church on Truda Street.
Protestant church
There are very few protestants in Russia. Therefore, by right, one of the capitals of this religion is considered to be Izhevsk. Philadelphia Church appeared here in 1998, when the construction of the building was completed.
In general, Protestants are one of the directions of Christianity, along with Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Its appearance is connected with the global era of the Reformation in Europe, when the anti-Catholic movement was very strong. Protestantism arose in the 16th century.
The development of Protestantism in Russia
Protestantism, of course, is not the largest religious organization in Russia, but it takes its strong place, has a sufficient number of supporters and followers. Many of them come to Izhevsk. The Philadelphia Church is for them a kind of spiritual center.
In our country, according to experts, the most popular is Orthodoxy. Supporters of this religion are about 75% of believers. 5% profess Islam. A large proportion of unbelievers and atheists, there are about 10%. Most of the other popular religions in the world have about 1% of the followers in Russia. These include Protestantism, as well as Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism.
Church history
In post-Soviet Russia, the first Protestant communities began to emerge in 1992. During the reign of Soviet power, religion was virtually outlawed. And while the Orthodox still had the opportunity to go to the church under the scornful gaze of those around them, there were practically no loopholes for Soviet Protestants.
One of the first Protestant communities chose Izhevsk as its center. Philadelphia Church originated in a rented building on Club Street. The project for the construction of their own religious building was discussed here. A competition has been announced. It was won by a married couple of the Shavalievs. Nella Mansurovna and Airat Fathulovich took up the implementation of this idea.
Start of construction
Several years have passed from the project to the construction of the building. The first work began in 1998. Foreign funding was allocated for materials and wages of workers - the money went to Izhevsk. Philadelphia Church began to take on the first lines. The money came mainly from the funds of the Protestant church and from private donors from Scandinavia.
However, money was often not enough, so work was carried out intermittently. The official opening took place only in 2011. So there was Philadelphia (church). Izhevsk became an attractive city for Protestants.
An interesting fact, another two years have passed from the completion of work to the issuance of a building permit. Only in 2013 it was received. Moreover, this was achieved only through the court. Udmurt judges recognized that all conclusions regarding the refusal to operate the house of worship are invalid, and the decision of the State Construction Supervision Authority to ban the operation of the building is illegal.
Grand opening of the church
The grand opening ceremony took place shortly after Christmas, January 25, 2013. The festive Protestant service lasted three days.
In particular, Sergey Ryakhovsky, who is a bishop of Russian Protestants, a well-known domestic public and religious figure, participated in it.
Earned daily after this Philadelphia (church). Izhevsk in a sense has become a place of pilgrimage for Protestants. After all, they do not have many of their own churches in Russia.
Philadelphia Church (Izhevsk)
Today it is a modern church. Its building includes a huge meeting room, which can simultaneously accommodate about one thousand one hundred people. There is a spacious conference room for 140 participants.
A modern sports complex, a Christian literature store, a Sunday school with several classes, a Bible college for those who wish to continue spiritual education are open at the church.
The Christian Church of Philadelphia is today one of the largest Russian Protestant churches. In terms of total area, it is among the leaders. The four-story building is located on almost seven thousand square meters.
Sermons in the Philadelphia Church
Not only its scale and large areas attracts many the Philadelphia Church (Izhevsk). The sermons that are read here give spiritual strength to many believers. At least that is what the Protestants themselves say.
According to the rectors themselves, their sermons are similar to the adventure novels of the French science fiction writer Jules Verne. Like him, believers are invited on a fascinating journey through open spaces unknown to them before this moment. In this church, believers are invited to make no less exciting journey than the heroes of Verna. But not to distant uncharted shores, but according to the Bible.
According to the Protestants themselves, there is no less interesting and exciting here. First of all, for the mind and heart.
Philadelphia church (Izhevsk) - a sect?
True, not everyone believes that the Protestant Church of Philadelphia is harmless and harmless. Many directly call it a sect.
Some blame the Protestant church for destroying their families. There are cases when a wife, for the sake of serving this church with her children, left her husband, independently applying for a divorce.
It is also noted that the service itself is more like not a religious rite, but a theatrical performance. It also makes many call Philadelphia's sectarian activity. According to the stories of curious parishioners, the hall is more like a musical theater. It does not have ordinary wooden benches, as in Catholic churches, but balconies and lodges with soft seats.
Thundering music is constantly heard, the pastor broadcasts as if from the very sky. Parishioners are encouraged to constantly sing songs, to rise and dance. All this brings people into a trance. And they sing most often under karaoke. Lyrics are displayed on the big screen. At the same time, all those present are regularly reminded of the need to donate voluntarily. They are collected both directly at the entrance to the temple, and passing through the rows with bags.
In the church of Philadelphia itself, of course, they refute any hints of sectarianism. According to the Protestants themselves, any Christian or religious movement that does not bring a real change in the life of the people can be attributed to the sect. In this case, the society is really in serious danger, it is necessary to protect people from such teachings by any available legal methods.
However, in Russian judicial practice there is no clear definition of what a sect is. Therefore, this concept is often interpreted by everyone in their own way. Ministers of the Philadelphia Church themselves like to give as an example the definition of a sect that is given by the famous Orthodox philosophers - Bulgakov and Florensky. In the opinion of these learned men, only religious doctrine that does not contribute to the development of human thought, does not help the parishioners and pastors to develop morally and spiritually, can be classified as a sect.
Summing up, it should be noted that officially the Izhevsk Church of Philadelphia is not prohibited, not recognized by the sect. Its activities are fully authorized in the Russian Federation.