Gorlovka |
The Church in
Gorlovka.
Gorlovka was opened to LDS missionary work shortly after the first
missionaries began work in Donetsk in late 1992. Today, the city of over 400,000 people
hosts 2 branches of the Church, both of which are presided over by local members. As many
of the members in Gorlovka are among the first baptized in Ukraine, the city already holds
a special place in the history of the LDS Church in Ukraine. The church has
purchased a building in Gorlovka which will be remodelled to serve as a meeting
house. Expected completion in 2000.
About the City.
Like nearly
every other city in the Donbass, Gorlovka was founded as, and grew up, a worker’s
city. P.N. Gorlov, a 19th century engineer, dug the first coal mine in what was to become
his namesake. Gorlovka became rather preeminent throughout the USSR’s first 50 years
after Nikita Izatov perfected his revolutionary coal mining techniques deep within the
Kochegarka coal mine, Gorlovka’s, and one of the region’s, largest.
Gorlovka also claims a unique political distinction dating from the turn of the century.
Leading up to 1905, Gorlovka found itself becoming a powerful branch of the working class
in Imperial Russia. The Bolshevik Party, and the Revolution it staged against the Tsar,
share origins in Gorlovka. This served as a pointed example of the political weight and
exceptional organization of the Proletariat in the Donbass.
Today, Gorlovka enjoys the reputation of being one of Eastern Europe’s leaders in
Chemical Manufacturing. “Stirol” set the standard decades ago. Now Gorlovka is
the home to a division of Huntsman Chemical, the CEO of which is LDS
entrepreneur-billionaire-philanthropist, John Huntsman. Gorlovka will certainly hold a
significant place in Ukraine’s industrial sector for years to come.