Christians joined many people from around the world in Beslan, Russia, to mark the first anniversary of the mass killings when terrorists took Beslan School staff and children hostage on 1 September 2004.

The elementary school was under siege by terrorists from the Russian republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia for three days before they were confronted by authorities. The result ended with massive explosions, gunfire, and fire which killed 331 people, 186 whom were children.

Peter Wooding, a senior news editor for UCB Europe who was representing ASSIST Europe, led a team of British Christians to pay tribute to the victims who lost their lives in the carnage.

In a live report from Beslan, Wooding told James Cantrill at UCB Europe, “...We’ve just come from school number one, where there has been quite a remarkable memorial today. Literally, thousands of people have walked around the school to pay their respects. We walked through the gymnasium where the children were held. There were photographs of the children displayed there. There were mothers just stroking the pictures of their children. There was an echo of wailing and crying. I’ve never experienced anything like it in my life. Words can’t describe how emotional it was.”

“We all have an opportunity as a team and we are all here to link arms and pray for the people who are going through a difficult time. There were world press people here, and you could see many of the camera men and journalists crying today...I went up to one man who was crying his eyes out (he was probably the father or relative of someone who was lost in the siege), and put my arms around him and prayed for him.”

A team of Christians have arrived in Belsan this week to pray, minister and counsel to the people.

“We saw a lot of the mothers today, really expressing a lot of anger, and that is probably why they are so angry. There was a lot of sadness and mourning, but there is also a lot of anger. I’m sure all of this coming up this week brought all of those same feelings back to them. Right now, they just really need to know the value of God’s grace and forgiveness. This is the message that the Christians here are conveying -- that people need to know God’s peace and his forgiveness and that is what we were praying for at school number one.”

The Union of Christians Association of Christian Churches in Russia (ACCR) has provided the Centre of Comfort and Reconciliation. “It’s a remarkable place. They opened it not long after the siege last year. What they started doing was the local Christians would visit homes and minister to people one by one and encourage them.

“Then they found the centre and they invited the children to come and they did Bible studies with them and played games with them. Hundreds of them have now given their lives to Jesus. I am standing at the site at the moment. It needs a lot of building work and a lot of people are needed to help. They want child psychologists to come and council the people.

“They also have an architect and a builder here to estimate how much it will cost to build the centre. There are many young people sleeping here. They are not homeless, but they see this as a place of refuge. So this centre is a real light in a place of darkness. I’m sure they would really value your prayers that God would use this centre.”

Prayer and Memorial Services are scheduled to be held till the end till the end of the week. “On Saturday, at the (cemetery) in Beslan, they are going to unveil a memorial statue at exactly five minutes past one o’clock (the time when the children when started escaping from the school on September, 3 of last year), and release doves (they will release a dove for each person who lost their lives) in a very symbolic gesture. We will be there to stand with the people there. Again, I think it will be a very moving experience,” Wooding said.