was born on December 3, 1937, in St. Charles, Virginia, to Lee and Middie(Long) Chestnut. At 17, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served four years. He married Rella Reeder on December 21, 1958. Together they surrendered to full-time ministry and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he attended Tennessee Temple University. After he graduated, he was called to pastor the Valley Baptist Church in Oswego, Illinois, where he pastored for 32 years. He also served as vice president of the Hoosier Hills Baptist Camp.
Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
“When I first met Dr. Chestnut, he was in his office at Smyrna. I recently saw the Heartland Logo on his office door when Vicki and I attended a wedding. The mission ministry has recently closed its doors, and we were looking for an opportunity to serve. I returned the next week, poking my head into his office, I asked, “ Is there anything we can do to help the mission” Without missing a beat, Dr. Chestnut said, “ I have been praying for two weeks; where have you been.” Thus began our relationship with Heartland and the Ministry of Roy and Rella Chestnut.”
Bob Taylor
In 1990 Roy Chestnut took a mission trip to Romania. The communist government of Romania had just collapsed. On this trip, God burdened the Chestnuts’ heart for the country of Romania. However, God would not give him peace about going to Romania as a missionary. For more than ten years, he remained as pastor of the church, taking trips every year to Romania. During this time, he began to establish a work in Romania. In October 2001, God spoke to his heart, allowing him to resign from Valley Baptist Church and begin a full-time ministry in Romania. January 20, 2002, he and his wife Rella moved to Pensacola, Florida, and joined the Smyrna Baptist Church and their pastor of 38 years Dr, Roy Julian. February 17, 2002, Smyrna Baptist Church commissioned Roy and Rella and sent them to the field of Romania as life missionaries.
The Chestnuts, while in their late 60s’ spent their time in Romania mainly during the spring, summer, and fall. The Chestnuts use the winter months to raise money for the work.
The work in Romania was incredibly blessed by God. The Chestnuts joined hands with missionaries Harrold and Jeanie Noble. Roy admits that they were just a small cog in a great work. Roy and Rella consider themselves helpers in planting Churches.
Roy and Rella Chestnut served as missionaries to Romania for over 15 years. During that time, they experienced God’s blessing in their ministry.
In the late nineties, the Chestnuts, with the help of Harroll and Jennie Noble, established
First, an orphanage: equipping three houses for 33 children. The orphanage continues to thrive as a testimony of God’s blessing upon the Chestnut’s Ministry.
As a result of this ministry, many children heard the gospel and received Christ as their savior. In the early days (1998), they rescued children from the city dump and off the streets of Oradea. As a result of being on the street, these children were carrying a lot of baggage. Some had never experienced anyone loving them. They had never known a time when they had enough food and clothing. The Chestnuts were able to take these children into their care and give them the love they had never experienced. They knew nothing of the love of Christ. Today many of these children have grown into adulthood. They would be the first to admit that many fell by the wayside.
PRAISE BE TO GOD; many of them have become productive citizens. For example, they took Laurel and Cristi off the street. Their parents had abandoned them. Laurel was 12, and Cristi was nine. Laurel has now graduated from Medical School and serves at the children’s hospital in Oradea. Her brother Cristi attended college; he believes God has called him to preach. Cristi and Laurel served as interrupters for the Chestnuts while they were in Romania.
The Chestnuts rescued Gizzy when she was about four years of age from a terrible state-run orphanage. The Chestnuts had hoped to bring her to the US but could not.
Second, a “pregnancy center” was established in 1998; during the ten years of operation, more than 300 babies were rescued, and over 900 souls saved.
Seeing the change in the women’s lives after they became Christians was amazing. Marriages were saved, and most importantly, there are children alive who would have been aborted if not for the Crises Center.
Unfortunately, when Romania joined the European Union, this ministry had to be closed because of a vast number of new regulations.
Third, a “ministry to the widows” from the very beginning of their Ministry in Romania, the hearts of Roy and Rella had been touched by the plight of the widows living in the many villages in Romania. The average widow receives less than 13 dollars monthly from the government. For many widows, this was their entire income. Due to finances, Roy and Rella’s assistance was limited to three of these ladies at a time. All of the women were Christians in their late 80s and early 90s. A number of the widows passed away over the years, and new ones took their place.
Fourth but not least, The Chestnuts, either directly or indirectly, established several local New Testament Baptist churches in the villages of Orsahe and Chugmegau. With the help of Missionary Harrell and Jeanie Noble, they established a new church thriving in the Gypsy Village of Birtin.
Dr. Roy Chestnut was a Loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather—a faithful servant of God. He passed away peacefully in his home on Friday, May 5, 2023, at the age of 85