Historic Exhibitions in Siberia

Novosibirsk
  Photographs and documents, household items and clothing, hand-written hymn collections and antique Bibles – the exhibition “Lutherans: Three Centuries in Siberia” brought all of this and more together for visitors in Novosibirsk and Tomsk this winter. A lot of work in the state and personal archives led to a large amount of interesting historical material being gathered together that help tell the story of our church.

  On January 22 the exhibition opened in the Novosibirsk Russian-German house. There visitors could learn about the three stages of the spread of Lutheranism in Siberia – first, through the resettlement of ethnic Germans and others to Siberia during the imperial period, then through the repressions and exile of the Soviet period (including the confiscation of church property, the murder of pastors and the closing of congregations). It was this second period, despite all the trials, that saw real growth in the church, especially thanks to those who came from the Volga region. The third period, beginning in the 1970s, started when the repressions of the church began to wane. Small groups of believers who met in private homes began to receive the right to form congregations and to openly preach the Word of God. The exhibit showed the history of congregations in Tobolosk, Tomsk, Omsk, Barnaul, the Krasnoyarsk region, Irkutsk and other places.
  The opening of the exhibition was attended by many guests, including representatives from the Russian-German house and the city and state administration, the German Consul Vitkor Richter, Bishop Joseph Werth from the Roman Catholic Church. ELCUSFE Church Administrator Tatyana Muramtseva (who led our church's delegation); pastors and congregational members from Omsk and Novosibirsk greeted those in attendance. The Gute Laune  ensemble provided musical accompaniment, and a short film on the history of Lutheran was shown, followed by a reception.
  As Tatyana Muramtseva noted, the Church has two tasks – to spread the Gospel and to serve people. We hope that these exhibitions will be useful for understanding the rich experience of our brothers and sisters in faith and will inspire those who attend not only to get acquainted with the Lutheran church, but also with the One who stands at the center of the Church, Jesus Christ.

Mission Week in the Congregations of Bashkortostan

Ufa, Russia
 The Bishop's Assistant in the ELCER, Nobert Hintz, made visits to the Lutheran congregations in Ufa, Sterlitamaka, and the village of Prishib from the 20th to the 25th of November.
  During these meetings there were Bible lessons, worship and also the visit to the Catholic church in the village of Alekseevka and the Lutherans in Davlekanovo. On the 25th there was a meeting to discuss the plans for finishing the building of the diaconal center. This meeting was attended by ELCR Archbishop Brauer, Nobert Hintz, Area Dean Sergey Goltswert, the representative of the “Ural” charitable foundation Andrey Ignatenko, the Bashkortostan  - Germany friendship committee and representatives of local, county and state government.
  During the meeting the crucial role of the “Ural” foundation in financing the project was discussed. They contributed more than 15.3 million rubles to the work of restoration of the church and the parsonage, as well as to the building of the guard station and the diaconal center. The rebirth of the Lutheran church – an architectural monument – began with the building being returned to the church in 2000. Since that time the Bashkir Republic, the Martin Luther Union, the Gustav Adolf Foundation and congregation members contributed to its restoration, which began in 2007. In 2015 the interior and grounds work should be finished.
  After this meeting finished congregational members from the 3 congregations had the chance to meet with Archbishop Brauer and discuss with him the current state of affairs in the ELCER as well as the possibilities for further developing diaconal ministry. Every day of the mission week was filled with joyful meeting, God's word and an atmosphere of mutual support.

Visit of Archbishop and Ordination

Saratov
  ELCR Archbishop Dietrich Brauer traveled to Saratov on November 29-30 in order to preside at the ordination of Andrey Dzhamgarov in the under-construction buidling of St. Mary's church. In his words to the new pastor, Bishop Brauer spoke of the serious responsibility that goes with pastoral ministry. The pastor not only teaches what the the Lord and the Word of God – the Bible – says, but also in his life gives an example of righteousness. In his sermon Pastor Dzhamgarov noted that a real minister should not stand in the center and draw attention to himself, but instead always be off to the side, pointing to the crucifixion of Christ as the true center.

  There were many honored guests at the ordination, including representatives of the state and local government. Many warm and touching words were addressed to the new pastor by representatives from congregations in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Marx and other cities in Russia. During the second part of the celebrations guests had the chance to listen to the musical talents of the youth choir from St. Mary's church in Ulyanovsk. After that everyone “traveled to Africa” for a few minutes thanks to the choral number performed by Lutheran medical students from Namibia; their traditional African manner of singing was touching not only because of it being unusual, but because of the high quality of singing. The congregation's theater group prepared a gift for the new pastor – they performed a mini-play that demonstrated the true meeting of pastoral service, of how the shepherd guides, protects and brings peace to the flock.
  All the members of Andrey's family – his parents, his older brother, wife and son – shared their thoughts about this significant event in the life of their family and of St. Mary's church. His family name - “Dzhamgarov,” translated from Armenian means “bell ringer.” Andrey, like his anonymous forbearer, also has gone along the path of service in the church.
  On his first day in the region Archbishop Brauer traveled together with area Dean Andrey Shaermann to Holy Trinity church in Marx; this building, from the first half of the 19th century, is an architectural monument and is currently being successfully restored. The Archbishop also had a chance to see the restoration work done in Christ Lutheran Church in the village of Zorkino; this building was a copy of the historic building in Saratov, destroyed in the 1970s.

Together We Can Accomplish More!

Tbilisi, Georgia
  Vladimir Vinogradov writes: “We are very far apart, geographically speaking. But all the same we are tied together by faith and many years of friendship (three of us studied together at the Theological Seminary in Novosaratovka.) It is so important for us to support this fellowship, to remain close and to work up a plan of cooperation. Youth coordinators from around the Union of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (formerly ELCROS) met in the Georgian capital from the 13th to the 16th of November. The Church of Reconciliation opened wide its doors for us. Represented were the coordinators from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia – Vladimir Vinogradov (ELCUSFE) and Vera Tkach (ELCER), as well as Nikolai Vorobyev (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kyrgyzstan), Igor Shemigon (German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine), and David Dzhandieri, Irina Soley and Irina Mamisashvili (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Georgia). A special guest at the gather was the leader of the “Evangelical Youth in Germany” movement, Dirk Thesenvitz. One of the main questions we asked at the meeting was whether or not to form an “Evangelical Youth” movement uniting young believers regardless of their country of residence. Our brother Dirk, who has done youth work in the Evangelical Church in Germany for many years, shared his experience with a similar initiative. Everyone liked the idea, and we began to discuss such practical questions as creating a logo, structure and formulating the general principles of the movement. In discussion it became clear that the yearly “Youth Sunday” liturgy does a lot to unite young people from various regions. We agreed to continue the good start that was made at this meeting using the draft documents that Vladimir Vinogradov prepared. We also touched on the need to modernize  confirmation lessons for children and youth; because we don't have enough modern confirmation books and other materials, it was decided to make a new translation of some of the older, though successful programs. We also remembered the important theme of education for youth leaders and the necessity of holding seminars and conferences for them. It was noted that the International Bible School in Ukraine is still open as before for youth leaders both in “on-site” and “on-/off- site” programs. One of the most important questions was the best way to use the Internet; concretely, how to find the best content for the children's www.nebesite.ru  site and the “youth and children's work” section on www.elkras.ru. The coordinators made a calendar for renewing materials and came up with a “to do” list in order to most effectively use these common, virtual resources.
  Since the members of this group are far away from one another and don't have the chance to meet often, they agreed to meet for a monthly on-line conference which will certainly become a good instrument for the further coordination of events and for deciding current issues. Of course it is important that these annual face-to-face meetings continue into the future. The next meeting is scheduled for November 2015, in agreement with the council of Bishops, in Bishkek. Finally we discussed the status and leadership of the Committee of Youth Coordinators; it was agreed that Vladimir Vinogradov would continue in this position until the 2017 Reformation anniversary celebrations.
  The work of the coordinators was arranged in such a way that it was possible for them to spend time with the youth of the host congregation. Vladimir Vinogradov led a seminar called “Youth Ministry” for the youth group of the Georgian Lutheran Church. Young Christians not only received useful materials about the types and means of youth worship services, but also helped them to actually lead such a service on Sunday evening in the Church of Reconciliation; Igor Shemigon and Vladimir Vinogradov preached, while the local youth themselves took on all the other tasks. Despite initial doubts about their own abilities, the youth did a great job. Afterwards they received the recommendation to hold a youth service in the congregation once a month. Perhaps that will provide an answer to the question that frequently came up in our days of meetings – how might it be possible to draw non-Christians to the Lutheran church? All the coordinators suggested their own answers to this question; it was particularly interesting to hear the experience of Nikolai Vorobyev, who is serving in a Muslim country. It was a blessing for the coordinators to have the chance to participate in Sunday worship. Pastor Vladimir Vinogradov gave a word of greetings there; Igor Shemigon preached, and Pastor Nikolai Vorobyev and coordinator Vera Tkach were readers. The coordinators expressed their thankfulness to Pastor Irinia Soley and everyone else in the local congregation for their hospitality and for making our time in Tbilisi an unforgettable blessing. Thanks were also expressed to the head of the Youth Coordinators' Committee, Vladimir Vinogradov for his hard work, optimism, and organization of the meeting and to Vera Tkach for her help in translating, for playing piano and taking pictures.
  This meeting showed once again that when we are together we can accomplish a lot!”

Trip to Saratov

  God's presence is always clearly felt in the church in Saratov – whether it be in the building of a new church, the ministries of the congregation or fellowship. For that reason the congregation in Ulyanovsk was happy to once again organize a visit to their fellow Lutherans on the Volga. Pastor Vladimir Provorov led a group of 11 to visit the congregation, to help them during their work day, and to celebrate Harvest Festival with them one week after they marked that day in Ulyanovsk. Pastor Alexander Shaermann asked Pastor Provorov to preach, and he took up the theme of thankfulness. Being thankful is not just being polite, it is our reaction to the grace given to us in Jesus Christ...and we are enriched in the process.  
  There were a number of special moments about the trip, including the singing of brothers and sisters in Christ from Nambia at the closing worship service as well as the stops on the way back from Saratov in the towns of Marx and Zorkino. In both of these places churches are being built; in the first, a new building to replace the one destroyed during Soviet times and in the second place – the restoration of the historical building. In Zorkinko they've already installed the bell tower; the clock and bells installed there and already being heard, summoning all who pass to prayer.  

Zorkino

Inter-confessional Dialogs on Religion and Peace

Tbilisi / Moscow
  In Tbilisi in October 2014, 10 leaders of various religions (including not only Christians but also Yazidis, Jews and Muslims) were invited to visit with Georgian President Georgii Marvelashvili and his wife about violence in Georgian society, including violence against women, and what religious communities might do about it. Bishop Hans-Joachim Kiderlen represented the Lutheran church there. The reason for the president to issue this invitation was the wave of violent murders of women that have shaken up Georgian society over the past few months. These acts of violence were committed in the family, and the Georgian president asked the opinions of religious leaders about the reasons for this. The common opinion was seen as being the tension in society between traditional society, which puts men in the foreground, and the reality of the situation on the ground, where many men are not together with their families or are out of work and women take on the responsibility of supporting the family. Bishop Kiderlin noted that it was very interesting to see that none of the religious leaders disagreed with the position of the representative of the Muslim community, who said that religions do not support the traditional privileges of men and moreover, that all religions, including Islam, support equal respect and equal rights between men and women. The president also agreed and asked participants to find ways to call their congregational members to respect women and to maintain equal access to education. Bishop Kiderlin pointed out the need for congregations to do pastoral care in order to find a way of solving problems without violence.
  In Moscow on October 16th Archbishop Dietrich Brauer took part in the conference organized by the city of Moscow - “Religion and Peace.” The theme of the conference were the questions of peace and war and also the place of religion in modern large cities and the service work of denominations. Dietrich Brauer presented the work of the St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Moscow and spoke about the contribution of the Lutheran church to the life of the city – kindergartens, Christian theater, a place for exhibitions and organ concerns. In this way the Lutheran church is not only developing its own, individual spiritual life, but also is strengthening the ties among people, uniting them in Christian community and spreading the good news in contemporary secular society.

Fall 2014 Seminars through a New Educational Initiative

  2014 was filled with opportunities for the development of the new educational program of the ELCR (supported by the ELCA and the Hermannsburg Mission) - “Equipping for Service.”  The core idea of the “Equipping...” project is “to maximize accessibility to quality educational opportunities in the Evangelical Lutheran Church through a program that is collaboratively planned, flexible, and decentralized.” While in the first part of the year this mostly involved Bradn Buerkle (responsible for the program) teaching at various seminars, in the second part of the year the program was also responsible for organizing independent events.

   The first of these came together in a place very familiar to Pastor Buerkle - in Krasnoyarsk, a congregation where Bradn formerly served as Acting Dean – the theme was “Two Issues in Christian Ethics.” This active congregation values educational opportunities, and  it was possible to try an experiment there by talking about concrete (and sometimes sensitive) issues in Christian ethics. In a society that leans towards either a legalistic or a nihilistic approach to ethical questions, Lutherans sometimes would prefer to avoid the question altogether. But given the conflict between Russia and its neighbors and the influx of refugees from easter Ukraine that have come even to Siberia, it is important to help congregational members apply their faith to engage these questions. The two evenings brought together a total of 24 participants, which is pretty successful for weeknight seminars in a context where people are dependent on public transport.

   The second event was south of Krasnoyarsk in the region of Khakasia. The region has 10 congregations spread over a 150 mile radius; most of them get only monthly visits from their pastor, Dmitry Schweitz, who was instrumental in helping organize this retreat, called "I am a Servant." The main idea of this seminar was to support the team of people leading congregations on a week to week basis. The idea was to reach this goal both through fellowship and through thinking about the following questions together - “What does it mean  to serve? When do I feel like a  servant? How can one serve effectively?” In the process related questions also arose - the way service is understood in society and in the Bible, Jesus as a model of  service, love at the center of Christian service, the Lutheran understanding of internal and external call, and the communal call as the church in this place. A number of concrete ideas were raised that the leaders intend to bring to  realization – e.g., fund-raisers to help those in acute need, printing fliers about Lutheranism for distribution, and a cooperative attempt to form a new youth group in one of the congregations.  

  In October the church was  pleased to welcome Pastor Chris Repp back to  Russia. Pastor Repp taught Church History, Systematics and Ethics at the Novosaratovka Theological Seminary for four years, though for most a decade now he has been serving congregations in the United States. Chris was invited to participate in an academic conference co-organized by ELCUSFE, and in addition to being there, he also helped Bradn lead two 3-day seminars, one in Omsk  (Siberia) and one in Ulyanovsk (in European Russia on the Volga). The title, “Law, Gospel and the Lutheran Confessions Today,” was aimed mostly at pastors and students, but while there were participants from these groups, it turns out that the topic had wider appeal than was originally expected. In Omsk there were 9 full participants (along with 7 others who were in and out) and in Ulyanovsk a week later we had a very large number – always more than 20, and most of the time around 30. Although the theme of the seminar was the same, in each case the material was adapted to the different audiences.  In Omsk the main thrust of Bradn's teaching was to help participants see that we do have official confessional documents, though we are far from familiar with their contents and that we need to familiarize ourselves with them in order to decide for ourselves what role(s) they are to play in the life of our church. Chris focused on the issue of Law and Gospel as address in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology, demonstrating why this was important and how it applies to the interpretation of Biblical texts. (In this he has been influenced by the theological approach of the  Crossings Community). In Omsk Seminary President Anton Tikhomirov was also available to teach and he first spoke about the confessions as a textual expression of Luther's Reformation break-through and then traced the development of Western (especially Protestant) theology from that time forward.  In Ulyanovsk the approach was kept simpler, giving the most attention to the uses of the law and to Biblical interpretation. In both places local leaders (a special thanks to Tatyana Muramtseva in Omsk and Vladimir Provorov in Ulyanovsk) did an excellent job of solving logistical issues.

Omsk

Ulyanovsk

300 Years of Lutheranism in Siberia

Omsk, Russia
  The International Academic Conference entitled “Lutherans in Russia: Marking the 300th Anniversary of Lutheranism in Siberia” was held in Omsk on October 9-10. The goal of this meeting was to think about the historical role of representatives of the Lutheran church in the settlement of new Russian territories, and in its unique contributions to the material and spiritual culture of the region.
  Lutherans began to move to Siberia at the end of the 18th century, especially by taking part in the building of the fort of Omsk, where Swedish Lutherans were prisoners of war; already in 1716 the first Lutheran church of Omsk was built. A stone building, St. Catherine's Lutheran Church, was built in 1792 in Omsk; for a long time it was the only Lutheran church building in Siberia and it contributed to the development of the largest Lutheran congregation in Siberia.
  More than 100 people took part in the work of the conference. There were representatives from 22 cities in Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Estonia and the United States. The disciplines touched upon included ethnography (including a special working group dedicated to the culture of Scandinavian and Baltic peoples in the history of the region), history, architecture, sociology and theology.

  The conference brought public attention to the role that the Lutheran church has played and continues to play in the public life of the region, including its role as a peacemaker.
  On the 9th of October the papers of the conference that were submitted before hand were presented in published form; lectures and public discussions on these papers followed. Our church was represented by Pastors Anton Tikhomirov (Theological Seminary), Dimitri Schweitz (Abakan region), Bradn Buerkle (Equipping for Service project) and former seminary teacher from the United States, Chris Repp. On the 10th conference participants traveled to the Azov German National Region of the Omsk oblast, where there was the opportunity to visit a museum dedicated to the daily life of a German-Russian Siberian village and to watch a concert by local singers and dancers.

Chris Repp visits the Tomsk congregation

  Our congregation anxiously awaited the 17th Sunday after Pentecost - just a regular Sunday in ordinary time, on the one hand, but on the other - we had been waiting for a long time for an ordained pastor to visit us while dealing with a vacancy.  We were particuarly happy that our guest was a particularly interesting and deep person – Pastor Chris Repp from the USA, former lecturer at the Novosaratovka seminary. He arrived at the congregation thanks to the help of the former Area Dean, Bradn Buerkle and Bishop Otto Schaude. Despite technical difficulties which delayed the start of the worship service, we were still very happy and thankful to God that we were able to worship together in this way.

 Vitaly Schmidt. Church Council President.

On the Path of Revelation

Khabarovsk, Russia
  Revelations are everywhere. The slogan of the Days of German-Russian culture this year - “On the Path of Revelation” - suggested that we look at the world around us from the point of view of a researcher.  When you see the world with a clear and inquisitive gaze every day is like a journey, full of surprising revelations. The festival invited people on a journey during which each person could become an investigator and make his own discoveries – through movies, exhibitions, lectures, meetings and, of course, in conversation.
  The days of German-Russian culture in Khabarovsk, which were held on October 3-11, took place already for the 17th time. The main organizer of the festival was St. John's Lutheran congregation; they, together with many co-organizers, continue to initiate and to develop creative dialog between the community and artists from Germany and Russia. They invite people to find revelation in  meetings with art, with one another, with other points of view - meetings which widen horizons and open up new paths.
  The festival of new German cinema, organized by the Goethe Institute of Novosibirsk, acquainted people with the best German films of the last couple of years. The movie theater “Sovkino” hosted the opening of the festive, “Measuring the World” (director Detlev Buk), based on the novel by Daniel Kelman. It told about the life of the famous German researchers, Alexander von Humbult and Karl Friedrich Gauss, in an exciting and intriguing way.
  The theme of journeys and revelations was taken up at the exhibition - “Alexander von Humbult – a  man of the universe” in the Grodenkov History Museum. September 14 would have been the 245th birthday of this leading German scientist. His American and Russia-Siberian expeditions were an example for other scientists-explorers. Thanks to Humbult contacts between scientists throughout Europe were made more active. He believed that in the “scientific republic where the peoples of Europe should be in mutual exchange, bringing hope for further fruitful cooperation of all European countries.”
  The center of academic events for the Days of German culture was the Far East State Research Library. Among the interactive lectures given there was one by the congregation's former pastor, Markus Lesinski. His lecture was entitled “I am not like you. Something of you is in me, and also in you there is a piece of me. Globalization and Mobility as a path to trans-culturalism.” Pastor Lesinksi, after ministry in Khabarovsk and Germany and projects in Egypt and Ethiopia, is now working in New Delhi; Markus not only led a lectures, but also actively worked in the team of organizers – gave interviews with the press, participated in the opening of the exhibition, met with university students and representatives of the Khabarovsk Russian Orthodox Seminary. During the seminar he led Bible studies, worship and celebrated Harvest Festival together with the congregation. This was Pastor Lesinksi's second visit to the Far East this year. We are thankful to Dean Manfred Brockman for inviting him as a lecturer to the summer seminar of the deanery in the Bay of Vityaz.
  This year's German-Russian days came to a close with a youth “happening” by the “Forum Theater.” This is already the 10th year that this theater has invited people to come to new revelations about their ideas, their talents, themselves and the world around them.
  This event helped us think about the next, 18th, Days of German-Russian culture in Khabarovsk. The festival remains popular in the city and the region and shows that St. John Lutheran church is a congregations which is alive, creative and open to conversation and dialog.

A Meeting of Stars - Marx and Potsdam

Postdam (Germany)/Marx (Russia) 
  On Oct 4 in Potsdam a new partnership agreement was signed between the congregation in Marx (Saratov oblast) and the congregation of the “Star Church” in Potsdam. This agreement is a part of the new, broader agreement between the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg and Silesia of the Upper Lusatia and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia. The main goal is to strengthen the congregational structures in Marx over the course of the next 4 years.
  The “Star Church” was built as part of the “Church for New Cities” program and was dedicated in 1990. Although totally destroyed in a fire in 1997, it was re-dedicated in 1998. The name (“Sternkirche”) it got from the form of its building. The star, a symbol of Christian promise and hope, was reflected in the architecture of the building.
  At the beginning of August of this year the restoration of the church building in Marx began; the bell towers should be re-created this year, while in 2015 the restoration of the facade should be completed. This brick church, built in 1840, was the largest church of the Volga Germans. During the Soviet times it was used not according to its original purpose. Its bell tower and cupola were sacrificed in order to build a cultural club building. Now it is hoped that the exterior of the building will be restored to its original form.

Warm Meetings in Cold Crimea

  The final weekend of October 2014 turned out to be windy and cold in Crimea, but bad weather did not take away the joy that local Lutheran congregations felt thanks to the visit of Archbishop of the ELC and Bishop of the ELCER, Dietrich Brauer, and pastor of the Moscow congregation and head of the administration of the ELCER, Viktor Weber.
  Despite the fact that the visit lasted only two days, Archbishop Brauer and Pastor Weber were able to attend worship in Feodosiya and in the capital of the Republic of Crimea, Simferopol, where almost all local Lutherans gathered to meet.
  After worship with Holy Communion there was an interesting discussion about the inclusion of the congregations of Crimea into the legal framework of the Russian Federation and the process of re-registration. At the same time, as Dietrich Brauer clearly said that spiritual ties with the GELCU will remain. It is also possible that there will be fruitful cooperation and joint projects. The main goal of the re-registration of congregations is to use the new opportunities that arise for them in Russian Crimea; the most important of these is the possible return of historical buildings to the church.

How to Build a Home – The 2014 Synod of the GELCU

Odessa, Ukraine
  “I see a brigade of construction workers, trying to restore a building. They frequently argue with one another and do not trust one another. Some say that neither a plan nor building material is necessary, the only thing that matters is stirring the cement. Someone else says that you just need to build one wall and to destroy the other ones completely. Others still try to control everything but don't know the difference between paint and white wash...”   In his report to the synod Bishop Sergey Mashevsky painted this portrait of a building that could be compared with the state of the Ukrainian church today. The theme of the synod of the GELCU - “Thinking about the past, striving ahead” - called everyone to think about such questions.
  The meetings lasted from Oct 20-22 in Odessa, and the most important point was the election of a new Presidium of the synod. In the GELCU church structure the Presidium of the Synod has many tasks;  it fulfills the role of the synod council, as such, administers the church.
  According to the new rules for election, each of the 5 geographic regions of the GELCU presented two or three candidates up for election. The new presidium is made up of Oksana Klundt, Odessa (South), Oleg Fisher, Krivoy Rog (Southeast), Alla Wolf, Lozovaya, (East), Evgeniya Donetskaya, Simferopol (Crimea), and Konstantin Burlov, Kiev (Northwest). The church council president of St. Catherine's in Kiev, Konstantin Burlov, was elected President.
  Former pastor of the congregation in Zmeevka and the long-time friend of Ukrainian Lutherans, Ulrich Zenker, presently representing GELCU's partner the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria, gave the main report on the synod's theme.  Synod delegates split into working groups based on his analysis to discuss spirituality in action, the use of gifts, optimal church structure and strategic development.
  Bishop Sergei Mashevsky emphasized in his report that the first need of the church is to create a clear and functioning system of management and transparent structures. The first step to this, according to his words, should be a new document defining the structures of GELCU; this document was confirmed by delegates on the last day of the synod. Also Bishop Mashevsky underlined the importance of the representation of the church on the government level; work still needs to be done in this area for better cooperation. He spoke of the the successful development of partner relations with the churches of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which are not meant, however, to replace existing relationships with other churches, but only to widen and enrich them.
  The Synod ratified the agreement of the Union of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (ELC), as a member of the organization. At the same time synod delegates confirmed the importance of direct membership of the GELCU in the Lutheran World Federation; this needs to be done in the immediate future. At present the Ukrainian church is represented as a part of the ELC Union.
  “...but there are others still who carefully and constantly work. Brick by brick, mortar after mortar,   screw by screw...these people build the house not only for themselves, but they think about residents of the whole area. They have blistered hands and bruised knees, but their eyes are clear and honest.” This is the kind of building of the Church, according to the opinion of Bishop Sergey Mashevsky, that needs to be striven for today.

Together with God on the Way - Children's Ministry in Novogradovka

Novogradovka, Ukraine
  18 children from underprivileged families attended the “Bethany Children's Center” of the Novogradovka congregation (Odessa region) in 2014. Each of them has struggled in school as a result of  his or her family situation – single-parent homes, extreme poverty or a large number of children, alcoholism...
  At “Bethany” the children receive attention, care, and an understanding of God's great love. Each receives individual tutoring in all school subjects as well as a hot meal and medical help. For five years now the center has opened up its doors for elementary age school children that need special attention.  Together with their teachers and the director of the school and in agreement with their parents, the congregation chooses the most needy children and then takes on the responsibility to accompany them throughout the school year.
  From Tuesday to Friday after school children come to one of the four classrooms of the Children's center, where they play, eat and then work hard on reading, writing, math, English and other subjects. Small classrooms ensure that there is an individual approach to each subject.

  Teachers put a lot of effort into teaching children the basic rules of hygiene, of how to act at the table and in society. God creates miracles in this atmosphere of love and the children, even those for whom there seemed to be no hope,  begin to understand, to read, to write, to speak, to listen. This ministry is a real miracle being worked out before our eyes in real time.  Is it possible to overstate how valuable the program has been over the years?
  Each year the children await the end of summer vacation, because they know that soon, once again, they can enjoy the joyful atmosphere of the Center. At opening worship for the 2014-2015 school year parents were presented with the program of the center, and there was a blessing of children and their teachers.
  In the summer before that, the congregation gave a new member of the church Vera Yakovleva the opportunity to work with preschool aged children. 25 kids in two age groups came together from Monday to Friday for free lessons; frequently they came together with their parents to take part in various developmental games. Starting in September the group began to collect offerings and has already almost reached self-sufficiency. That means that the Children's Center also now houses a new ministry with preschool children; in 2014-2015 all together there were 37 children and 5 staff.

Church-wide Assembly - “I am with you always, until the End of the Age”

Novosaratovka, Russia

  The Fourth Church-wide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia was held September 17-19, 2014 in Novosaratovka.

  Two highlights of the event were the visit to the gathering of Lutheran World Federation General Secretary Martin Junge and the election of Dietrich Brauer as the new Archbishop of the ELC.

  Dietrich Borisovich Brauer was born on January 3, 1983, in Vladivostok. He studied at the ELC TheologicalSeminary in Novosaratovka from 2001-2005; from 2005- to 2010 he served as a pastor in the Gusyev (Gumbinnen) region of the Kaliningrad deanery. In March of 2010 he was named as the Visitation Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia; in September of 2012 the Church-wide Assembly (“General Synod”) named him the acting Archbishop of the ELCR. He is married and has two children.

  During his report on his work as Acting Archbishop, Bishop Brauer especially emphasized the strengthening of ties with the Russian Orthodox Church on an official level and with the federal government administration; these developments impact the whole church since so much in Russia depends on the position of government officials. In addition Bishop Brauer outlined his vision for our Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia – a church that is is unified, open, free and dynamic, synodical, multicultural and open to dialog; a merciful church that loves the sinner.

At the end of the assembly Bishop Brauer was blessed for ministry, though his official installation was scheduled to take place later in Moscow in early 2015.

  The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, Martin Junge, (who also visited the Governor of St. Petersburg and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ingria on this, his first trip to Russia) read a paper on the mission of the church based on the verses chosen for the synod's theme – Mt 28.19-20. It acted as a good stimulus for conversation. Delegates asked questions about whether or not they should go and preach the Gospel to people whom they don't know, or if they should start with their own family. They wondered about the relative importance of having a church building and about the right way to reach various social groups. At the end of the discussion it was decided that a working group would be formed that would look at these and similar questions.

  The synod set aside time to discuss the state of education in the church. The President of the Theological Seminary, Anton Tikhomirov, talked about the state of affairs at the seminary. At present a program of distance education is being implemented; there are more than 60 students studying over the course of 3 semesters. Also approximately once or twice a year the seminary hosts continuing education courses. Pastor Bradn Buerkle, former teacher at the seminary, presented the “Equipping for Service” project to synod delegates. This project, launched not long ago, is focused on bringing opportunities for high-quality seminars to people “on the ground” in various regions of the Russian church. Bradn was blessed for this ministry at the closing of the synod.

  The synod was attended by foreign guests from the the Germany consulate, LWF, EKG, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony, the Martin Luther Union, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland, and a para-church organization for Russian Germans in Germany.

Reflections on Harvest Festival / Thankfulness by Pastor Zhanibek Batenov

Astana, Kazakhstan

The watchword of the month of September: “Be generous when you worship the Lord, and do not stint the first fruits of your hands. With every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with gladness.” (Sirach 35.10-11)

Dear Readers! Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ!

In Old Testament times there was a special place in the Jewish calendar for the holiday celebrating the first fruits. On this day every family was to be happy for the new harvest and to sacrifice to God the first sheaf of barley. But the temptation to minimize the first fruits of their labors was a problem not only for the ancient Jews, but remains so for contemporary farmers. And not only for them. It is rare that you hear from someone in our villages that it was a good harvest of potatoes or wheat. Even if it was an abundant harvest a village dweller will search for a reason to be dissatisfied: “there's a lot of potatoes, but they're little. They won't preserve well..” “There's too much wheat. We don't have time to dry it all out. It's burning up in the sun.” Those who have dachas do the same thing. It is as if every person is literally scared to be happy for the harvest. When the harvest is poor people complain about that. When it is not, they also complain. There's a joke in Germany – “when a peasant boy is born, they put a rock on his chest so that he learns right away how to whine and complain.” The reading from Sirach is relevant in our day for our church, too. Many pastors and ministers in our church as well as regular congregational members are like those complaining village dwellers. “There were more of us before.” “Again two families left for Germany.” “Our congregation is getting smaller.” They forget, though, that there was a family that was baptized not long ago, or the grandmother and her two little granddaughters who started coming to church regularly. But even if our first fruits are few, we still have no right to minimize them. When we do that we neither value our own labor nor that which the Lord does. It is God who gives Christian faith through the preaching of the Gospel in the sermon; it is God who unites us with the Kingdom of God through Baptism; it is God who gives forgiveness of sins. God does this all through our hands...or through out mouths when we speak to people of His great love for them. Therefore I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, to notice the wonderful things God is doing in our congregations. Rejoice that our sisters and brothers are saved. Rejoice for new people in the congregation. Rejoice at that which to you seems to be insignificant, but which before God is a great miracle – the forgiveness of sins which God gives to us here and now. Rejoice for the sermon which you and the worship service in which you take part. But, of course, most of all we should praise God “with a cheerful face” for that which we can be thankful even if we are in prison, seriously ill or facing death – that is Jesus Christ who died for all and who rose to save all. Honestly speaking there are a lot of reasons that can be found for rejoicing before the Lord. Maybe they are the ones that I wrote about here...but maybe instead it is the little things – a sunny day after a rainy week, rain after a drought, clean air which you breath in deeply in the early morning as you stand on the balcony, the smell of fresh ink in a new textbook... we have that and much more in our lives. We all have something to be thankful for.

Work Continues in St. Mary's Lutheran, Saratov

Saratov, Russia

  The church of St. Mary in Saratov, besides its ordinary congregational work, also does a lot of social service projects. These include diaconal projects for supporting the sick and elderly, a cloths barn, the annual youth camp - “Hope,” a Christian rafting camp, the “iVolga” youth forum, etc. During each of these events congregational members meet with a large variety of people. In this way every member of the congregation becomes a representative of our church for others; this means that members have a lot of responsibility to incarnate the values we confess. It is possible to give many concrete examples. At present the congregation is continuing to build a new building, St. Mary's. Much is done by congregational members themselves, e.g., waterproofing the roof, the grounds work and many other things. The church building is in a residential region and surrounded by high apartment buildings. For a long time the territory around the church was an abandoned lot. Before the church building was built local residents paid little attention to this area, but then the church began to clean things up; congregational members hauled away garbage and began to beautify the area. This example has already began to show fruits – neighbors now not only look after the surrounding territory, they also gently remind one another to keep things clean; they thank us for improving the neighborhood and tells us that they look forward to visiting the church when the construction is done. This is a great miracle that God works through the hands of each congregational member! Just by doing this good work dialog with local residents has begun; this opens up the path for the growth of the congregation. We always need to remember that each of us is an ambassador of the Good News, whether we are conscious of it not. 

Like Wild Carnations

Svetlogorsk/Kaliningrad
  At the end of the summer the Kaliningrad deanery became a place filled with lively activity - meetings, prayers, and theological discussions. From the 28th to 31st of August a seminar for women theologians of ELCER was held in Svetlogorsk (Raushene) on the Baltic Sea coast. The first such meeting took place in 2010 in Erfurt, then in 2011 in Samara and 2012 in Kazan. The leader of the seminar was the pastor of the Emmaus congregation at the German consulate in Moscow, Kristina Schnepel. Participants came from Moscow, Samara, Tolyatti, Kazan, Baku, Krasnoyarsk, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad to discuss the meaning of the Reformation breakthrough for pastoral care in a congregational setting; in addition, they also took place in events throughout the deanery. For the first time two new women pastors took part – Sofia Tikhomirova and Svetlana Yanchurkina, ordained not long before this meeting, on August 24th.

  The coordinator of diaconal ministry in the ELCER, Elena Kurmyshova, also came to this meeting in  preparation for her soon-to-be-completed internship in Samara and soon-to-begin service in the Gusev congregation and in the Karl Blume Home for the Elderly. The committee of the Kaliningrad deanery approved her candidacy and at the end of the seminar, on August 31st, she visited Gusev in order to get acquainted with her new place of ministry. On the 30th of August the women theologians took part in the deanery-wide meeting. Pastor Thomas Figel, who at the time was acting as Area Dean, warmly welcomed the women theologians. The President of the ELCER executive committee, Olga Temirbulatova, led morning prayer. In her reflections she reminded participants that we are to serve in that place that God has planted us, just as we sometimes find wild carnations among weeds and thorns. After the deanery meeting a seminar for lectors was held. “Lectors” are congregational members in rural and small congregations without a pastor; they have been given the responsibility to lead worship and read sermons prepared by pastors. This seminar for the preparation of lectors was prepared by the Dean of the Central Deanery, Elena Bondarenko and Pastor Thomas Passauer.
  This seminar was very important and the women who participated are especially thankful to Gustav Adolf Work for help in running in the seminar and for giving theologians from Siberia to Azerbaijan to Kaliningrad and Chernyakhovsk the possibility to gather on the Baltic Sea.

Introduction to Christian Spirituality at the Theological Seminary

Novosaratovka
  From August 14 to 22 a course entitled “Introduction to the Spiritual Life” was held in the ELC Theological Seminary in Novosaratovka for students of the distance education program. A short introduction was made by the Seminary President Anton Tikhomirov.. Later Acting Archbishop Dietrich Brauer addressed the students, emphasizing the responsibility we have before the Lord for the knowledge and gifts we have been given. Anton Tikhomirov's cycle of lectures dove into the enchanting and rather terrifying world of the mystical theology of Rudolf Otto. The ideas of the

“masks of God” and of numinosity were compared in the works of Otto, Luther and Meister Eckhart.   In his lectures Dr. Tichomirov united the question “what is spirituality?” with such diverse themes as “call,” “church state relations,” “orthodoxy and its limits,” and  “pietism.” Students brought up questions like -  “is the material world sinful or does sin strike the spirit of fallen man? Is it possible to “wrestle with God” and then receive a blessing? What are the apophatic and cataphatic approaches to theology, and what was Bonhoeffer talking about when he spoke of “religionless Christianity?” In this class students did not feel like “objects” of the educational process, but like subjects seeking out the deepest spiritual mysteries.
  Bradn Buerkle took turns leading lectures with the Seminary President. He spoke about the development of monasticism (especially in its western European forms), and told stories of various orders' foundations...  It was also interesting for us to consider a Lutheran approach to monasticism. Before leaving the students came together for a departing feast, games, skits and songs. That was a great way to end the seminar. There was only one problem that the students noticed – it came to an end too soon.

2014: 100 Years After the First World War; 75 Years after the Second World War; 25 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall Europe and Russia Today

Vladivostok, Russia
  Dean Manfred Brockmann writes:
  This year the Cultural Days in Vladivostok were a joint project of Germany, France, Poland and Russia. There were three different aspects to the event: 1) the political aspect 2) the celebratory aspect 3) the standard aspect.
  1) 2014 is a special year in the history of the world. Three wars celebrate their anniversary years: the First World War, the Second World War and the so-called “Cold War”. We want to remember these wars not only to honor the veterans, but also to ask the following question: What are the positive outcomes of these three negative experiences?
Image  For Europe the positive outcomes were obvious and include he road to the European Economic Union, which is now the heart and soul of German-French friendship. That is why we are so happy that the French Ambassador (along with other diplomat staff from France) brought an exhibition that shows us through pictures and in Russian the formation of this friendship and how it points to the formation of the European Economic Union. We opened the cultural days on the October 1 with the revealing of this exhibition in our church courtyard. Poland also sent a high-level delegation, headed by the Polish Ambassador, and accompanied by world-renowned organist Wittold Salewski from Krakow. Poland, Germany and France were at odds with each other in the course of last century, but came together as one in Vladivostok. This is something we can be proud of - the German Cultural Days were transformed into European Cultural Days.
  The first evening, October 1, had the theme: “The Peaceful Unification of Europe as the Fruit of Two Bloody Wars and the end of the 'Cold War.'”What was the situation for Russia at the end of these three wars? That was the theme for our second evening, October 2. The theme for lectures that night was “The Unusual Road to Peace and Prosperity in Russia and Its Role in the Present-Day World of Tension.” This was the most exciting and interesting evening of all of them. One organization and two lecturers had to cancel their speeches because they were afraid of the current political situation.
  The celebratory part consisted of two receptions at St. Paul’s Church. A. The reception to honor the German National Holiday “The Day of German Unity” was held on October 3. It was given by the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Germany Jaroslaw Kotyk and the German Embassy in Moscow. There was also a reception on October 6 given by German Ambassador to Moscow Rüdiger Freiherr von Fritsch. At this reception Manfred Brockmann received the German Federal Cross of Merit.
  The standard part of the celebration was in the hallways of the University, where we met with the students. There was a gathering of German students in the Goethe Lecture Hall (Speaker was Ludmilla Kornilowa). The Theme for this lecture was “The Theme of War in German Literature.” There also was the traditional “Evening of Polish Music” hosted by the Vladivostok National Organization, “Dom Polski”. There were four organ concerts at St. Paul’s. Two of them featured Christian Lorenz from Pfungstadt, Germany and two superb concerts by Witold Zalewski from Krakow. There was a concert by a Brass and String Ensemble from the Vladivostok Opera along with a Clarinet Quintet playing Mozart. The final concert was put on by the ensemble “Concertone” under the direction of our own Alexander Borghardt.

  Almost all of the events took place in the St. Paul’s Church. This church proved once again that it is a church that is at the center of life in this city and is always available to the city. It is always open and has lots of visitors. Our church council president Konstantin Pawlenko says quite often: “The people going into the church always come out of it with a different look on their faces. They leave with a look of comfort on their faces.”
  We wish to thank all those who became involved in the difficult task of organizing these special cultural days. We also thank all the participants and guests who traveled such a long distance to be with us. We thank all of those who for 18 years have kept the faith concerning these cultural days. Finally, we especially thank our sponsors who have so faithfully supported us.
Manfred Brockmann, Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Dean of the Russian Far East and Honorary Consul for Germany

“In the House of the Lord Forever”

Kazan, Russia

  On the August 30-31 St. Catherine's Lutheran Church in Kazan celebrated the end of restoration work there with a re-dedication of the building. Pastors, Deans and the Bishop of the ELCER led worship, with Bishop Dietrich Brauer preaching and leading prayer for the building.

  The original St. Catherine's was founded in 1767 by German settlers; it was in that year that Catherine the Great visited the city and brought a pastor (serving in the imperial armed forces) with her. That building burnt down in the Pugachev rebellion of 1774, but already by 1777 the congregation had built a stone “kirche.” Later the growth of the congregation led to the need for expansion, and in 1862-1865 a brick church was built on the site of the former stone one. It is this building which is still standing today. In December of 1929 it was confiscated from the congregation by the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs; this was the end of congregational life until its rebirth in 1990. In 1996 the mayor of Kazan symbolically returned the keys to ELCER Bishop Sigfried Springer, but at that time the building was in complete disrepair. Thanks to the help of the Gustaf Adolf Fund the facade and roof were repaired in 2005 and temporary fixes were made in the interior. The full restoration of the church was possible thanks to funds from the local government administration. In the words of Bishop Brauer, this was a unique example of the Lutheran church receiving assistance from the state. This can be taken as a sign that there are places in Russia where Lutheranism is understood to be an integral part of this country and not as something foreign. Unfortunately, this is an exception to the rule.

Representatives from the office of President of Tartarstan, of the Kazan city government, of the local (majority) Muslim community and of the ambassador of Germany, among others, congratulated the congregation. The theme of the day was set in the words of Bishop Brauer's sermon - “the stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” (Mk 12.10). A church is always founded on the cornerstone who is Jesus Christ, who gives the world his love. This love, given to each Christian, requires responsibility on our part. In this difficult time the mission of the Church is to bring reconciliation and forgiveness.

  The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Catherine in Kazan has arisen to shine again – this is a history of grace and of God's miracles. As the centuries go on, again and again in the walls of the kirche the words of David's psalm will ring out - “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps. 23.6)

Siberian Narnia

South-central Siberia

“The Chronicles of Narnia” was the name of the camp for children of the Abakan region, held in early July. C.S. Lewis' books helped bring out the essence of Christian teaching for kids, and they also provided a lot of images that worked well in the camp setting.

When campers and staff arrived, they found conditions that were not all that comfortable; 4 volunteer cooks had to find their way to work together in the kitchen; everyone had to find his or her rooms, and leaders needed to be sure that there was something to do for all the kids, whether they be 2 or 17 (that was the real age spread of kids at the camp). Among the staff the oldest worker was 70, while the youngest counselor was 18. It's like a big, friendly family. Liza, the oldest camper, said - “at first I was a little disappointed to see so many little kids; I decided that the program would be for them. But soon I forgot about my worries because everything was so interesting and fun for all of us. The days were unforgettable.” The youngest counselor (and at the same time the “White Queen”), Katya, recalls: “I was given a lot of work right away, but also a lot of trust! I was afraid that I couldn't handle it. But everyone supported and helped me; it turned out to be not so difficult after all and very interesting. I am a future teacher and got great experience at camp. Next year I really hope I can be a camp counselor at a Christian camp again.”

  Camp coordinators Anastasia Razinkova and Anna Guray thought up all the details of the program; everything was planned down to the minute. The kids loved the events and lessons so much that they asked to play more every time . The only argument that could be used to convince them to go on was that they would see and learn something else new. Viktor Weber was the pastor of the camp; during our group meetings he led prayer and Bible study.

All of the congregations of the region contributed to the camp, both with money and with produce. It seems like a whole lifetime was spent together (even if it was just 4 days) and memories were made that will last forever. 

150th Church Anniversary in Perm

Perm, Russia

 For a 300 year-old city, a century and half is a significant “age.” The old, brick building brings a sense of comfort and trust – when the doors are open, people come in. This valuable inheritance was in the wrong hands for a while - in the 1930s the building served as a photo lab; later it was a club for actors. In the end the interior was split into two levels, and it changed so much as to be unrecognizable. Only in the past 20 years has the “kirche” been surrounded by the care of a loving congregation.

  The anniversary was an especially important event for those who put great effort and resources in to the church's restoration. Although the official “birthday” of the building is February 12, the congregation in Perm decided that it would combine this event with the church-wide celebration of Pentecost on June 8th. It was a great gift to receive visitors as brothers and sisters in Christ from Moscow, Ulyanovsk and Kazan on that day. Old friends from a partner congregation of the “brother tradition” in the German city of Neuwied came, as did the Heintz and Barbara Elze family; they have given invaluable help in the rebirth of the church and who continue to support the congregation. They gathered together and organized a large collection of historical information about the congregation's past and present. Representatives from the city and state (krai) administration were also in attendance; they promised to provide help in the cosmetic renovations of the building's exterior; it is, after all, a unique historical monument. The heads of other Christian denominations also paid attention to the Lutheran congregation – despite our differences, we all live in peace with one another and share our joys and sorrows. Thanks to his work in the inter-confessional committee and in the committee of Evangelical churches, Dean David Rerikh was able to act as a link between Protestants, other denominations and the government administration. A special surprise was the visit of the Catholic congregation; their church is just two blocks away and after their service, they came to our church to congratulate the congregation through song.
  The centers of worship were the sermon by Bishop Dietrich Brauer and Holy Communion. Afterwards guests were served lunch with an organ concert for "dessert." Warm fellowship with Christians from other denominations and other cities was a a good witness that the Holy Spirit really did descend and that the Church is alive and thriving. With God's help St. Maria's Lutheran in Perm will continue to be a house of prayer for another century or more.

Life Returns to Odessa

Odessa
  In May 2014, the pastor of the Odessa congregation, Andrei Hamburg, wrote - “It is loud again in the streets - 'I can hear the drunk students yelling,' my wife says. She's happy, even though she can't go to sleep. It was unusually quite here a few days ago. It seemed like the whole city was holding its breath. There had been a horrible tragedy. 46 people died. We are still asking how this is possible in one of the most peaceful cities of our country.... There are attempts to explain what happened, but you can only explain it in part; in any case, it is impossible to understand it – 46 dead! Why? After May 2nd our city was split. I especially felt it the next morning on the TV broadcast. And I've never found it more difficult to find words than when answering calls from victims. It is never easy to soothe the grieving, but when a person also wants revenge, you simply go mute and can barely say a word. And then at the memorial events we heard the following: 'We'll never forget, and we'll never forgive.' In the church it became clear to us – it is still too early to talk about reconciliation. First it is necessary to heal the horrible wounds. It is hard to accept one's own powerlessness. So we simply limited ourselves to the most important things – to helping the wounded in hospitals and providing psychological support. The hotline that we set up after the first deaths on Maidan in Kiev was now very much in demand; those who called in were transferred to our volunteer psychologists. This 'first aid' helped people get by during the crisis situations, especially in the context of the 'information war' that makes many ordinary people – like you and me – lose their psychological stability.  Thank God that our church made itself known during peaceful demonstrations, that we did not look only at Romans 13 and not only totally submitted to those in power. We held together, supported and strengthened one another! Thanks to that people began to trust our church more, and now we were able to help people without first breaking down barriers of mistrust. We were criticized many times for being active in politics, but I remember the words of one Orthodox priest who came to me and talked with me, inspired by Bonhoeffer and Dorthee Solle... for me this was a sign that our Church is doing the right thing.
  In the work of reconciliation, we all are limited, we all need help. And because of that the type of unity that earlier seemed impossible suddenly arose – all of the religions of Odessa united! Muslims, Jews, Christians of all denominations, Hindus, Hare Krishnas... We all came together for an outdoor event; we prayed for peace, for the people, for the country. It was an amazing feeling! All the same I must admit that it is not only this that brings me hope...it is also the loud singing of students late at night in our neighborhood.”

Family Camp in Georgia

  From June 9th to the 16th the second annual family camp was held in Kvareli (Georgia), with 6 mothers and 10 children (4-13 years old) attending. One of the mothers there said - “The Sunday School children and their parents had been dreaming all year about summer camp, and we were thrilled when it came to be! For 8 days the 'two Irinas' (Pastor Irina Soley and volunteer Irina Mamisashvili) led us through a great program; every morning started with physical exercise and then 'spiritual exercises' - Bible study, songs and prayers that set the tone for the day. The Bible studies for the week were focused on the the stories of Joseph and his brothers. Pastor Irina not only opened up for us the complex relationships between family members there, but also made us think about the problems of our own lives. We also played board games, did crafts, took an excursion to a mountain monastery and winery, made a group poster together.... our readings every night from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry gave us warms feelings toward all God's creations and also reminded us that 'you become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed.' Unfortunately nearby Lake Ily was not open for swimming, but the kids were thrilled for the chance to use the pool! I would like to say a huge 'thanks' to all who made this camp possible, and I hope we can meet again next year.”

Commissioning of Youth Minister

Omsk
  On May 11th Anastasia Razinkova was commissioned to serve as youth coordinator for the deanery of Eastern Siberia of the ELCUSFE. Nastya was born near Irkutsk in the city of Shelekhov; she was raised a Christian, and by 14 was already leading camp ministries. She already knew then that she wanted to work with children and after finishing school got her teaching certificate. In 2012 she graduated from the Theological Seminary and then had her internship in Omsk, where she will continue to live.
  Bishop Otto Schaude blessed Nastaya for this work at a regular Sunday worship service, underlining the importance of sowing God's Word in the hearts of children. The congregational choir gave Nastya a musical gift to go along with the kind words that many addressed to her on this joyous occasion.

Two Seminars For ELCR Women

  Women's retreats have been held in ELCUSFE every year since 2006, and each of them has brought spiritual renewal, strengthening faith and bringing significant practical help to those who are serving Christ's church.  This year's theme (explored on May 2-7) was “Created in God's image.” This theme was touched on again and again in Bible studies by the coordinator of women's ministry in ELCUSFE, Tatyana Serebrova, among others. The main idea could be summed up in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer - “God loves us so much not because we are valuable, but we are valuable because God loves us so much.” During fellowship and worship sisters in faith came to feel that they are really members of one big family.

  The women's seminar for ELCER in Krasniy Yar (near Samara) was split into two parts; the first (for those serving in the area of women's ministries) was held on April 29 to May 3 with representatives of 7 congregations attending; also attending was a participant from Lvov, Ukraine, an important sign of the unity and solidarity of our church. Guests from Stuttgart, Pastor Gotfriend Stein and his wife Erika, acquainted participants with a catechetical program for congregational use, “Steps of Life," the text of which was translated by Ruth Stubenitsky at the Theological Seminary. It is planned that the text will be published and used at future seminars. The second part of the program was the annual women's seminar held from May 5-9; Erika Stein led lessons for women from various congregations of ELCER. These seminars provide not only knowledge and rest, but also important fellowship and a sense of unity.

4th Place!

St. Petersburg
  It has already become a tradition that the staff of the “German-Russian Meeting Center” and congregational members of St. Paul's and Anna's Lutheran Church organize a program of events in Petrikirche on the city-wide “Night of Museums,” held every May. The number of daily visitors to museums triples on that day, when a building that was once just a pretty decoration on the way to work or to school opens its doors and becomes a “real” place.
  Of the 96 sites where events were held, Petrikirche had the 4th most visitors; the line to get in stretched out for 12 minutes. Even while waiting, though, people in line were not bored – there was a program for them, too. Once inside, the whole building was used in interesting ways. There were excursions that acquainted visitors with the most important moments in the history of the cathedral...but it wasn't only people who did the story telling; this was done, in part, by the spaces themselves. The top floor of the church was open for visitors who could listen to organ and classical music and see a video installation projected on to the floor of the sanctuary (until 6 am)! The first floor had exhibits about the history of Germans in the city; in addition there were master classes in making Koenigsberg marzipan in the cafe. In the lower floor of the cathedral (in the part of the church known as the “catacombs”), there was an exhibit entitled “Leningrad Germans. Before and After.” Here flashes of light on the old floor of the swimming pool reminded visitors of flashes of bullets... The light show was accompanied by experimental electronic music which not only gave a different perspective on the church but also fit into the theme of the “Night of Museums” for 2014 - “Light and Color.”

  Thanks to the help of volunteers and sponsors many people (9266 of them, in fact!) came into the church that night and were given a chance to think about the church in a new way.

Lutheran Spring 2014

Novomikhailovka, Russia
  From May 28 to June 1 in the village of Novomikhailovka near Tuapse Oswald Wutzke led a seminar “Lutheran Spring 2014” for staff of the congregations of the Northern Caucuses deanery of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Most of the congregations of the region were represented there – Cherkessk, Kislovodsk, Krasnodar, Vladikavkaz, Maikop, Krimsk, Novomikhailovsk as well as guests from Kazan and from the Republic of Moldova.
  Lessons were led by Oswald Wutzke, Pastor David Gorn and Pastor Sergei Maramzin. Participants had an opportunity not only to deepen their understanding, but also to share with one another information about the life of their congregations, to discuss practical questions and to just enjoy one another's company on a boat ride. On the last day of the seminar the priest of the local Armenian Orthodox congregation allowed the group to hold a Lutheran worship service in their building. Pastor Wutzke gave the sermon about 3 simple but important words for every Christian - “thanks,” “please,” and “sorry” - and the importance of using these words in everyday life.

Only God Elects

Cherkessk, Russia
  Scattered villages, shepherds herding sheep on the alpine meadows of the Caucuses – it is a special world. The road to Cherkessk follows alongside the Great Caucasian mountain chain. Any traveler who follows this route is overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder of the mountain landscape. At the same time the silhouettes shining in the sun of industrial buildings speak to the harmonious relationship between modern technology and nature. On May 2nd the pastor of the Krasnodar congregation, Sergei Maramzin, visited the Lutheran congregation in Cheressk in the Karchay-Cherkesskia region of Russia. The church council president met the pastor even before the latter entered the city, helping the new pastor feel at home. Pastor Maramzin led worship with Holy Communion, and during the sermon each of the congregation members told their own story of faith. Each of them was different, but they agreed on one thing – only God elects and brings people to Church; a person cannot make the right decision by himself. The congregation members took the initiative and made a monetary offering to the work of the Northern Caucuses deanery. After worship everyone was invited to tea, and this gave the visiting pastor and the congregation time to get acquainted. According to the traditions of the mountains there were frequent interruptions for people to give short speeches, to say kind words, to sing a song. Despite the lack of musical accompaniment, the congregation is full of singers, capable of multi-part harmonious song. Unfortunately the congregation still struggles without a regular pastor, confirmation lessons or closer contacts with the larger Evangelical Lutheran Church. The congregation there has potential for further growth, both spiritually and numerically. “I'm not sure if I was able to help the congregation, but the people there helped me understand some important aspects of Christian faith.” With these words Pastor Maramzin set off for home, while the congregation wished him a safe trip and that he come back soon.

One-fifth of a Century

Omsk
  The 20th anniversary celebrations of the Christ Church Center in Omsk from May 30 to June 1, 2014 included three different events – an organ concert at the city orchestra hall; the opening celebrations at the Center (the presentation of a new exhibit on the history of Lutherans in Omsk, a choir concert, greeting and speeches), and a worship service. 20 years doesn't seem like much time, but how eventful these years have been! It was 20 years ago that the Omsk congregation, which gathered in a small prayer house in Soviet times, moved into the big, beautiful Center. After the fall of the USSR and the establishment of new church/state relationships, believers had the chance to freely confess their faith and to open the doors of their buildings to new converts. In May of 1992 in Omsk the synod assembly established the Diocese of the Urals, Siberia and Far East and Dean Nikolai Schneider was elected Superintendent. He was the one who had the idea of building a church center in Omsk, and this idea was supported by the Hannover Church and German government. The building was dedicated on August 31st, 1994 and it became the center for Lutherans in the Urals, Siberia and Far East. In the 1990s and 2000s there were few buildings of such high quality built in Omsk. With its humble interior, the building embodies the spirit of Siberian Lutheranism; the altar painting invites everyone to concentrate on the essence of the Christian faith; everything there points to what is most important – Jesus Christ.

Ordination in the Church of Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
  Sunday the 27th of April was a memorable day in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kyrgyzstan Republic. Congregational members came to Bishkek from the near-by congregations of the Chuiskoj oblast – from the village of Nizhne-Chuisk, Vinogradnoe, Belovodskoe, Kirovskoe and the cities of Kant, Tokmok and Karbalta. Pastors specially came from congregations further away – from the village of Ananevo (Issyk-Kulskaja obl) and the city of Dzhallabada. The Russian phrase “there was nowhere for an apple to fall” was particularly appropriate for this service; additional benches had to be found so that everyone had a place to sit.
  The reason for this was the ordination of the young preachers Nikolaj Vorobeva and Valentin Limonovich. Both of these new pastors came to the congregation as children, during the time of the rebirth and growth of the ELCKR after the fall of the USSR. They grew up in the church, both literally and figuratively. They went on the path from Sunday school children to coordinators of youth ministry in ELCKR. And therefore their older mentors, brothers and sisters in faith, greatly anticipated the joyful day of their ordination. They were compared to chicks whose feathers had been formed and who were able to fly out from under the caring wings of their spiritual mentors. The choir from Vinogradnoe sang a gift to their young pastors - “I've Chosen a Hatchling,” which exactly accurately described the care of their mentors, the concern for the future of these young men and the wish that they fly bravely and freely ahead.

  The ordination was presided at by ELCKR Bishop Alfred Eicholtz. He was assisted by pastors Nikolai Barnov (Kant), Dmitry Shlebaev (Belvodskoe), Alexandr Shantz (Nizhne-Chisk), Valeria Nevremin (Anaanevo) and Aleksandr Kekself (Dzhalalabada). When they were all together, it was a wonderful sight – before the altar was a wonderful team for Christ! And now new servants have been added, dedicated to working for God's harvest. ….
  In the ELC congregations in Kyrgyzstan over the past years it is possible to notice a significant drop in the number of congregations. This is tied with the mass emigration of the Russian-speaking population (and it is this group which is at present the majority of congregants) from the republic for residency elsewhere. Therefore an over-full church witnesses to the specialness of this event. At the end of the service there were prayers of thanksgiving for the young ministers who already for a few years have been leaders of congregations in Kyrgyzstan and now are taking on the responsibility of pastoral ministry.