Making the Church Visible

Ufa, Russia
  For 5 years already congregation members in Ufa have been making step by step progress toward the re-construction of their church complex. There are three buildings of historical importance there, including the Lutheran church. On January 11th members of the congregation were invited to a public hearing where they could speak their minds and give their agreement to the latest plans for the development of the territory. 
  Today, despite the fact that the church is located in the city center, it is almost invisible; beyond the fence that surrounds the church campus are old, single-story buildings and make-shift garages -an “inheritance” from the Soviet past. In the winter it is sometimes difficult to get there because of snow drifts or ice. Now it has been come that soon the people of Ufa will be able to see that their city has a kirche and where it is located. If the plan that was approved at the public hearing really comes to fruition, this will not only meet the demands of the law, it will also make it possible to clean up the territory around the church and make it visible. 
Elvira Hartman 

The Lutheran Church in Ufa today.

The city's plans for the reconstruction of the neighborhood

Luther Days in Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia
  Salt is a valuable thing, used for preserving food and for improving its taste. At the same time salt is a wonderful symbol of the significance of the Christian faith: Christianity “flavors” the world with its witness in word and deed of loving God and loving neighbor while preserving people from decay. “The Christian Church as a Minority and as 'Salt of the Earth'” was the theme of the now-traditional, annual Luther Days in the Church of the Reconciliation February 10-15.It's too bad that so few people responded to the invitation and the audience was made up mostly of congregation members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia (ELCG).
  On February 10th, on Ash Wednesday, Pastor Viktor Miroshnichenko led worship at dedicated to the beginning of Lent. At the end Bishop Hans Joachim Kiderlen opened up the event, and then Pastor Irina Soley made a quick overview presentation of the Luther Days from 2012 to 2015. The days triumph was a theatrical presentation “Luther in Georgia,” written by Bishop Kiderlen and directed by Irina Mamisashvili.
  On the next day Pastors Soley and Miroshnichenko led Bible study on the theme “You are salt of the earth.” (Mt 5.13). Participants got a detailed answer to the question of why Christians are called “salt of the earth.” The organizers of the event also showed a film about the sad sated of church buidlings in Holland, which frequently fall into private hands and are turned into hotels, gyms, cafes, etc. Everyone was shocked by the way these “houses of prayer” have been treated and the words of Jesus were recalled “  Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” (John 2.16).
  On February 12th the annual reception of the ELCG was held, during which Bishop Kiderlen gave a speech and the “Gloria” choir led by Natalia Chaganava brought joy to the congregation members and many guests with their wonderful singing. During this evening the Ambassador from Germany Bettina Kadenbach, representatives from the Georgian Orthodox Church and civil organizations of Georgia as well as partners of the home-care diaconal service – the director of the Psychological Center Professor David Zurabashvili, Medey Azarashvili the head of the social services department of the Chuguret region, Maya Mikadze from “Caritas” and many others. 
  Professor Tamar Tsopurashvili (Ilia Chavchavadze State University) gave a paper entitled “The Division of the Inheritance of the Reformation between the State, Society and Church” on February 13th. She speak of the results of the effect of the Reformation on social, economic and cultural life.
  On the next day the sermon at the Church of Reconciliation was given by Pastor Varlam Ramishvily from St. Trinity church in Batumi. In the evening Baptist Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili gave a paper called “Reformation or Adaptation to the Spirit of the Times (aggiornamento) in Georgia.” The word «aggiornamento» in translation been “renewal, “modernization.” Is it possible for there to be a renewal of the Church in contemporary Georgian society? What is the main call of the Christian churches? These were the kind of questions that were brought up in the lively discussion afterwards. 
  Bishop Malkhaz Songulashvili compared the Church with a locomotive which moves society, the progress of which is impossible without such higher Christian values as love, mercy and mutual help. The modernization of the Church in the contemporary world is possible only within the context of constructive dialog among all the Christian churches and among all religions. We are all God's children, created “in his image and likeness” and we are all significant for God without regard to our religion, sex or ethnicity. The Luther Days came to a close with a discussion on the theme “the realization of reformation churches of their position in relationship to the state and society using the example of Georgia.” The discussion was led by Nino Lezhava (Heinrich Boell Foundatio n). Those on the podium for this discussion were representatives of the Lutheran, Baptist, Armenian Apostolic and “Word of Life” churches as well as the chair of the Committee for Religions Beka Mindiashvili. The discussion was started by Pastor Irina Soley who noted that the ELCG tries to preserve its traditional identity and faithfulness to its German roots while at the same time being open and active to participate in the life of society and the state. An example of such civil involvement could be the Evangelical Bapist Church, the bishop of which Rusudan Gotsiridze compared the Church to a prophet which should preach the truth to society to speak God's truth and to fight for justice. Father Narek from the Armenian Apostolic Church expressed his concern that the Georgian Orthodox Church gets all the press while at the same time there are other traditional Christian churches in the country, too, which would like to speak about themselves and about their spiritual values. 
  Beka Mindiashvili thanked the Lutheran church and Bishop Kiderlen in particular for taking the initiative to enhance mutual cooperation between the Chuches. Pastor Givi Kutelya from “Word of Life” Church noted that the voice of small and newly-founded congregations that are capable of witnessing to Christ in word and deed should be heard. Nino Lezhava concluded the discussion with the suggestion to everyone that it would be possible to use the upcoming anniversaries in 2017 (200 years since the first German settlers came to the Caucuses and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation) in order to tell Georgian social about Protestant churches and the role of the Reformation in world history.
Elena Ilinets
Irina Soley
Gayna Melkonyan-Chikhradze

How "Empty" Street Became "Lutheran" Street

Berdyansk, Ukraine
  Now there is one more "Lutheran" street in the world!… A street with such a name appeared in the city of Berdyansk of the Zaporozhskaya oblast. On the 25th of January a government committee  voted to change the names of 70 streets in this coastal city; all of their previous names were tied with the communist past. One of these streets had previously been called “Pustaya” (“Empty”) though from 1921 on it was named “Gorbenko” after early communist leaders in the city. Now there is a reminder to everyone that the city is a home to historic “kirche” thanks to the street being renamed “Lutheran.” The Lutheran Church of Christ the Savior was built from 1901-1903 together with a congregational hall and a German Lutheran school, dedicated on September 26, 1903. After the church was closed in the 1930s the church and the school became the home of a primary school and then a part of the teacher's university. The current church council president of the Brynsk congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ukraine, Arthur Kozhevniko, went to classes there when he was a student.  
  The kirche was returned to the congregation in 2007. Today the building is under reconstruction. Not long ago the congregation began to meet in the kirche again, though only during the warm months of the year. On March 1st a representative of the German cultural center “Freundschaft” installed a sign with the new name of the street. Now you can read “вул. Лютеранська“ there. 

From the Kingdom of Poland to the Samara Province

Kostroma
  On the 15th of March in the building of the Kostroma State Scientific Library a book presentation was held. Evgeny Fleyman's “Germans of the Konstantinov Volost from the Kingdom of Poland to the Samara Province. (1864-1917).”
  Prof. Fleyman told about various waves of German emigration to Russia – about the first merchants in the 16th century, about Catherine the Great's invitation for settlers to come to the Volage, and also about later resettlements during the First World War.
As chair of the church council in Kostroma and as a preview to the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Evgeny Alexandrovich also spoke about a few aspects of the Evangelical Lutheran faith. It was very interesting both for those from the congregation that were in attendance and for the university teachers, members of the press and guests of the library who were present. 
  Evgeny Fleyman's book is a significant contribution to the cultural development of Kostroma as well as a huge help to the Lutheran congregation in the city. Attending the book presentation were Area Dean Elena Bondarenko, Pastor of the Yaroslavl congregation Ivan Shirokov, Preacher Artis Petersons and the volunteer from the Moscow congregation, Tilman Zeeb. The administration of the city was represented by the person in charge of contacts with religious organizations, A.S. Emelyanov. 

The Congregation of the Reconciliation in a Multicultural City

by Anton Chakhlou

  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia was founded in the 1820s by Schwabian Germans who came here from the Wurttemberg area. In 1895 in what was then a new part of Tbilisi a large church building, St. Peter and Paul's, was raised thanks to the offerings of the local German community. Congregational life ended in the 1930s after the death in Stalin's repressions of Pastor Richard Meyer. The church building was destroyed in 1946 on the order of Soviet powers by German prisoners of war. A memorial plaque was installed on the place of the former church building (now known as Mardjanishvili square) on September 6, 2013.
  Only in 1991 did the Lutherans of Tbilisi have the chance to revive their Church. On the plot of a former German cemetery a cultural center with the Church of the Reconciliation was built; it was dedicated in 1997. This congregation is the largest in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia; it has a few hundred members. Although it was built on a German foundation it is not multi-ethnic with a ever-rising number of Georgian-speaking members. Worship services are held on Sundays and holy days in Georgian, German and Russian languages. On Saturday evenings prayer services are ed by active church members. The Bishop of the church lives there and there are three pastors and one lector. A three-language, monthly newsletter is published. 
  Next to the congregational center is the Johann Bernhard Saltet House, named after the first Lutheran pastor in the city. There is a small retirement home, cafeteria and diaconal station there. This building is the central part of the structure of the Evangelical Lutheran Diaconal Service of Georgia, founded in 2000. In 2014 the diaconal home care service was founded through the congregation and it service not only congregational members but others in the community as well. This has done a lot to create a positive image of the Lutheran church in Georgian society.
  The Church of Reconciliation maintains ecumenical contacts especially with religious minorities in Georgia as well as with the government, with consulates and NGOs. There are large and small church concerts which are very popular among the city's inhabitants. 
The congregation has many active congregational ministries: e.g., a Sunday school as well as teenager, youth, men's and women's groups. The choir sings during worship and at celebratory events. The children and youth of the congregation are constant participants in summer Christian camps. For many years now the women of the congregation prepare the World Day of Prayer service in March. The annual Luther Days has become a good tradition of the Georgian Lutheran Church. 

  Without a doubt it would be better for the church if the quantity of congregational members was more or less the same in all places; this would all the congregations to develop in their own way in their own towns. However the current economic realities of the country are such that some congregational members find it necessary to move to the capital to look for a better life. Congregational members of the Church of Reconciliation welcome these and other new members with great hospitality. In this way the congregation proves that it has the right to occupy an important place in the kind of open and multicultural city that Tbilisi has always been. 

Goodbye, Pastor Schweitz!

Abakan, Russia
  On March 13th the congregation in Abakan held an event for the whole region in order to give a proper send off to Pastor Dmitri Schweitz as he concludes his service in Siberia. Representatives from the local congregation as well as from Chernogorsk, Bograd, Borodino and Kuragino were in attendance. They blessed their pastor, who served for over two years in the region and made an invaluable contribution to the life of the church there, on his future service in Germany. Words of sincere thanks were spoken both to Dmitri and to his wife Natalia, who actively contributed to many part of congregational life. Dean Vladimir Vinogradov passed on greetings from Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and Far East, Otto Schaude and from the congregation in Omsk, where the Schweitz family worked before moving to Khakasia. Pastor Schweitz served in ELCUSFE as a mission worker with the Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Lower Saxony (Hermannsburg Mission).   
  The congregations of the region asked Preacher Zoya Heinze to prepare a report summarizing the ministry of the pastor, highlighting the most significant events. In particular she noted Pastor Schweitz's gifts as a preacher; his sermons made one think and touched the lives of those who heard him. Another important achievement made during Dmitri and Natalia's time was the beginning of a summer children's camp. Participants o the camp (both children and adults) will miss Pastor Schweitz's warm and interesting Bible studies. During his years of service Dmitri Schweitz continued regular congregational visits and contributed greatly to the financial health of the region (a new car, the renovation of the kitchen in Abakan, the purchase of a place to worship for the Chernogorsk congregation, etc.). A new edition of the songbook for the region made under the direction of Pastor Schweitz will be yet another reason for the congregations of the region to remember his ministry kindly. 
  Saying goodbye was very sad, but the Lutherans of the Khakasia region hope that in the Lord all His children remain in fellowship and, perhaps the future will hold more happy meetings with Pastor Dmitri Schweitz. 

Anna Guray

At Home in a Foreign Land

Travels through congregations in Uzbekistan
by Gerhard Hechler

  I had mixed feelings as I boarded the plane from St. Petersburg to Tashkent. At the request of the Gustav Adolf Fund in Hessen-Nassau I traveled for a week (February 25 to March 2) to Lutheran congregations in Uzbekistan. The city of Tashkent, as with the rest of the country throughout my visit, enchanted me. After the Petersburg winter the spring heat was very welcome. The people I met were friendly and I felt the country's openness. When on the first day I stood in from of the Lutheran kirche in Tashkent, I felt as if I were at home in a foreign land. Alfred Eicholtz, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kyrgyzstan, and I had agreed to meet in front of the church. Bishop Eicholtz has been taking care of congregations in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan for the past few years, and he accompanied me as I traveled between congregations. In the second half of the day we met with the Roman Catholic Bishop Ezhi Matsulevich, who has maintained constant, positive contact with the Lutheran Church. After returning to the kirche, we were warmly met by the Schmidt family – Vitor, who is the church council president, and Ludmilla, who leads worship. When we saw one another Ludmilla and I remembered that we already knew each other – we had met at the course of extension education at the Theological Seminary in Novosaratovka in 2013, where I was a teacher and she was a student. We were very happy to meet again!
  The Sunday worship service was the most beautiful part of the trip for me. I felt at home. The sun was shining brightly through the windows of the wonderful church, built in 1899. Ludmilla Schmidt led the liturgy in German while Bishop Eicholtz preached in Russian. The congregation sang in German and I sang the hymns together with the choir. I greeted the congregation as the second chair of the Gustav Adolf Fund in Hesse-Nassau; the portraits of Martin Luther, Gustav Adolf of Sweden, the familiar liturgy and wonderful hymns all helped me feel like I was in my homeland, even if I was thousands of kilometers away. It was clear that the congregation was happy to have a guest from Nassau for the first time in the last 10 years. The theme of “buildings” was brought up already on the meeting on Saturday. A group of experts set out for Chirchik, around 30 kilometers from the capital, to look at two church buildings – a prayer house and a residential home which have been empty for quite some time. A lot of time will be necessary in order to find written confirmation that these building belong to the Lutheran church and that means that Viktor Schmidt and Bishop Eicholtz have a lot of difficult work ahead of them. There is a similar situation with a residential building in Tashkent – documentary evidence needs to be found.

The Village of Krasnogorsk
  After the Sunday service a group left for the village of Krasnogorsk in the Tashkent region; there worship was also in German and was led by Valentina Schweitz. The congregation meets in a small sanctuary set up in a private residence. I was impressed by the unity and sincerity of the congregation there. In discussions with sisters and brothers in Christ there, I learned that after 1955 the grandmothers and grandfathers of the current congregational members had to decide where they would go after deportation, and they traded Siberian cold for Uzbek warmth. The generation of Valentina – the grandchildren of the deported – was already born here, and it is their homeland. Some of them were not allowed to leave for Germany – they didn't know the language well enough or were of the wrong age. Some remained because they are in mixed marriages and their relatives are near by. It was during this service that I came to understand that the Lutheran faith is for many people a very important support. They live in a foreign context and their meetings in the prayer hall is part of their homeland and their identity. I was already acquainted with a similar situation from St. Anna's and St. Peter's in St. Petersburg – people need one another and need German fellowship.

In the Fergana Valley
  During this long trip – more than 300 km to the congregation in Fergana – I had enough time to ask Bishop Eicholtz about  the history of the congregations there, their quantity and the life of Lutherans in Uzbekistan. Outside the windows were the snow-covered mountain tops and the Kamchik pass, after which the Fergana valley began. The first Germans came to Uzbekistan in the second half of the 19th century; they were government workers and military personnel. It was they who built the first Lutheran churches. In the 1930s Russian Germans were repressed by Stalin's order, and in 1955 after they were allowed to move from their place of deportation many came to Uzbekistan. Congregations met secretly. In the late 1980s there were approximately 80000 German Lutherans in Uzbekistan. Mass emigration to Germany followed. Bishop Eicholt's opinion is that today there are a few hundred Lutherans left in the country.
  In Fergana we guests were greeted as more than as acquaintances, but as members of the family. Worship was held in the prayer house that the congregation owns; it was led by the brave sisters that are members of the congregation. Later, at tea with German sweets the women told us about the fate of their families, about their care for the congregation, about the love for the church that was passed on from their grandparents to their parents and on to them. Their stories were full of life. It is worth noting that this congregation has all their bureaucratic issues solved – the building belongs to the congregation and they have all the papers to prove it. This fact brought us guests hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel for the congregations that still have to go through the process of solving all their legal issues.

Samarkand
  Traveling by car you get various impressions – leaving the large city of Tashkent with its noise and busyness, it reminds one of Germany. Then after a few hundred kilometers outside of the window you see landscapes with rice fields, cotton plantations and fruit orchards. Village dwellers lead a completely different life than city dwellers. The average wage is very small, sometimes it isn't even enough to pay the electric bill...and this is in Samarkand! A taxi driver yields the road to a mule-driven buggy, and even here you can see civilization – the buggy has rubber tires. It was the last day of the trip – a visit to the ancient city of Samarkand, getting acquainted with the grand constructions of the Registan and also searching for the prayer house of the congregation. Unfortunately the congregation lost its registration and no longer exists; the prayer house was sold. Getting registered again is very difficult. The life of the congregation, you could say, has been shuttered.

Humility and Hope
  The strongest impression from this visit was the hospitality of congregations and especially the shared meals, where we were offered various dishes of wonderful Uzbek cuisine. I promised that I would come again.
“Humility” - this is the word that comes to mind when I think about my impressions. Uzbekis live in a developing country and they live differently than people in Germany. Uzbeks have difficult conditions of work and life, but they live, probably, with greater joy. I think that people here would only shake their heads in wonder if they would hear the kinds of social and personal topics that are discussed in Germany. They wouldn't understand our problems, our fears and our goals.
After the trip I visited an elderly member of St. Anna and St. Peter's in St. Petersburg. She told me: “socialism brought freedom to women in that country where Islam was dominant. And moreover – a decent elementary education for boys and girls.”
  Yes, in the evening in Uzbekistan you can see school children dressed in their uniforms returning home. It brings one hope, and one can with confidence wish a successful future to this generation.”

Nobel and Mannerheim Prayed Here

St. Petersburg, Russia
  The celebration of the 150th anniversary of the St. Catherine's Swedish Church in St. Petersburg was a significant event both for the Lutheran Church and for the friends and partners of the parish. 
  On November 28 and 29 representatives from partner churches and organizations as well as from diplomatic circles attending opening events. On December 13th the service was closed with a service led by Archbishop Dietrich Brauer. 

From the History of the Building and the Congregation
  The St. Catherine's Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in 1767-69 and held 300 people. Tsarina  Catherine the II gave an offering of 7000 rubles towards its building. The rather small, two-story building was dedicated on May 29, 1769 in the name of the holy protector of the Empress. The altar was decorated with images of the Crucifixion and Last Supper and there was a wonderful silver baptismal font in the rococo style.  The roof was crowned with a small cupola on a large drum. After 100 years the building had become too small and the church was rebuilt and significantly expanded in 1863-1867. Some of the money for this was given by the church warden – Swedish Graf A. Armsfelt and 5000 rubles were given by Emperor Alexander II. The new church held 1200 people and was dedicated on the first Sunday of Advent in 1865.  Among its most famous congregational members were Karl Faberge and the Nobel family, and the future Finnish Field Marshall K.G. Mannerheim was married there.  The church was closed in 1936 and rebuilt into a gymnasium.

The renewal of the life of the parish
  After 55 years, on the 3rd Sunday of Advent on December 15, 1991 worship services in the already-registered congregation were began. The presider and preacher was Pastor Eero Sepponen from Turku, Finland. At a general meeting of congregational member in 1993 Pastor Sepponen was elected as the parish's main pastor. He fulfilled this service without compensation together with his main work in the Swedish congregation in Abo. It is in large part thanks to Pastor Sepponen that the congregation continued to live and develop. Worship services are held in Russian, Swedish or in both languages. Translation into Russian is provided by the vice chair of the congregational council, Valery Volodin. The Swedish congregation is an autonomous congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia. 
  The congregation has a big library of Christian literature and it is open to the public. An important part of congregation life is music. There is no organ in the church, but the synthesizer is played by Tatyana Smirnova-Zenchenko, a graduate of the Novosibirsk conservatory, and the acoustics in the sanctuary are not bad. The “Cantarella” choir led by Olga Ulitina frequently sings at worship and on special days. 
  Because of its “athletic” past in the Soviet period the interior of St. Catherine's church has changed quite a bit. The interior has been split into two stories. In both the “upper” and “lower” sanctuary there are still lines for sporting events painted on to the wooden floor.  The entire interior of the church is in serious need of restoration. If you don't count St. Anna's church, which suffered from a fire in 2003, St. Catherine's is in the worst shape of all the Lutheran churches in the city.

Celebrations
  There was a full program on the first two days of the celebration: worship Saturday and Sunda, the “Kantarella” choir and it's children's group, the “Klara Rester” choir from Stockholm, a symposium with historians from  Russia, Sweden and Finland. The conclusion of the celebrations was the worship service on December 13 (Advent 3) led by the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia, Archbishop Dietrich Brauer, during which Andrey Kuzin was blessed as vicar for the congregation. Assisting was the Dean of the Northwest, Michael Schwartzkopf, who is the mentor of the new vicar, and Pastor Eero Sepponen. Of course the culmination of the event was the celebration of St. Lucy's Day. Students of Scandinavian languages at St. Petersburg State University always are happy to take part in this event. The sanctuary was overflowing with those wanting to watch this beauty procession of young girls in light-colored cloths with a band of burning candles attached to their heads.  
  Pastor Sepponen wrote the following in the brochure about the church anniversary: “Bishop Michael Agricola wrote in his prayerbook published in 1544 that on St. Catherine's Day Christians pray for wisdom. May the Lord of the Church bless our parish and give it wisdom for its activities in the future. 

St. Nikolai Lutheran Celebrates 195 Years

Veliky Novgorod
  On May 8 in St. Nikolai Lutheran there was a celebratory worship service to mark the 195th anniversary of the founding of the congregation in Novgorod and the 20 year anniversary of its re-establishment. The main guest of the day was the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia, Dietrich Brauer, together with his wife Tatyana.
 A whole bus full of brothers and sisters from Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg came as well, and they brought with them the brass choir of the congregation, which was a wonderful addition to the celebrations. 

  After worship Archbishop Brauer spoke about the state of our church and about plans for the near future. Then everyone had a chance to watch a movie dedicated to the anniversary of the congregation, followed by a small concert put on by the congregation's choir and youth group. 
  Then it was time for fellowship in the church courtyard. We had wonderful sunny and warm weather and that, together with the music from the brass choir, created a good mood an unforgettable atmosphere. 

   St. Nikola in Novgorod was established in Novgorod in 1821. More than 20 churches and prayer houses throughout the Novgorod region were part of the parish, and they had German, Estonian and Latvian roots. Many of the congregations were mixed; for example, in the city of Novgorod itself the congregation was made up of Germans, Estonians and Latvians had had more than 2000 members. 
   For more than a century Lutherans thrived in the Novgorod territory. The central congregation had a library that in 1913 had 2500 volumes. During the governorship of the ethnic German Lutheran E.V. Lerche (1864-1882), the congregation established a school for “building up the religious-moral level of Lutherans.”
  At the end of the 1920s and beginning of the 1930s the Soviet state began a campaign to close Lutheran churches, and on February 6, 1930 the St. Nikolai Lutheran was closed; within the next two to three years the rest of the congregations in the region were closed as well.
  New life came to St. Nikolai Lutheran in May 1996 when the re-established congregation was registered with the state. At present this small, friendly congregation (as well as their even smaller daughter congregation in the village of Kresttsy in the Novgorod region) continue to preach God's word and pray for God's continued blessings. 
Pastor Igor Zhuravlev

Women's Seminar - “Friendship is Gift from God”

Omsk
  The rhythm of a contemporary woman's life is such that it is not surprising that we talk about a “rabid” pace. We study a lot, work until we're gray, help others and live a rich cultural life. In general we have time for everything and have time for nothing....
In this merry-go-round it is very easy to lose yourself and to become a lifeless peg in a big system – without calm, without God in your heart. Lately in the Internet and on TV stories have appeared about women who are striving to bring an end to this exhausting pace. These stories all have a lot in common – the woman quits work, flies away to the ocean shore, where she finds herself and calms her spirit. It is very unlikely that we'll ever hear the continuation of such stories, but one thing is certain – just moving to a different location is not enough to enrich your spiritual life. What really does support us Christians is fellowship with other sisters in Christ.
  I'd like to tell you about those who have grounded themselves despite life's busy pace, who have found their own place and a place for God in their heart. From May 2 to 7 in the Omsk oblast in a wonderful pine forest on the banks of the Irtysh women gathered from various corners of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Urals, Siberia and Far East. There was a lot of variety – of age, of family status, profession, and each had her own story of her path of faith. At the same time there were also similarities – they were joyful and full of love because God lives in their hearts. The have a lot of life experience and they know how difficult it can be as a woman in the contemporary world. But these women have a sure foundation – Jesus Christ.
  All week these sisters in faith looked at what superficially seems to be a simple theme - “Friendship – a gift from God” - using Bible stories and life experience. But at the end of the week it became clear that that theme was not so simple and that even more time would be needed to study it deeply. Everyone was very enthusiastic about the Bible studies that Deaconess Sister Heidi Butzkamm led – an in-depth study of the book of Ruth. Tatyana Serebrova, Tatyana Muramtseva and Anastasia Razinkova are also to be thanked for preparing lectures. 
  The entertainment part of the seminar was prepared by Anastasia Razinkova and Natalia Sivko, who filled the seminar with a positive and energetic atmosphere. We need to say a special word of thanks to the translators – Larisa Filippova and Anna Guray – for their service. 
Besides Bible studies and entertainment there was another important aspect of the seminar – prayer. Many prayers, a really enormous amount of prayers and songs. A great joy to pray and sing together in a large circle of sisters. To pray for one another, to give thanks for joy and to ask for help with problems. 
  Every one of these woman could happily witness to how good and merciful the Lord is, how He has wondrously formed our lives and give us the people we need as loyal friends and companions, how He helps us to find ourselves, to find our place and to give love to those who surround us. These beautiful women do not need to go to the ocean shores to find spiritual balance, because an ocean of God's love is already roaring inside of them.
  Natalia Sivko

Church Building Anniversary

Saratov

On May 1st in St. Mary's church in Saratov there was a celebratory worship service dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the building process. The building is still not built yet, but it does function and every Sunday welcomes all for prayer.

  As part of his episcopal visit to the the Saratov deanery the worship service was attended by Archbishop Dietrich Brauer together with his wife Tatyana Petrenko. Friends from other cities also came to the Saratov congregation – the Schtelwag family from Germany and Pastor Donald Richman from America.

   In his sermon Archbishop Brauer wished everyone a happy Easter (it was Eastern Orthodox Easter that day) and underlined the importance of every person understanding the purpose of Christ's Resurrection; it is difficult to see sometimes behind all the traditional treats during the Easter feast. The family also took a tour around the building site; they were happy with the way various parts of the building are slowly but surely being finished in a way that will help the congregation as it develops; they wished the congregation well in their efforts in the difficult task of building construction.

   After worship the youth of the congregation prepared a surprise for everyone – they made special hot dogs for the occasion with rolls prepared by one of the congregation's members, Frank Baker, the latest in a long line of bakers in his family.

  Everyone had a chance for important fellowship at the tea time after church – they could visit with the spiritual head of our church, ask him questions, take pictures with him, or they could have personal discussions with the pastors-pastoral care givers from other cities and ask guests about different countries and the life of Christian congregations abroad.

  Then, together with the locals, everyone went to the newly restored church in Zorkino in the Marx region of the Saratov oblast, where worship was also held.

  Alexander Geryugin

Visit of Bishop from Latvia and Meeting with Representatives from the Russian Orthodox Church

Kostroma

  On April 9th a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church visits Kostroma. Included in the delegation were Bishop of Daugavpils Einars Alpe (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Latvia), Dean Elena Bondarenko, Lay Minister Artis Petersons, and the Church Council Chairman of the Kostroma Lutheran congregation Evgeny Fleiman. In Kostroma they met with the head of the Kostroma and Galich Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Ferapont. The meeting was friendly, and they discussed important questions for both sides regarding the defense of traditional values and questions of further cooperation. Later the Rector of the Kostroma Theological Seminary Father Georgi Andrianov showed the guests around the campus.

  The Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Kostroma has a rich history; historically it was made up mostly of Latvians, though there were also Russian Germans, Swedes, Estonians and Dutch members. Not long ago  Artis Petersons was appointed lay ministry of the congregation; he was born in Daugavpils.In this sense the visit of Bishop Alpe from the same city keeps the historic connection alive.
  The visit of Bishop Alpe was a sign of the rebirth of the Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Kostroma insofar as it shows that the congregation is alive, that international connections can be made and it is taking on an active role in the city and the oblast (state). For example the church council president is a Professor of the Kostroma State Univerity, Evgeny Fleiman. 

  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kostroma is part of the Central Deanery of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia, based in Moscow. The Moscow congregation is involved in caring for the needs of Kostroma Lutherans, including organizing events and trips. The historical tie between the congregation and the congregation in Yaroslavl is also maintained by the Pastor in Yaroslavl, Ivan Shirokov; together with Petersons and Bondarenko he makes frequent visits to the Kostroma congregation. 

Easter Celebrations 2016

The congregations of the Union of Evangelical Lutheran Churches celebrated Christ' resurrection with great joy, as you can see in the photos below:

Abakan (Russia):

Astana (Kazakhstan)

Berdyansk (Ukraine):

Chernokhovsk (Russia):

Chernogorsk (Russia):

Grodno (Belarus):

Evpatoria (Crimea):

Kaliningrad (Russia):

Kazan (Russia):

Kostroma (Russia):

Krasnoyarsk (Russia):

Krasnoturynsk (Russia):

Lozovaya (Ukraine):

Moscow (Russia):

Novosibirsk (Russia):

Odessa (Ukraine):

Omsk (Russia):

St. Petersburg (Russia):

Samara (Russia):

Saratov (Russia):

Simferopol (Ukraine):

 Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

Tjumen (Russia):

Tomsk (Russia):

  
Ufa (Russia):

Ulyanovsk (Russia):

Vinnitsa (Ukraine):

Volgograd (Russia):

Yaroslavl (Russia):

Zhitomir (Ukraine):

Zorkino: