A Prayer Shawl and Other Surprises

Belleuve, Washington, USA
  My visit to Grace Lutheran Church in Belleuve (Washington, USA) was almost spontaneous. For many years the congregation has maintained a partner relationship with our St. Anna's and Peter's Church in St. Petersburg. After a few unsuccessful attempts in May of this year I was able to take part in a conference in San Francisco related to my professional work, and from there to Seattle / Belleuve, it is not far at all. Our partner congregation had very little time to prepare for my visit, but that made it all the more interesting – I had the chance to have quite a few meetings and events and we came to important agreements. 

  On Sunday May 8th when I visited the congregation it was Mother's Day in the United States. I was rather skeptical of this holiday – I thought of it as just another way greeting card companies increase their sales; on this day many people preferred to be with their families rather than coming to church, but there were still around 30 people at worship, which is not so few for Grace Lutheran. There were many surprises waiting for me; one of them was the blessing of quilts, which are made by hand by a group in the congregation and then sent as gifts to homeless shelters. These quilts are also given as a sign of warm care on the part of the congregation for those young people who were leaving to study in college. One of the members of the quilting group really wanted to send at least a small quilt to Russia with us, but we stopped her in time – it wouldn't have fit in our luggage. But all the same her generous nature didn't allow her to gift up; she found among her materials a “prayer shawl”- a beautiful, soft, hand-made scarf that was given to me as a present. Another surprise was that on that day the pastor of the congregation, Veronica Smith, was supposed to give birth to her baby; everything was planned so that, in the case of the pastor's absence, congregation members could lead the service themselves. But the baby wasn't rushing things, so Pastor Veronica was able to lead the service until the end and remained for the traditional coffee time afterwards. Many congregational members stayed to hear me tell about our congregation and our project of trying to raise money for the installation of an organ. The conclusion of this discussion was summed up by Pastor Veronica: “We'll full dedicate our traditional fall auction to your project;” moreover the congregation gave a significant monetary gift to the project right away. 
  During our discussions it became clear that the problems of this American congregation are similar to the problems of our congregation in Petersburg. There are very few people there right now with children and youth who attend Sunday services. For that reason a few of the rooms that previously had been occupied by the Sunday school are now being rented out to a kindergarten. I really hope that our partnership can help our congregations develop. For example I would be very happy to learn from the Americans how they together with a few other congregations of various denominations in their city were able to create a service of assistance for the homeless. For one month every church provides space for the homeless to sleep in at night. They can only be there from 7 in the evening to 7 in the morning. In the daytime there is a rehabilitation program which helps with training, job searching and adaptation. The other project that interested me was the psychological service of the church. This region-wide church program works in the following way: congregations provide the space for the consultant, while the psychological service provides training and support for church counselors. 
  I made two important acquaintances on this trip. The first was with Eva Mader and her family. Throughout the years Eva has been the main link between our congregation and the congregation in Bellevue. For family reasons Eva was not able to spend much time with me, but handed me over to an elderly couple – Judy and Howard Johnson. Now I know that in Bellevue I have a number of good friends; they organized for me two days of real relaxation and with great hospitality and friendliness they invited me not only to stay at their house, but also to take part in family events. I hope very much that Eva will be able to come to Petersburg this fall, where I will be waiting for my new friends from Bellevue.
Vlad Bukhtoyarov 

Bridge to Kaliningrad

Schwarmstedt, Germany
   For a quarter century there has been a partner relationship between the Kaliningrad deanery and the St. Laurentius congregation in Schwarmstedt (Germany). 
  During these years the inhabitants of this small town in Lower Saxony which belong to the “Bridge to Kaliningrad” organization have been in the Kaliningrad oblast a number of times. The first trip with humanitarian assistance for people in the region came in April 1991. Over the years 250 such trips have been made to schools, kindergartens and hospitals in the region. Also the Carl Blume house was a recipient of this important help, for example, their donations paid for the stairway elevator, installed in 2009.
  To mark the 25th anniversary of this relationship on April 25th the congregation in Schwarmstedt invited guest from the Kaliningrad deanery: the head of the diaconal center in Gusev Alexander Michal, Pastor Elena Kurmyshova from Gusev and Yuri Tittel. The guests spoke for the whole deanery when they expressed their thanks and presented their German partners with a hand-made samovar. It was especially important to give thanks to the “Bridge to Kaliningrad” organization and to Emma Helia Sauerwein, who has been its volunteer leader for the whole 25 years. 

Women's Ministry in Tomsk

Tomsk, Russia

  In May of 2016 I participated in the women's seminar “Friendship is a Gift from God” in Omsk, where I got acquainted with sisters from other congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and Far East. 
  We discussed various themes, sang hymns, prayed and made crafts. I learned much that was new and interesting to me. A few times I was moved to tears by the heartfelt and sincere atmosphere. There I was so much positive emotion from fellowship with sisters of various ages, with various point of view on life and with their own problems. From all that I learned that we have one thing in common – our faith in God. 
  When I returned to Tomsk I had the desire to share this knowledge and these emotions, and I decided to use discussion of the book of Ruth for this. Our meetings took place on Wednesday evenings during Evening Prayer services. After the first lesson I began to be less nervous when I saw that what I had to say was interesting to participants. 
  At the end of the final evening the question was raised - “will we continue our lessons?”
This interest and trust could not leave me indifferent. I also wanted to continue our meetings. Therefore we decided that we would meet the next time on the day of the Visitation of Elizabeth by Mary. We plan to have small group lessons with large group discussion and conclusion. 
  Many thanks to the organizers of the seminar for their preparation and organization of work and rest, as well as for their sensitivity and positive attitude. 
  Natalia Pushkareva

“A Healthy Spirit in a Healthy Body”

Saratov, Russia
  The Volga region has traditionally been a very important center for church life in Russia, from the times of the German colonists up until today. Saratov is certainly one of the most important cities there, and it was with great joy that I had the chance to visit and teacher there in May.
    Together with pastor Andrey Dzhamgarov and Area Dean Alexander Scheiermann, we chose the theme "healthy congregations" for our time together and, after inviting Dean Vladimir Provorov from Ulyanovsk (a good friend of the congregation) to share in teaching duties, we named the seminar "A Healthy Spirit in a Healthy Body."  There were approximately 16 attendees from Saratov, Saratov oblast, Ulyanovsk, and Kazan who took part over the first two days, while another group joined us for a summary of the seminary on Sunday after worship. 
   The group was engaged with the material, and especially enjoyed working together on the Bible in small groups, something that I learned was not typical for them. I personally very much enjoyed seeing the church (an enormous structure that has been and will be under construction for some time), meeting the congregations, and getting acquainted a bit more closely with a pietist tradition congregation in a large, provincial city.
  Less successful, it seems, was our choice of dates. The period of late April to the end of May is a great time in Russia, but it is also a time filled with many different holidays, events, and work on the dacha. This probably hurt us in terms of attendance, but we will learn from this experience in order to organize things better next time around.
Bradn Buerkle

A New Building for the Congregation in Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg, Russia 
  On July 10th the congregation in Ekaterinburg held its first worship service in its new building. Great joy felt by the parishioners, who finally were able to leave their relatively small, rented hall above a supermarket and instead be in their very own building.
Not long ago Ekaterinburg Lutherans thought that they would be getting a new worship space in a different place – in the old German cemetery, which has now become a park, they planned to build their own church building. Their plans were approved by the city administration in 2015, but then during the building process a gravestone more than a century old was found, and this put meant that the site now had archaeological value; this meant that building in the park was no longer possible. 
  The congregation together with the leadership of ELCUSFE and with partners made the decision to purchase a building in the city center, in the same neighborhood of the city where the historic building (destroyed in Soviet times) stood. In June this was made possible thanks to the help of many donors, including the Martin Luther Bund and Gustav Adolf Werke. Now it will be necessary to remodel the building for congregational use, in particular, it will be necessary to make a sanctuary.  
  Today Ekaterinburg has a population of 1.3 million and is Russia's fourth largest city. The congregation in the city has a weekly attendance of over 50 people.  

  Based on the article at http://www.martin-luther-bund.de/

The Restoration of the Angel Has Begun

St. Petersburg, Russia 
  After a long wait, the beginning of the restoration of the angel sculpture on the roof of Petrikirche has begun. The “Nasledie (Heritage)” company, in accordance with the government contract signed on April 26, 2016, began their work in the middle of June on the restoration of the sculpture and attic of the cathedral, which is the federal register of historic buildings.  
  At first a temporary fence was installed near the left side of the facade of the cathedral and then a lift was installed for raising building materials to the roof. In the two weeks that followed the sculpture was surrounded by scaffoldings and a net. 
  The restoration will last approximately 4 months. It is expected that by Reformation Day the scaffoldings will be taken down and the angel will have been restored to its original form. 

"Healthy Congregations" in the Ural Deanery

Chelyanbinsk, Russia
  Every year (and sometimes twice a year) leaders from the Ural deanery of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and Far East get together for fellowship and continuing education. This April over 30 pastors, lay ministers, and church council members from more than half a dozen congregations gathered for a two days at a camp/retreat center outside of Ekaterinburg.
  I was happy to receive the invitation from Dean Waldemar Jesse to be the teacher for the weekend; we agreed together that the theme for the weekend would be "healthy congregations." My main goal for our time together was to motivate congregational leaders to analyze their congregation's life and to consciously listen to the Spirit's calling for the development of their particular congregations. Participants were very engaged, and I had a great time both leading lessons and participating in other parts of the weekend, including morning runs and evening bowling.

  By Saturday evening we had made the trip through beautiful pine forests and lake-filled landscapes to Chelyanbinsk, where I had the chance to see one of the few new church buildings in our church and to preach there the next morning. 

  It is my hope that such experiences continue to build up trust and cooperation between the Ural deanery and other parts of our church, despite some differences in piety and theological accents.   

Into the Mountains with Prayer

Ulyanovsk/ Saratov, Russia 

  On June 27 to July 2 the congregations of Saratov and Ulyanovsk organized a “prayer camp” for the 13th time. 30 people took part.

   The Bible study program was organized in the following way – prayer themes in the morning led by Pastors Andrey Dzhamgarov and Vladimir Provorod and evening Bible studies organized by Pastor Alexander Scheiermann on the first chapters of the book of Daniel. 

  On one of the days the participants of the camp visited the village of Shiryaevo, where they enjoyed the beautiful views of the Volga and surroundings. Afterwards they went through the settlement of Solnechnya Polyana (Sunny Meadow) to the Kamennaya Chasha (Stone Chalice) spring. 

  The path to the spring wasn't easy for everyone; some had to use their last bit of energy to make it, thinking all the time about how they would not only have to get there, but to get back. But swimming in the cold, mountain spring woke everyone up and renewed their energy enough that everyone was able to make it back to camp.  

  Two days later the plan was to hike up the mountain that stood over the campsite, but after the difficult hike a few days earlier, there weren't many people who wanted to go through with it. In the end a third of the participants set off, and while they were on the mountain they remembered the Biblical story of the Transfiguration. There was talk about wanting to build dwellings there and to stay on the mountain, wherever everyone is unified in prayer. 

  On the last day before returning home, looking back, everyone saw that during the whole week God had unified the participants of the camp into one congregation and had blessed them with fellowship with Him and with one another as they spent a wonderful time on the banks of the Volga. 

  Vladimir Provorov

Farewell Worship Service in Helsinki

  On June 12th a worship service was held in our  partner congregation in Helsinki during which Pastor Erik A. Panzig gave his final sermon in the congregation. His 6 year period of service as the head pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland has come to an end.  
  In October 2010 members of the church council of St. Anna and St. Peter's Church in St. Petersburg, led by Pastor Mattias Zierold, traveled to Helsinki to take part in the celebratory worship service of installation for Pastor Dr. A. Panzig. Already in December of that year he together with a large group of congregation members traveled to St. Petersburg for our 300th anniversary. 
   During the past 6 years our partnership relationship has continued to develop. Of particular importance were “pastor exchanges,” where Pastor Zierold preached one Sunday in Helsinki while Pastor Panzig was in Petrikirche. There were exchanges of choirs and performances of the choirs together; the horn ensemble led by Richard Altermaier came to perform at Pastor Zierold's farewell service. Together we celebrated important anniversaries – 20 years of renewed worship in Petrikirche, 150 years since the dedication of the building in Helsinki, 20 years of St. Anna and St. Peter's diaconal group. Pastor Panzig took part in the installation service of Michael Schwartzkopf and we went to the installation of Pastor Hans-Christian Boytel. 
  Partnership relationship are those relationships where there is mutual respect and interest in what is happening in lives of brothers and sisters in faith in a different city, a different country. Fellowship is a very important part of supporting these relationships. During worship on June 12 Inna Loseva and I thanked Pastor Panzig in the name of the church council and the entire congregation for 6 years of cooperation. We wished Pastor Panzig that he would maintain his faith and optimism in order to live through life's testing with confidence and that he always would feel the love, support and care of others of those around him, including his brothers and sisters in the Lutheran church. 
  Gerta Krilova

From Siberia to Friesland and Back

Verden / Leer, Germany
  Way back in 2005 the first group from the Omsk congregation visited Kirchentag (German Church Day) in Hannover. It was at that time that they idea came up to make contacts between the youth groups in Siberia and Lower Saxony. In 2006 Deacon Michael Fogt visited Omsk with the goal of establishing fellowship between the teens and youth of the Emden-Leer area of Lower Saxony and the Omsk congregation. At a meeting of the church council the decisions was made to support this project and to work for its development. The leader on the Omsk side of the project was Pastor Evgeny Filippov. This year the partnership is celebrating its 10th year anniversary.
  In that time a group of teens and youth from the Emden-Leer area visited Omsk – their first trip to Siberia. For them Siberia and Omsk became not just some far off place on the map, but a real city with an active youth group in the Lutheran congregation where they were given a hospitable welcome. 
  Siberian youth, too, visited Germany multiple times in order to get acquainted with the youth of that country and in particular in the Emden-Leer area in order to learn something new for themselves and bring it back to their congregation.
  The latest visit of the youth of the Omsk congregation to Germany happened this year from May 30 to June 13. The Siberian youth took an active part in the summer camp of the Evangelical Church of Hannover in the city of Werdene that took place at this time.
  Young people from Omsk together with their leaders Dean Vladimir Vinogradov and Pastor Evgeny Filippov took part in the entire event, from putting up the tents to the closing session of the camp. Together they endured the heat as they learned to use their knowledge of German and English to communicate with more than 2000 youth from Germany and other countries. It was a wonderful time together – of new impressions, new ideas and new perspectives on a type of ministry that already seemed to be quite familiar. 
  When the camp ended the Omsk youth spent another week in the city of Leer, where they met the city mayor, learned about its history, and took part in a special tea ceremony that is the pride of Eastern Friesland. At the end of their second week in Germany they took part in the Kirchentag (church day) of the Eastern Friesland region; all the congregations of the area presented their ministry there. 
  The organizers of the project hope that God will continue to bless this work and that the international youth project will have the opportunity to celebrate many more anniversaries to come.
Evgeny Filippov

Visit from the Central Deanery to the Carl Blume House

Zadorozhe, Russia
  On June 30 Dean Elena Bondarenko and Lay Minister Artis Petersons brought offerings and donated goods from the Moscow congregation, from private individuals and the German Embassy “Emmaus” congregation to the Carl Blume House in the Kaliningrad oblast
  The guests were met by the director of the house, Irina Mitrokhina. She told them about the joys and challenges of this Lutheran retirement home in the village of Zadorozhe, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia. 
  Thanks to cooperation with the Kaliningrad Deanery and in particular with Dean Igor Ronge these meetings are possible and bring joy to the staff and residents of the Carl Blume house as well as their visitors. 

Night of Museums in the German Style

Kostroma, Russia
  On May 21st for the first time the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kostroma together with the German Cultural Center of the city took part in the International “Night of Museums.” Dean Elena Bondarenko, Lay Minister Artis Petersons and the leader of the Kostroma German Cultural Center Ludmilla Vershinina were the  organizers of the exhibition dedicated to the daily life of German Russians and to their spiritual life. Included in the exhibit were items used in the liturgy, old Germany books, household decorations with “words of wisdom” printed on them, traditional Saxon figurines and crafts made by current congregation members. The exhibition was housed in an old building on the Volga, the mansion of the owner of soap factories Tsarevsky. Until recently the congregation and the cultural center shared that space.

  Despite the fact that the space was not conveniently located and that there was a large variety of options to visit museums that night, the German Russian visit was quite popular. Many families with children from Kostroma visited, as did university students and representatives of the Kostroma Orthodox Seminary. 
  Visitors could ask questions about the culture and faith of Russian Lutherans, take pictures dressed up in the cloths of the first German settlers in Russia, drink tea and eat snacks, as well as win souvenirs (postcards, magnets, marzipan) as part of a fun contest on German language knowledge. All visitors received a historical journal on Kostroma published by the German cultural center as well as a booklet about the Evangelical Lutheran Church and a Bible in Russian. 

Worship at the Estonian Cemetery

Kresttsy, Russia

   On the morning of June 19th 18 congregation members from St. Nikolai Lutheran in Novgorod got into a rented bus and headed out to the village of Kresttsy. After two weeks of rain the sunny day was a nice surprise, and it made it much easier to lead worship a rather unusual worship service - outside. 
  The place was also unusual – the old, Estonian cemetery in the village. Many years ago in Kresttsy there was a large Estonian community and a wooden Lutheran Church; it belonged back then to the St. Nikolai parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Russian Empire. At that time there were 14 churches and prayer houses in the Novgorod province that were part of the parish. 
  Even today in Kresttsy and the surrounding regions there are many ethnic Estonians who were baptized as children by their grandmothers, who used the order of service they found in old, Lutheran service books. For more than 5 years already a Lutheran congregation exists their to unite those who were baptized into the faith. Sadly, though, not many people attend worship. At the same time they all hold to the tradition of meeting at the cemetery on the day when the Orthodox church celebrates Trinity Sunday. That's why the group from Novgorod came on that day at the request of the leaders of the village congregation in order to hold an evangelization worship service for these people at the cemetery. 
Many of those who were baptized as Lutherans attended worship in a Lutheran church for the first time that day. After worship all the participants went for a picnic prepared by the congregational members in Kresttsy. The organizers of the event hope that this event will be repeated and that new people will attend the regular worship of the congregation in the future. 
  Igor Zhuravlyev

ELCER takes part in a Conference Held by the Russian Academy of Science European Institute

Moscow, Russia
 On June 2nd in the Russian Academy of Science European Institute the 6th conference “The Religious Factor in the Social-Political Life of Russia and the Countries of the European Union” was held. 
  “The most important result for us was coming to an understanding of the religious variety of our country.” This is how Roman Lunkin, the leader of the Center for the Study of Religious and Social Issues in the Russian Academy of Science European Institute, summarized the results of the conference. “We respect all the Churches and denominations and we try to bring the Russian Orthodox Church, evangelical movements, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia and the Catholic Church together for dialog,” he added. 
  The participants of the meeting were representatives of all the traditional religions of Russia. They analyzed the role of religious organizations in social-political conflicts, in social ministry and charity work. The representative of the ELCER was Julia Vinogradov, the press coordinator of the ELCER. She spoke about the social ministry of the ELCER. 
"Specter” press bureau  

St. John's Church Re-opens Its Doors

Grodno, Belarus

 At the end of May the interior renovations at St. John's Lutheran in Grodno were completed. A year earlier the exterior of the kirche was restored and a 16-meter spire was installed. Now the interior of the building and the exterior are equally beautiful. 
  Since the completion of restoration work, worship services and concerts in the building have begun again. The first of this season was held on June 3, when the German organist Anna Horsch gave a concert of European composers. This concert was part of the city's annual festival of national cultures. For the first time in the long history of this festival St. John's congregation was able to take part in the official program of events. 
  Now the Grodno Lutherans plan to use historic photographs to make new copies of the stain-glass windows that were originally in the kirche and install them behind the altar. The income from organ concerts will go towards this project. The congregation is also planing to add exterior lighting on the facade of the church. The German ambassador in Belarus has promised to help with the restoration of the tower clock. It should be in working order by the time the world celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation next year. 

Reformer: Change Changes!

Dresden, Germany 

  Pentecost for the youth group from the Samara deanery was an international holiday. On May 13-16 they represented the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia at the 4th international “Eva Peace Academy." Young people 15 to 27 years old take part in this event, organized by the “Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden” together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony. This year the festival had around 400 participants from 30 countries. 
The “Peace Academy” was dedicated to the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, and the theme was "Reformer: Change Changes!"
  Every event of the schedule was tied with the theme in one way or another – from quests and city tours to morning and evening prayer, master classes, and worship services. The organizers of the festival held a couple of public events, for example they walked around the city with signs that said “Free Hugs” and then shared their observations and experiences.
What are changes? What do they bring? And if they bring conflict – how can they be solved in a peaceful way? We all live together in one world and every person has his or her own subjective world. Both the world as a whole and as individuals are in constant motion, constantly changing. The one who moves and changes can also be a mover and a changer – of the world, of oneself, of others. In order to make changes, it is necessary to have the energy, motivation and skills to do so. Where can we get these things from? How can we be sure that we are moving in the right direction? At the “Peace Academy” young people could ask these questions and receive answers to them! And the right answer was found in the experience of one's own faith and in the faith of others.
  Tatyana Odzilyaeva

GELCU Takes Part in the Foundation of a Center of Palliative Care

Kiev, Ukraine

   On May 24th the «Mary and Martha House” was opened; it is a center of spiritual and psychological assistance for those with serious infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, chronic hepatitis, etc.) as well as for their relatives and for the specialists working in the field. It is located next to the State L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemic and Infectious Diseases. 
This small hospital church is a cooperative diaconal project of a number of different churches and civil organizations. The chaplains there will be from the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine and from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate). The doors of the center are open for all, independent of their religious background. 
  The prayers of 5 denominations were united at the opening of the center – the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate), The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the “Ark of the Covenant” Pentecostal Church and the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine. The last was represented by Bishop Sergei Mashevsky and Pastor Igor Shemigon. 
  The foundation and opening of the center was possible thanks to the efforts and financial assistance of the “Helios-Ukraine” charitable organization, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate), the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine as well as partners – the Ukrainian charitable organization Merezha LzhB, the UN program for HIV/AIDS in Ukraine and the Elena Pinchuk “ANTISPID” foundation. 

Roman Catholic Archbishop Visits the Lutheran Cathedral in Moscow for the First Time

Moscow, Russia
  On May 24th Roman Catholic Archbishop Pavel Pezzi  visited St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Moscow. There the head of the Diocese of the Mother of God in Moscow met with the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia Dietrich Brauer.
«Our friendship here between the Lutheran Church and the Catholic Church in Moscow is based on our common martyrdom which, based on our common suffering which reached its pinnacle in the 20th century,” said Archbishop Pezzi. “I hope that our relationship with develop in this spirit of mutual love and and that we can cooperate more with time.”  
  The meeting of the two Archbishops was dedicated to the further development of cooperation in the light of the upcoming 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
"The Church of Christ has many barriers on its path of development, but all of this is human. Everything will be overcome if we place our hope in the One for Whom everything is possible, trust Him and pray to Him,” Archbishop Dietrich Brauer emphasized, “and today I am very happy that we pray together.”

International Festival of Organ Music in Odessa

Odessa, Ukraine
  On May 22 St. Paul's Cathedral flung open its doors for participants in the 6th International Festival of Organ Music. The long-time organizer of the festival and organist in the kirche, Veronica Struk, welcomed everyone at the festival's opening. 
The festival is named for Theophil Richter, the father of the famous pianist Svyatoslav Richter, whose talent as organist was displayed in the walls of St. Paul's Cathedral 100 years earlier. 75 years ago a tragic event occurred – the Lutheran church's organist was arrested and then executed.
  After initial greetings, the musical part of the festival began with the performance of a string quartet - “The Harmony of Peace” - which is famous in Ukraine and beyond for their performances of music in various styles, from boroque to modern, including their own arrangements of melodies from the 1930s and 40s. 

Visitation in the Northern Caucasus Deanery

  On May 29th Archbishop Dietrich Brauer completed a visitation to the congregations of the Northern Caucasus deanery. He had visited congregations in Krasnodar, Novorossisk, Dziginki, and representatives from other congregations of the deanery were present as well. 
  Archbishop Brauer took part in leading worship and answered the congregational members' many questions. Included in the discussion was the theme of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and future events in the deanery dedicated to celebrating that anniversary. 
  In Novorossisk the Archbishop met with representatives of the city government. The topic was the development of further cooperation and the participation of the congregation in the life of the city. During the visitation Dietrich Brauer also spoke with candidates for lay preachers in the deanery. 

Visit to Congregations in the Samara Deanery

Samara, Russia
  On April 15-17 Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia Dietrich Brauer made a trip to the congregations of the Samara Deanery. 
On Friday the 15th, Dietrich Brauer arrived at St. George congregation; he also had two important meetings that day, with the meeting of the Metropolitan Sergei of Samara and Syzran of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the administration of the governor of the Samara oblast. The question of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation was discussed; the bishop of the  Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg    Dr. Frank Otfried July will make a visit during the upcoming year and an ecumenical conference will be held. 
  On Saturday April 16 Dietrich Brauer led worship in congregations int eh deanery – in the cities of Pokhvistnevo and Otradny, where he commissioned David Kreimer as lay minister. In the beginning of January 2016 the former leader of the congregation, Alexander Fridrichovich Mut, who was its council chairmen for more than 50 years, left this world. Thankfully he was able to raise up a successor, and now David Kreimer will lead the congregation. 

Festival of Denominational Choirs

Moscow, Russia
On April 10th Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral hosted the 1st Festival of Denominational Choirs. This event became a part of the 3rd Moscow Inter-Christian Easter Celebrations. 
  12 choirs took part. Spiritual and folk music filled the cathedral, which was overflowing with visitors. The concert came to a close with music by a bell choir; this was the first time many people had head a bell choir, and it was unforgettable. 

  The audience had the joy to hear: the Younger Choir of the N.A. Alekseeva Music School; the “Unforgettable Light” men's choir, the choir of the Moscow missionary committee (Russian Orthodox), the “Ringel” Jewish women's choirc, the choir of the Roman Catholic cathedral, the Chapel Choir of the Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Cathedral “Lux Mundi,” the “Ovsana” and “Norayrash” choirs of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the free choir of the Baptist church, the Goethe Institute Academic Choir and the choir of hand bells of the musical department of the Union of Baptists. 

New Lay Preacher for the Congregation in Perm

Perm, Russia

  On May 15th in St. Mary's Church Archbishop Dietrich Brauer blessed Vladimir Schaefer as an authorized lay preacher. The 46 year old Schaefer is a member of the church council; at present e is studying in the distance education course of the Theological Seminar of the ELC in Novosaratovka.
  During this service there was another joyful event – Pastor David Rerich baptized Vladimir's youngest daughter, Maria. 
  The worship service was attended by representatives of the local government – the deputy chair of the Department of Domestic Politics of the Perm Krai, Vladimir Konev. In his own name in the name of the Governor he wished the Lutherans of the city a happy Pentecost

Happy Day in Tomsk

Tomsk, Russia
  On February 27th the foreign members of the congregation in Tomsk took part in the annual Festival of Non-secular Music “Oikumena.” It was dedicated to the annual Worldwide Week for Inter-religious Relationships which was founded by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Alfa Edison Ilela, Richardo Alexander Nunumete, Rafael Patuan Siahim, Giapfy Iboa Ebinizer performed the song “Oh, Happy Day!”
  Since 2010 these young people have attended the Tomsk congregation and frequently bring joy to the worship service with their songs.  Alfa and Richardo (from Indonesia) are graduate students at the Tomsk Politech University, Rafael is also from Indonesia and he and Giapfy (from Giana) are in the bachelor's degree program at the same university. These young men are the core of the youth ministry of the congregation and take part in all congregational events. 
  Vitaly Schmidt

New Space for the Congregation in Kostroma

Kostroma

  On March 15^th a meeting was held between representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia (the church council chairman of the Kostroma congregation, Evgeny Fleyman, a preacher from the Central deanery Artis Petersons and Dean Elena Bondarenko) with a representative of the administration of the Kostroma oblast committee for interaction with religious organizations, Aleksei Yemelyanov.

  The question of finding a permanent place for the Kostroma Evangelical Lutheran congregation was discussed, as was the contribution of the congregation to the cultural life of the Kostroma oblast. For technical reasons the congregation had to leave their previous space which it had shared with the German cultural center. Thanks to partners from the Martin Luther Fund, the congregation has temporarily rented an office in the center of Kostroma. This new space was put to good use on Easter Monday, March 28^th, when confirmation was also held.

The Path to Heaven

Samara, Russia

  Over Spring Break, from March 29 to April 1, the 7th Bible Week for Children and Youth was held in St. George church in Samara. This time the theme was the story of Jesus Christ's path to the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father.
  The entrance into the sanctuary symbolized the city gates of Jerusalem. The first Bible study was held and the first happy songs were heard was held near the altar. On the second day the focus was on the Last Upper. The kids put together a large tent from materials they found lying around.
  The center of the third day was a procession. Participants went along the path from the organ in the balcony to the basement and then went out to the church yard; from there they into the sanctuary and climbed up to the very top of the roof for the next Bible study. Colored cloth was used during all the Bible studies and symbolized various moments of the Easter story. On the last day in the very heart of the church – on the altar near the cross, the children heard of God's loves revealed to people in Jesus Christ. 
  Besides the spiritual program every day the participants took part in various cultural events – exhibitions, movies and games. The local, award-winning singer-songwriter Evgeny Biritsev directed the kids as they prepared a small performance for Sunday worship. 
  These were full and interesting day – both for the young participants of the Bible Week and for its organizers. 
Larisa Zhivodoreva

Spiritual Music on a New Instrument

Ufa,Russia
   On Pentecost Sunday, May 15th, the Ufa Lutheran Church hosted a concert of spiritual music. It so happened that just a few days before the holy day a new organ arrived in the church from St. Petersburg; the organist for the charity concert was Maestro Vladislav Murtazin, a famous organist from Bashkortostan.
  The concert, which was held right after Sunday service, was attended by citizens of Ufa from all (or no) religious traditions. Before the performance of the famous organist, the children's assemble of ancient music “The Magic Flute” demonstrated their skills; later they placed together with Vladislav Murtazin. 

  The congregation's members express their thanks to their sponsors – the “Ural” charity fund and its president Murtaze Rakhimov and the city parliament member Iosif Marach for their help in securing the purchase of this musical instrument. 

  Sergei Rusakov

About the Apocalypse and Tolerance

Khabarovsk (Russia)
  Pastor Markus Lesinski came to St. John's congregation on March 13th, one year after his previous visit,  and remained until March 21st.  He lead nightly Bible studies, and this time the congregation was focused on St. John's Revelation. Markus was able to give deep and inspiring answers to the myriad of questions tied with this mysterious and sometimes confusing Biblical book. 
  On March 18th Pastor Lesinski gave a public lecture: “Tolerance. Its Definition, Basis and Effect on Common Life.” More than 100 people gathered in the Far East Scientific Library to learn more about this important theme. “The process of learning tolerance that the Christian churches went through might serve as an example in our contemporary world. It led to such an understanding of the human person which is based on the equal worth of every person regardless of skin color and nationality, age and sex, economic situation and political convictions. This is also the reason while tolerance cannot be indifferent to a a lack of tolerance. It is possible to be tolerant of those who refused to accept that every person is God' creation.” The theses of the paper were very interesting and there were many questions and much discussion afterwards. 
  Pastor Lesinski also led the Sunday worship service before Holy Week. And Easter itself was celebrated a week later with worship led by the congregation's elder and respected preacher, Alexander Okkel. Alexander Hermanovich has led the congregation's worship for the 14 years that have gone by since they last had a permanent pastor; every week he prepares his own sermon and prayers for the Khabarovsk congregation.
  Tatyana Musevich