The Long Road of Mourning and Hope

St. Petersburg
Levashovo is not far from the city now. Right beyond the green fence are dachas and picturesque places of rest for city residents. For many years the fence protected people from the secret evil which inevitably comes from death, pain and treachery.
In the village of Levashovo near Leningrad from 1918 to 1953 there was a special execution grounds of the NKVD – KGB of the USSR, the so called “Levoshov wasteland.” Bodies were buried right here where they were shot. Levashovo is the the largest secret burial ground of victims of Stalinist repression in the Leningrad oblast and one of the largest in the whole former Soviet Union.
Germans, Finns, Ingermanlanders, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Jews, Assyrians, Tatars, Norwegians, Italians, Poles, Russians.... People who spoke various languages and people who could not speak at all or not near, but living in peace with one another. They lay together here in common graves, well-covered from seeking eyes by trees and the sea sand that was brought here. They waited. They waited for their descendants to remember them and for the truth to prove stronger than the “top secret” stamps of the soulless state.
On June 13th Lutherans made their traditional visit: pastors and congregational members of St. Catherine's church whose ancestors – Latvians and Estonians – were victims of repressions of the 1930s and the deportation campaign of the 1940s-50s. On June 13, 1941 the Commissar of Internal Affairs L.Beria signed the “Plan of events for the transport, housing and labor of special populations subject to deportation from the Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Moldovan Soviet Republics.”



Janis Ritvars in his article on these repressions gives the horrifying statistics of the loss: “as a result of two campaigns held in 1941 and 1949, 58557 people were deported from Latvia without investigation or trial. In then end at least 189931 people from Latvia were repressed for political reasons.” Many families still feel the pain of loss and are carrying with them the results of their loss of human rights and citizenship, of being orphaned, abused, and left without education, of being denied their native language and traditions.
Various civil groups such as “Memorial,” ethnic clubs, the museum of genocide, the museum of the History of the GULAG, historians' books, plays and poems, memories of surviving pastors, personal witness of congregational members and our guests and friends from Latvia and Estonia as well as documental and artistic films have worked together to not let this memory be forgotten, despite universal fear and silence.
The number of burials in Levashovo varies in various sources – from 19450 to around 46000. They were officers and soldiers of the First World War, scientists, poets and authors, politicians, doctors, church workers and congregational members, musicians, workers, teachers... These were “social aliens” in society, educated, active and, therefore, dangerous.
Our congregation lost 23 people here. Perhaps more. As the Ukrainian consul put it very exactly when speak about this place - it is a bloody spiderweb of cemeteries. At present we are continuing to carry out historical research in order to better remember our brothers and sisters who were touched by and sometimes destroyed by repression.
Elvira Zheids

Dedication of St. Mary's Church in Saratov

Archbishop Dietrich Brauer spoke about the church's dedication on May 13th and the events that took place preceding it in the following interview:

“The dedication of St. Mary's in Saratov is a long-awaited and happy event. 225 years have passed since the dedication of the first St. Mary's, which was located in the center of the city and was barbarically destroyed when it was blown up in 1971. The history of Lutherans in Saratov was interrupted for quite some time. Later the congregation was organized and began to meet in various places. On Sundays congregational members met in basements, and for big holidays they rented halls in order to fit in all those who wanted to attend.

Then the congregation began to build a new church; 25 years have passed since the congregation was reborn, and for more than 10 years now the new church has been under construction. The work was done only by fellow believers, both Russian Germans and others who show their care and concern. Both individuals and church groups have taken part in this good deed. The process of construction stretched out throughout the years, and even now the work isn't done, but the main work has been completed.

At the end of this stage we decided to dedicate the building in order that the congregation could feel that it was already in a fully-functioning church building. It can hold up to 200 people. Worship services are already held in the sanctuary, and there are many spaces for use by the Sunday school, for other ministries and even a small fireside room which creates a special atmosphere for meetings and discussions.

It was quite impressive that the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Rüdiger von Fritsch, came to Saratov for the dedication of the building. Every year he visits one of the Russian regions, and he came to Saratov specially for the the dedication of the church and the celebratory worship.  What is more, he came not strictly as a government official, but as a preacher. Rüdiger von Fritsch is not only an ambassador, he is a theologian and is blessed as a preacher in the Lutheran Church. He has preached, for example, in the Bavarian Lutheran church when he was the ambassador in Poland and was happy to agree to give the sermon at the celebratory worship service in St. Mary's church. 

In his sermon the ambassador spoke about the New Covenant of God with man, the covenant based on the blood of Jesus Christ, His grace, His mercy. The preacher placed this imagine in the context of the event, in the context of Russian Lutherans and the Saratov congregation, which lost its building, lost hoped, but did not lose faith. This faith and the faithfulness of God, His faithfulness to the covenant that He once made with his people, saved and strengthened people during all times. “Today, during the dedication of the new St. Mary's church, the faithfulness of God to his covenant has been fully shown;” with these words the German ambassador brought his sermon to a close.

The participation of the ambassador of Germany in the events in Saratov drew attention not only to his person, but also to the problems of Russian Lutherans, to the needs of congregations. We are very thankful to Ambassador Rüdiger von Fritsch, for his attentiveness  to and interest in Russian Lutherans, for his active participation in the finding solutions to many important problems. In our days people frequently speak in the language of confrontation, of sanctions and threats. And the fact that a person can speak in a different language, heart to heart, the language of spirituality, the language of faith – it is very inspiring!

As he noted in his conversation with local journalists, the Ambassador’s main goal of this visit was to be present at the dedication and worship service, but many other events were also organized for him. He enjoyed visiting the city and oblast very much and spoke of his intention to visit again on a personal trip together with his wife.

It is a joy that three church buildings  in the region are being restored at once: the new St. Mary's, and two historical buildings in Zorkino and in Marx. In the former local businessman Karl Loor has led the efforts, while in Marx it is brothers Alexander and Viktor Schmidt.

Marx

During this visit we visited the wonderful, old church in Marx. It was a nice to see that the city itself is being transformed around the restored church – the embankment has been done, the territory was groomed – the city is awakening together with the church! The same thing happened in Zorkino. When from ruins a beautiful church was raised, everything around started to change, too. A new school and a hospital have appeared. People try to meet the standard of beauty that now surrounds them. I think that when the construction of St. Mary's in Saratov is finished, the industrial neighborhood where it is located will also begin to be transformed.”

Julia Vinogradova

A New Home for the Congregation in Bishkek

In the capital of Kyrgyzstan on April 8th a long-awaited event took place – the dedication of a new house of prayer – the main cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan (ELCRK). The Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan, Yuri Novgorodov, was present at the dedication, as were all the pastors and preachers of the ELCRK and many congregational members from the local and nearby (Vinogradnoe, Tomoka, Nizhne-Chuisk, Belovodskoe, Kant, Kirovskoe) congregations, the German ambassador, as well as guests from Germany and Kazakhstan.
The previous prayer house was partially destroyed in a fire on January 27, 2015. While that day was a tragedy for church members, now the new building has opened up its doors and it a wonderful reason to celebrate. The words of greeting that could be heard all around - “Christ is risen!” took on a special meaning this year.
During the celebratory worship service ELCRK bishop Alfred Eicholtz recalled with tears in his eyes what horror he felt as he heard watched the church burn and heard the bell as it crashed to the ground together with the bell tower. He remembered the questions that were asked to which he had no answer at the time - “Why didn't your God help you?” He shared his thoughts about how it is especially important to trust God especially when you don't see how His Providence is leading, when you can't find any answers. Time has shown, said the bishop, why God allowed the fire to happen and how He has been glorified in its restoration.
All who gathered for the celebration met in the church's courtyard. In front of the entrance and then during the worship service there was music by the Chyusky chamber orchestra. The bishop greeted those who were gathered and introduced the architect Sergei Karchin and Pastor Valentin Limanovich, who was responsible for the detail work on the building. During worship the mixed choir of the ELCRK (more than 50 people!) sang.

Choir, ministers and congregation

It is worth noting that despite the fact that the congregations are spread out, people in the congregations know each other relatively well thanks to regular church-wide events; they were particularly happy to meet this time. No one was a “guest,” but felt that this building would be their common home; after all, each in his or her own way contributed – whether it was through finances, through donating food, or by working on the cleanup after the fire. Everyone was praying constantly for God to bless the Bishkek congregation and all were thankful to the Lord for His work to make the building happen.The lack of a church building didn't get in the way of congregational ministry. Even on the day of the fire, despite the tragic event, the scheduled Bible study took place all the same. People who came to Bible study that day didn’t know what to expect, and saw before them the sad picture of burnt church. That Bible study, which was held in the nearby building of the seminary, was very memorable. The ministers who smelled of burning and smoke, dejected by what had happen, called on everyone to humbly accept God's will and to trust Him in this difficult situation.


From that time until April 8th of this year, meetings of the Lutheran congregation in Bishkek took place according to their regular schedule in the building of the seminary, and congregational life didn't stop even for a minute. This confirms the Biblical teaching that the Church is not a building, but Christians gathered in the name of the Triune God.

Bishop Alfred Eicholtz thanked everyone for their contributions to the restoration of the cathedral. He spoke about the importance of the words of support he received at the time from various parts of the world. It wasn't just members of the ELCRK who gave offerings for the church, but many others who sympathized with them and gave what they had. Bishop Eicholtz spoke about the coins gathered by children in the congregation in Astana as a symbolic offering that was passed on at the time by Bishop Novgorodov.


The latter in his sermon said that all the participants of the restoration had received “a kiss from God” insofar as they became builders of His house. “You can build many houses, but building God's house comes around once in a lifetime.” He emphasized that the pain that brothers and sisters underwent in Bishkek was felt by the church in the whole post-Soviet territory. He gave them an altar Bible and passed on congratulations from all the Lutheran Churches that are part of the Union of Evangelical Lutheran Churches.
The celebratory events lasted from 9 in the morning to 6 in the evening with a lunch break. The congregation in Bishkek as the hosts invited the guests – more than 300 – to lunch. Hot pilaf, prepared outside over an open flame, and hot and sweet tea were ideal for the cold weather on this spring day. All the guests wished that sounds of praise and thankfulness to God would never go quiet in this building and that it become a real home for many who have found salvation there .
Former congregational members who have moved to Germany were also present at the event; among them were Woldemar Schal and the former president of the Synod Alexander Schantz. In their words of greeting they emphasized how important it is that the Lord's house be filled with people.
Eduard Penner led a group of guests from the German “Society of Evangelical Lutheran Germans from Russia.” He said that their society closely follows the developments of the church in Kyrgyzstan, and in their quarterly newsletter there is a block of news about their church. When Christians in Germany, especially those in “brother congregations,” heard about the 2015 fire, they were filled with sympathy and a desire to help. While they knew that God can certainly work in places without any walls, prayer houses are something that we people need, since they help us to come together around God's Word. Eduard Penner addressed the congregation with the wish that their building would become a place of meeting between God and man so that people could see Him there, hear Him and praise Him, and that through the Lord's Supper come into communion with the Church. He noted that the new church in Bishkek is one more piece of evidence of God's love which calls us to learn to trust God during all the stages of our lives.
Maria Lyanguzova

Learning with Partners about the History of Islam and Orthodoxy in Kazan

On January 27 in the lilac-colored room of St. Catherine's Church in Kazan a telebridge between Kazan and partners in Germany was established for a second time. Participants included pastors from the territory of Palatinate, the former deans of Tatarstan Christian Hermann and Norbert Hussong and congregants from Kazan, led by Pastor David Gorn.
Our partners from Germany were interested in such questions as “the Lutheran Church in the Muslim Republic of Tatarstan,” “politics and government authorities,” “the religious situation (history and contemporary),” “inter-ethnic relationships in Tatarstan on all levels,” “Muslim ministers,” “the building of mosques and Orthodox cathedrals in Kazan and Tatarstan as a whole,” “mixed marriages.” We invited professionals to the discussion - the deacon of the theological department of the Russian Islamic Institute Robert Shangaraev, and the head of extension education for the Orthodox Spiritual Seminary in Kazan, priest Alexander Danilov. The telebridge began with our “calling card” - a number of hymns in German and Russian. Then there was a prayer from Palatinate, after which Pastor David Gorn from Kazan led a prayer. The "Freude" singing group led by Tatyana Fel sang "Herr, deine Güte" in German. 

Our guest Robert Shangaraev told the history of Islam in the territory of Tatarstan. Volga Bulgaria was founded in 922 with the acceptance of Islam by a number of related nomadic tribes. This helped to unite the divided tribes, improved relations with the Muslim East, introduced the Arabic alphabet and the construction of mosques began. But in the 13th century Batu Khan of the Golden Horde destroyed the settlements and incorporated the land of Bulgaria into the territory of the Horde and Volga Bulgaria ceased to exist. Part of the Bulgars migrated to the banks of the Volga and Kama rivers. In the 15th century the Golden Horde ceased to exist and as a result of the victory of Russia over them some of the land of former Bulgaria comes under the authority of Moscow, while the rest became part of the Kazan khanate. In 1552 Ivan the Terrible incorporated Kazan and the Kazan khanate into Russia. Catherine the Great allowed the building of mosques and in this way won the respect and love of the Tartar people. Karl Fuchs, a German and a professor at Kazan University, was the first to describe the life and customs and the Kazan Tatars. In the Soviet times, Muslim ministers, like all ministers in the USSR, were repressed, mosques were destroyed. Around 30 years ago the rebirth of Islam began. Old mosques were restored and new ones were built. Today in Tatarstan there are around 1600 of them; there are educational institutions – medrase - and the Bulgarian Islamic Academy has begun to work. The goal of the academy is to build and form a local Islamic theology school (Tartar academic theologians include Mardzhani Shigabutdin, Abd An-Nasir Kursavi, Gataull Bayazitov and others) and to encourage the maintenance of peace and concord in the country. 
Priest Alexander Danilov spoke about the history of Orthodoxy in Kazan. It was the same as in all the rest of Russia: 90% of the ministers were repressed or destroyed in the Soviet Times. He spoke about how today the seminary in working on new methods of communication between their students and students of other confessions. A new course is being established on the basics of Islam, and there are already intramural sporting competitions between students of the seminary and the Islamic Academy. The Christian churches host together a festival of spiritual music. 
During the meeting participants shared their own personal stories. Rafael, a teacher at the university, spoke about how he became Orthodox. He read the Gospels just out of curiosity 25 years ago, and he recognized his sinfulness and came to the church, where he saw and continues to see miracles. Eduard Gansky, a German Russian, spoke about his mixed marriage. He told about his life with his Tartar wife, with whom he has been married for 10 years. He loves her, his family and his Muslim relatives very much.They've never had any conflict on religious grounds. From the very beginning they agreed that they wouldn't talk about their religious beliefs. Eduard wished his German friends similar results in their country. A duet from the "Renaissance" chamber orchestra performed the piece written by congregational member Rudolph Brening, “At the Edge of Kazan.” The evening also was enhanced by songs from the vocal group “Kubanskoe Podvore” led by Elena Tarasova. At the end of the evening the participants of the conversation sang a hymn in two languages and prayed the Lord's Prayer.
Vera Muzafaraova

“Theatrical Sarepta”

Volgograd
The “Theatrical Sarepta” festival, which the Lutheran congregation helped organize and in which the congregation took part, was held on January 21-22. The ceremonial opening took place in the kirche and started with a celebratory concert of children's drama groups; locally-trained actors from Marx, Kamyshin and Volgograd presented their own original plays. For example the “Hoffnung” folk theater (led by Svetlana Gelber) put on a skit about Catherine the Great and the residents of the Sarepta Moravian Brotherhood colony which was founded near Tsaritsyno (now Volgograd) in the 18th century.

At the end of the festival a family drama group from the congregation, led by Nelly Tretyakova, put on a play that she had written - “A History of One Poem.” In this play the story revolves around an anonymous poem found in the congregation's porch; the actors showed how an intergenerational family (a grandmother, daughter, granddaughter and two grandsons) reacted to this text and the theme of forgiveness that is at its center. The grandmother helps the younger generation come to a true understanding of forgiveness. Special treats of the day included music by Nelly's grandchildren on the guitar and piano and her homemade traditional German “krebles.”

Three Anniversaries - German Culture Days in Vladivostok

Our 21st German Cultural Days have a special meaning this year when we celebrate three anniversaries: the 25th anniversary of the rebirth of the Lutheran Church in the Russian Far East; the 20th anniversary of the return of St. Paul's church in Vladivostok, and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
We invited many friends from Russia and abroad to attend. We will be especially happy to see the delegates from the Central States Synod of the ELCA, which has been our partner for 25 years. We also are anticipating our newly-elected bishop, Alexander Scheiermann to come from Omsk and our Archbishop Dietrich Brauer from Moscow; the latter had part of his internship with us when he was still a student.
In the 25 years since the rebirth of the Lutheran church in the Far East and the 20 years of restoration of our beautiful St. Paul's Church in Vladivostok we can only be thanks to God. Despite many people leaving us and emigrating west – this was the theme of our Culture Days last year – we can only with wonder and thankfulness affirm how many blessings we have been given over these years! And here we remember the promises given by God to Abraham: “And you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12.2). This is our blessing as well.
The main event – the “Day of Three Anniversaries” will be October 1 in St. Paul Church! And of course we again visit the universities of Vladivostok; there are again meetings with students in the Goethe hall at the regional library. We again will offer folk dancing. And again we will have the “German Vladivostok” tour. The Honorary Consul of Germany Y.I. Kotyk will host a reception on the “Day of German Unity.” We will celebrate worship on October 1 as Harvest Day.
And as always we will have much music, since music is our pride. We will also have the traditional “Evening of Polish Music,” and there will be a concert of Manfred Brockmann's compositions.
Once again organist Jamin Raschfrom Hamburg will be with us with three organ concerts in our church. And we will conclude our Culture Days with the works of our great J.S.Bach.
I thank all of our sponsors.
Manfred Brockmann, Pastor of St. Paul Church in Vladivostok, Dean of the Russian Far East, retired Honorary Consul of Germany
September 2017

The Rebirth of the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of the Savior in Baku

Azərbaycan Yevangelik Lüteran Kilsəsinin. That is what “the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Savior” looks like in Azerbaijani.

The first Lutheran church in Baku was established in 1853 and liquidated in 1936. The rebirth of the congregation began thanks to the active work of the former church council president, Tamara Gumbatova, in 1993. The congregation was officially registered on November 2, 1994. The main group of the congregation at that time were those Lutherans who were baptized and confirmed before the congregation's liquidation. The first spiritual leader of the congregation was Pastor Stefan Reder who visited the congregation from St. Petersburg from time to time. Afterwards other visiting pastors came from Germany thanks to Pastr Reder’s efforts.
In 1996 the congregation held an event at the Azerbaijan-Germany Society dedicated to the 450 anniversary of Martin Luther's death. Besides academic papers being read, there also was an exhibition - “Lutherans in Azerbaijan.” In 1997 at Easter 8 children were baptized, and in 1998 – 8 adults. This was a great joy.
The congregation waited a long time for a pastor who would come for a significant period of time; this person was Guenther Oborsky (1998-1998). On March 13-14, 1999, the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary. Worship was led by the ELCROS Archbishop Georg Kretschmar and assisted by Stefan Reder and pastors of the congregation; there were many guests, including the German ambassador, a representative from the government's religious affairs office, and the Bishop Alexander of the local diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.
After three years of pastoral vacancy, other pastors came as visitors from 2002-2007.
At present the congregation has 83 members (80% of which are women). The government office for religious affairs helped the congregation to get a space for worship in the historical "kirche," which presently is home to the chamber and organ music hall.
According to the agreement with the State Philharmonic signed June 26,2011, the Lutheran congregation in Baku received the right to have worship in the sanctuary of the church and use the wonderful organ for that purpose. Despite many years of effort, the congregation is not able to get the building back as its own possession, and it even has to pay rent for using the space for worship. Everything else the congregation has to do in the “office,” a sizable apartment in the city center...but rent for it needs to be paid, too.
In 1996 a law was passed in Azerbaijan forbidding foreign missionaries to work in the country, so it was a great gift for the congregation that Menzer Ismailova studied at the Theological Seminary in Novosaratovka and came back to serve as its pastor in 2011.
Today the congregation of the Savior in Baku is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia and the Southern Caucasus (ELCG); twice a year its representatives take part in the ELCG's synods. We are united by much: our liturgy for worship, common events and seminars, the sharing of mutual experiences. It is worth noting that the bishops of ELCG have constantly supported us – Dr. H.Hummel, Dr. A. Shoekel, Dr. J.Launhardt, and Hans-Joachim Kiderlen.
History and the present situation point to the fact that the Lutherans of the southern Caucasus were, are, and will remain a united whole.
Vera Nesterova and Natalia Bairamova

The Best Gift is a Book!

Tbilisi

The working group of Hans-Joachim Kiderlen, Kristina Hummel, Pastor Irina Solei and Elena Ilinets worked hard to prepare for the 200th anniversary of our church. On April 8 I had the honor of presenting a publication in which articles were gathered about the history of Swabian settlers from 1817 to 1991. The authors told in an accessible and interesting way why the Swabians immigrated, about the foundation of their colonies, their everyday lives, the tragedies and triumphs of this hard-working people,  as well as their cultural and religious life. In this memorial publication the deportation of Germans in 1941 and the re-birth of the Lutheran church in the 1990s are also reflected.

Usually when you hold a book in your hands you don't think much about what a difficult and long path it takes to publication. Our working group walked that path. The first issue of our “Church News” in 3 languages was printed in July 2001. It looked very primitive, but with time our working group creatively developed and improved our skills in publishing. With time the monthly “Church News” publication steadily transformed into a higher quality product; we've also published brochures and booklets.

And now the chance came along to try out printing a book. Of course it wasn't easy and it was even a bit scary – do we have the skill and strength enough to meet the challenge of printing something of professional quality? It took time to prepare for printing; as usually, we didn't have enough of it. It took us two months to prepare the publication while usually books in such a format take significantly longer to prepare for publication.A three-language publication is not by any means an easy thing! The translation always needs stylistic corrections since we hold to the norms of literary translations.

Having received and edited the translations we were able to start with the design, with the choice of font and finding photos that fit in terms of theme and quality. 

I want to first and foremost thank the authors who responded to our call and made a contribution to this anniversary publication – the Bishop of the Evangelical Church in Wurttemberg  Frank Otfried July, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Georgia Heike Paich, the chair of the foundation for the assistance of the ELCG, Juergen Helwig, Christina Hummel, Bishop Hans-Joachim Kiderlen, lector Temuri Bardavelidze, Pastor Irina Solei, Pastor Garri Azikov, the President of the Association of Germans of Gerogia Garri Augst. Vera Nesterova and Natalia Bairamova from the Church of the Savior in Baku, and Architect-Restorer Nestan Tatarashvili.

We would also like to thank the translators and editors and all who contributed to the design. Shamil Somhishvili in particular suggested an interesting idea for the cover and made it himself – a circle made of portraits of pastors (including the first pastor, Johann-Bernhart Saltet and the last pre-Revolutionary pastor, Richard Maier) and bishops of the ELCG around the Luther rose. It ended up being a wonderful symbol that unites the past and present of our church.

For me it was especially interesting to do something with such a high degree of responsibility – publishing a book. How well it worked will be for our readers to decide.

Elena Ilinets

200th Church Anniversary in Georgia

Tbilisi
The celebration of the 200 years of the establishment of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Georgia began on Saturday, April 8. A summer cafe (“The Martin Luther Cafe”) was opened up in the garden on the terrace; this was possible thanks to the equipment given to us by a congregation from the German city of Heppenheim. This cafe with live accordion music for accompaniment was at the center of the next two days’ events, even if the prices there didn't fully cover expenses. The children from the congregation in Rustaveli performed a German dance and two of them played on the flute. In the yard in the evening when it was cold and dark, music by a jazz trio was muffled by a storm.
In the first half of the day Temuri Bardavepidze and 12 representatives of the youth used Georgian to tell the story of the history of our church starting with German settlers in 1817 until 1917; they did the same thing in the evening, only in Russian. In the second half of the day Pastor Irina Solei spoke about the very difficult times between 1917 and 1991. She invited Nina Mindiashvili, the granddaughter of the last pastor from Tbilisi, the martyr Richard Maier, to join her for conversation. Earlier in the entryway an exhibition of artistic black and white photos was set up that, together with items from everyday life of German settlers, helped tell the history of the church.

Elena Ilinets presented her tri-lingual (Georgian, German, Russian) publication, the first attempt of our newsletter publishing team to print a book. Then Irina Solei and Kristina Hummel spoke about the time of rebirth of the church since 1991. Pastor Albina Zotova led evening prayer.
A joint worship service of all the congregations of the church was held on Sunday morning, April 9, also in 3 languages (or four if you count the prayer in Azerbaijani that was part of the service as well). Pastors Irina Solei, Viktor Miroshnichenko and I led the service which lasted two hours. Among those in attendance were a group of tourists from the Evangelical congregation in Heppelheim. The Tbilisi congregation shared the offering from that service with the congregation in Baku, which was represented by 4 congregational members.
Many people say that the celebrations went really well. 
On the morning after the celebrations, I sat down to write a letter to the President of Georgia expressing my disappointment that the national government sent no state representatives even to the Saturday evening event. The only country represented was Germany – by Ambassador Heike Paich. However the Georgian Orthodox Church honored us with its presence in the person of Protopresbyter Georgia Zviadadze, who welcomed us with great appreciation for our tradition. Also with us were our friends from the Evangelical Baptist, the Armenian Apostolic. Roman Catholic, and Adventist churches. Of course Pastor Varlam Ramishvili from Batumi and Beka Mindiashvili from the Committee of Religions were also there. 
Hans-Joachim Kiderlen

Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Arrival of German Colonists in Borzhomi

Borzhomi

On April 12 in there was event dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the arrival of German settlers in Georgia.

The Evangelical Lutheran congregations in Borzhomi, Kutaisi and Tbilisi and the Evangelical Baptist congregations in Tbilisi, Gori and Batumi were represented at the event; also in attendance was the leader of the inter-religious committee of the Georgian Ombudsman Beda Mindiashvili.

The church council president from Borzhomi, Nana Kapanadze, gave a Holy Week sermon which was followed by the opening of the exhibition which showed artifacts from everyday life of Germans who lived in Borzhomi. After that everyone left for the regional history museum in Borzhomi for a conference on the theme “The Contribution of Germans to the Development of Borzhomi.” The conference, which was taped for a local TV station, also featured a concert. There were more than 80 people present for the reception after the conference.

Nana Kapanadze

Artistic Album of German Russian Heritage Published in the Year of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Moscow

In the year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation the International Union of German Culture (IUGC) prepared a unique artistic album “From Heaven Above..." about the history of the most important Lutheran symbols of Russia – active and abandoned kirchen. The album (1000 copies of which were printed) contains historic information, prose texts, rare architectural plans of buildings and contemporary photographs, as well as digital painting by Russian German artists especially created as part of an art lab.

“This year is marked by an event of worldwide significance – the whole world celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which had enormous influence on the development of scientific thought, art, and faith of many people and cultures. The album published by the International Union of German Culture is more than just a project that presents the history of Lutheranism in Russia. It is also a large artistic and analytical work which is meant to save that integral part of the historical heritage of our country which is the Lutheran tradition of Germans of Russia,” noted Igor Barinov, the leader of the Federal Agency of ethnic affairs.

The publication is unique insofar as it presents a living reflection of Lutheran culture of our country; in addition to historical facts, it has real artistic value. The name of the album comes from a line in the poetry of Martin Luther: “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come...” - the poetry of a person whose theses caused upheaval in the Christian world.

“On the one hand we wanted to give a sign of respect to our ancestors who started to come to Russia already in Luther's lifetime and then, in the years of Catherine (the Great) II’s manifestos inviting Germans (1762-3) when Germans settled en masse in the Russian provinces and founded more than 75 Evangelical Lutheran colonies in the Volga region alone. On the other hand we wanted to tell our fellow citizens and European society about the rich history and tradition of Lutheranism in Russia,” said the album's publisher, the first vice-chair of IUGC, Olga Martens.

At the core of the album are the results of the work of the Art Lab of the Creative Union of German Russians, especially their expeditions to the Volga. In 2016 and 2017 painters created around 30 canvases with Lutheran cathedrals of Russia as their main subjects. Some of these historical monuments have been restored; others are abandoned, having been used in the Soviet period as grain bins, auto repair shops, clubhouses, swimming pools, barns... after that tragic page in the history of German Russians began in 1941 – deportations, forced labor, eternal exile.

Even in the most difficult circumstances of repression and homelessness Russian Germans were able to retain their ties with their religion. Faith helped many of them to survive the periods of deportation and repression. The Germans of Russia were always very pious and many families saved their families' Bible and hymn books. Even today a majority of Russian Germans are Protestant. This confessional commitment played and continues to play a big role in the preservation of German culture and identity.

“The Reformation was not only a religious event. It prompted man to think about his relationship with God as well as his place in human society. The Reformation began with one person and many others were caught up in it. We are heirs of the Reformation whether we are members of Lutheran churches or not. In these kirchen the main thing that happened was that there was a Reformation of the heart. In these building songs of praise were song to the One who gives life. Here people found inspiration for transforming and reforming life around them,” said ELCR Archbishop Dietrich Brauer in his forward to the album.

The exhibition and album are intended to acquaint readers with the history of Russian Germans through the prism of the Reformation and the confessional agency, Lutheran and German architecture. The album includes never before published historical documents – architectural plans and historical information about Lutheran churches and congregations in the capitals and in large cities as well as in the areas of German settlement on the Volga. The chronology of development of Lutheranism in Russia and these historical texts about church buildings were written by the most qualified specialist on the history of Lutheranism in our country, Prof. Olga Litsenberger, Ph.D.

The presentation of the first paintings from the exhibition of German Russian artists entitled “From Heaven Above....” first took place in the Temple of Jesus Christ in the village of Zorkino (Zurich) on August 28, 2016 – the 75th anniversary of the deportation of Soviet Germans. Then the pictures were sent to the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Moscow as part of the Forum of Germans of Russia in October 2016.

The ceremonial presentation of the album and the mobile exhibition took place as part of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation events in the city church of Bayreuth (Bavaria, Germany) on May 22, 2017. Visitors will be able to see the exhibition in other German cities as well – in Augsburg and cities of Saxony-Anhalt, after which the exhibition and album will be presented in various places in Moscow.

Original text from the site: www.rusdeutsch.ru

God's Promises Hold! - Dean Elena Bondarenko Preaches at LWF General Assembly Opening Worship

From the website of the Lutheran World Federation. 

WINDHOEK, Namibia/GENEVA, 10 May 2017 - The survival of the church through tribulations is the fulfilment of God’s promise, participants in the Twelfth Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) were reminded during the opening worship.

“God’s promises concern life and everyday existence, our daily bread and all our works, God’s promises open for us a truth that everything makes sense, all our deeds and even thoughts and feelings have a meaning, and the ultimate goal is that we, with all our thoughts and deeds, can be saved.” This was the message from Rev. Dr Elena Bondarenko of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia, in her sermon at the Assembly eucharistic worship.

The service attended by some 800 people was held in a worship tent erected on the grounds of the Safari Court Hotels and Conference Center in Windhoek, where the highest decision-making body of the LWF is meeting, jointly hosted by the three member churches in Namibia. A mass choir and musicians from the local churches accompanied the hymn singing.

Preaching on Isaiah 61: 1-4, Bondarenko urged the congregation members from around the world to trust in God. “God’s promises are really held. For 2,000 years the Christian church has been teaching, proclaiming the gospel and administering Holy Sacraments. […] The church is victorious because Jesus promised it.” 

The worship tent, which will be the meeting point for most of the assembly worship and prayer services, has an altar table, font and pulpit made of wood from fallen trees collected in Namibia.

The assembly host churches namely, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia - German Evangelical Lutheran Church, bring together some 1.2 million people. They join hands under the banner of the United Church Council of the Namibia Evangelical Lutheran Churches, through which they collaborate to enhance church unity in the country.

God’s gifts are not for sale

Bondarenko’s reflections on the Assembly theme, “Liberated by God’s Grace,” and sub-themes elaborating that salvation, human beings and creation are “not for sale” also set the tone for the Sunday, 14 May, global event to commemorate the Reformation anniversary at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.

She suggested the sequence: creation-human beings-grace-salvation, to affirm the order of biblical history, and the most important of God’s promises. “God’s gifts are not for sale. God gives us freedom and grace in abundance. God comes to save us in our time. And it is time to rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated, it is time to worship God according to the tradition, but also with our own, new song,” she added.

Bringing meaning to life

A church dean, who has been involved in reconciliation work with congregations in the Ukraine amid the Crimean crisis, Bondarenko noted the 500th Reformation anniversary also coincides with the 100th anniversary of two Russian revolutions that brought persecution to Christians there.

She asked the congregation to imagine what it was like in Russia to live under official atheism for almost 90 years, “without our faith in God” and “without the beauty of the Holy Scriptures and church liturgy [or] God’s guidance and support in the chaos of times.”

Emphasizing that God’s promises hold, she said, “When everything was done to make the church silent and dead, it is a real miracle that the Bride of Christ, the church survived.”

Her message to Christians today, facing new challenges and questions to which they might not have many answers: “Let us humbly confess our ignorance and trust in God our Creator. What is in our power is to be honest and honestly to proclaim God’s grace and to preach that creation and salvation are not for sale. This was the basis of the Reformation 500 years ago, this is the principle that we renew in a modern way nowadays,” she added.

ELCRN Bishop Ernst //Gamxamub presided at the Eucharist, which was distributed at different points in the tent.  Other liturgical parts of the service were led by Bishop Dr G. Raja Socrates Sathyachandar from the Arcot Lutheran Church in India, and Church of Norway Presiding Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien, who is also LWF Vice-President for the Nordic region.

After the service, participants moved from the tent to the conference center plenary hall to begin the Assembly business sesions, which today will include the address of the LWF President and presentation of Messages from the Women and Youth Pre-Assemblies.

Full text of the opening worship sermon

High resolution photos from the Opening worship

Opening of the Year of the Reformation in Russia

Moscow

On March 22 in the “President Hotel” in Moscow, the “Year of the Reformation” officially got its start. While the anniversary itself will be celebrated on October 31, celebrations will take place all year long and in many various places around the church. These events were “opened” on a national stage at this gathering, attended by representatives of traditional Christian denominations, state representatives, diplomats, and journalists. The Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia, Dietrich Brauer, welcomed the guests.

In his speech he underlined the importance of the contribution of Lutherans to the social, cultural, scientific and educational spheres of our country. The Archbishop suggested that everyone consider the fruits of the Reformation as a historical phenomenon. “It is important to remember that Lutherans in the Russian state were not, in contrast to many countries of Eastern Europe, isolated, but took an active part in the development of social-political life.” “Of course the exception to this rule under the monarchy were the peasant farmers who were invited to Russia by the tsaritsa who grew up as a Lutheran, Catherine II (the Great). The official civil head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Russian Empire was the Emperor (c.f., Code of Laws of the Russian Empire, 1832). Many leading Russians were Lutherans, including the Briullov brothers, Peter Faberge, Barclay de Tolly, Anton Delvig, Vitus Bering, Vladimir Dal, Iva Kruzenshtern, Sergei Witte. Lutheran churches to this day help make the central streets of Russian cities look beautiful. And despite all the difficulties and occasional repressions of Lutherans during troubled times, Lutherans always remained faithful to their homeland and deeply desired to work for its good. Christian exterior mission was for the most part limited to charity work, diaconal work as an expression of neighbor love. Thanks to many unique church-society projects the Lutheran Church has been able to successful move between confessional lines.”

Others who spoke supported this line of thinking. They included the journalist and historian Nikolai Svanidze, the former Minister of Culture Michael Shvydka, the representative of the International Union of German Culture Olga Martens, who particularly made note of the contributions of Lutheran pastors throughout history. Among the guests were deans and pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia who made the trip to Moscow specially for this event. The “Soli Deo Gloria" choir led by Oleg Romanenko contributed to the event by performing important Reformation-related songs – Mendelssohn's Reformation Cantata and Handel's “Alleluia” chorus.

Resurrecting Memory

Shamkir, Azerbaijan

On July 23, 2016, the congregation of the Savior in Baku experienced a touching moment of solidarity with their ancestors. I as a pastor had the opportunity to lead a Lutheran worship service in the building of the Annenfeld church and to return to this historical monument, even if for just a few hours, living prayers to the Lord.

Having resolved all the formalities with government structures and having received permission from the Azerbaijan State Committee on Religious Affairs, 16 people from the congregation went to this historical place, the city of Shakmir.

As early as the V century Shakmir was established as a large craft and trading city in Persia. This medieval town also had close historical ties with German settlers. In 1818, 67 families from Wurtemburg established the Annenfeld village and found in Azerbaijan a new homeland.

In 1826 the German village was destroyed by Persians, and its residents were made to leave their homes to find a place in another colony. For the next decade they suffered from a lack of land and from disease, but in 1836 they were able to return to Shakmir and restore their homes and their land.

In 1909 the colonists built a new church in the Neo-Gothic style; worship services were held there until 1941, when the Germans were deported. In the postwar years the building was first used as a “house of culture,” and then the regional historical museum. Thanks to help from Germany and the support of the state, the building was restored.

And now in 2016 the congregation had the unique opportunity to hold a Lutheran worship service in this historical place. We were overjoyed! The residents of the city and the local government met us in a friendly way and a few of them joined us for worship. The “kirche” has an organ in it, and we sang and prayed in the space where wonderful acoustics strengthened the sound of our voices. It was as if we were transported into the past, resurrecting the history of Swabian settlers.

After worship we were shown the city. We think that this day might be our congregation's small contribution to the program of the planed celebration of the 200^th anniversary of Germany settlers coming to the Southern Caucasus. If God grants it we will be able in those days of celebration to all pray together in the church in Annenfeld.

Pastor Menzer Ismailova

Anniversary of the Carl Blume House

Zadorozhe (Kaliningrad obl., Russia) 
10 years ago in the village of Zadorozhe in the Ozerskiy region of the Kaliningrad oblast an unusual home was opened. For the first (and so far only ) time in our church's recent history, a home providing medical care for the elderly was opened under the auspices of the Evangelical Lutheran church. The first director of the Carl Blue House was Pastor Tatyana Petrenko.
On September 17th of this year the Carl Blume house once again welcomed guests as they did 10 years ago; these guests include the person who inspired the building of the house, former area dean Pastor Heyer Osterwald, former area dean Pastor Thomas Passauer, a representative of the Order of St. John, a representative of the administration of the Ozersky region and the town of Ozersk, ad representatives of the administration of the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Dean of the Central Deanery Elena Bondarenko and preacher from the Central Deanery Artis Petersons. Local church guests included current Dean Igor Ronge as well as pastors and staff of the deanery.

The celebratory program was led by the director of the home, Irina Mitrokhina. There was a concert program with local children's and dance groups to entertain the residents and guests. The staff of the home put out a lot of effort in order to arrange a wonderful buffet. 
The anniversary was a good opportunity for old friends from Germany and Russia to meet. All the guests expressed hope for long and blessed work of the Carl Blume home. 
Happy anniversary! 

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. 

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

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.