In the last weeks of 2013 the congregation in Yaroslavl took an important step in itself development when it welcomed its first full-time pastor in 90 (!) years. On December 15, Ivan Shirokov, a native of Volgograd and a graduate of the Novosaratovka Theological Seminary, was ordained and installed as pastor.
The congregation has 30 to 40 active members, though with the appearance of a new, young Russian pastor, there have been many more new people visiting the church than in the past. They meet in the historic Lutheran church, St. Peter and Paul's, in the center of the city. After many years of neglect, the building had fallen in to disrepair, but Ivan, together with a group of friends from Cassel, Germany, have made great efforts and much progress in making the building into a comfortable home for the congregation and a welcoming space for guests. One of the first steps in this process was building a glass-enclosed chapel inside of the walls of the historic building. This allowed the congregational members to stay warm in the winter and also to keep the space of worship at least somewhat separated from the area being restored.
They've also worked on cleaning up the territory and insuring the structural integrity of the building. However, because repairs to the exterior are lower on the list of priorities, there have been some questions as to whether or not there would be pressure on the congregation from the city administration. Dean Elena Bondarenko and the head of the ELCER church administration Viktor Weber helped the congregation with this issue by meeting with the city administration. Now the congregation has also acquired its own organ, and the building is feeling more and more like home. The most recent news is that the city of Yaroslavl plans to return the ownership of the building to the church. Praise the Lord!
The congregation has 30 to 40 active members, though with the appearance of a new, young Russian pastor, there have been many more new people visiting the church than in the past. They meet in the historic Lutheran church, St. Peter and Paul's, in the center of the city. After many years of neglect, the building had fallen in to disrepair, but Ivan, together with a group of friends from Cassel, Germany, have made great efforts and much progress in making the building into a comfortable home for the congregation and a welcoming space for guests. One of the first steps in this process was building a glass-enclosed chapel inside of the walls of the historic building. This allowed the congregational members to stay warm in the winter and also to keep the space of worship at least somewhat separated from the area being restored.
They've also worked on cleaning up the territory and insuring the structural integrity of the building. However, because repairs to the exterior are lower on the list of priorities, there have been some questions as to whether or not there would be pressure on the congregation from the city administration. Dean Elena Bondarenko and the head of the ELCER church administration Viktor Weber helped the congregation with this issue by meeting with the city administration. Now the congregation has also acquired its own organ, and the building is feeling more and more like home. The most recent news is that the city of Yaroslavl plans to return the ownership of the building to the church. Praise the Lord!
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