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
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
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