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

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

First Hymnal in Azeri Published

Baku, Azerbaijan
  “Isa Rabbim” is translated from Azeri as “Jesus is my Lord.” That is the name of one of the songs in the hymnal published in the Church of the Savior in Baku. It came out on May 7th with a run of 250 copies.
  Menzer Ismailova, pastor of the congregation, says: “in Azerbaijan in all churches we usually sing songs and pray prayers in a foreign  language. A year ago we decided to make more available in our native tongue and started working on a project to that purpose.
While working on the hymnal Martin Luther's Small Catechism and his morning and evening prayers were translated into Azeri. Hymns from various Christian confessions (some of which were already used in the congregation) were included, and Menzer herself wrote a few poems that were then put to music by composer Galib Gasanov.
  The 129 page hymnal included 42 songs. It's publication was made possible thanks to the help of the Lutheran congregation in Kvinstal (Norway) and the Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission.
  “Today I am so thankful to hold in my hands this hymnal, even if it is small,” says Menzer. To be able to sing and pray in my native language is a great joy.”