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. 

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.

From the Kingdom of Poland to the Samara Province

Kostroma
  On the 15th of March in the building of the Kostroma State Scientific Library a book presentation was held. Evgeny Fleyman's “Germans of the Konstantinov Volost from the Kingdom of Poland to the Samara Province. (1864-1917).”
  Prof. Fleyman told about various waves of German emigration to Russia – about the first merchants in the 16th century, about Catherine the Great's invitation for settlers to come to the Volage, and also about later resettlements during the First World War.
As chair of the church council in Kostroma and as a preview to the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Evgeny Alexandrovich also spoke about a few aspects of the Evangelical Lutheran faith. It was very interesting both for those from the congregation that were in attendance and for the university teachers, members of the press and guests of the library who were present. 
  Evgeny Fleyman's book is a significant contribution to the cultural development of Kostroma as well as a huge help to the Lutheran congregation in the city. Attending the book presentation were Area Dean Elena Bondarenko, Pastor of the Yaroslavl congregation Ivan Shirokov, Preacher Artis Petersons and the volunteer from the Moscow congregation, Tilman Zeeb. The administration of the city was represented by the person in charge of contacts with religious organizations, A.S. Emelyanov. 

Visit of Bishop from Latvia and Meeting with Representatives from the Russian Orthodox Church

Kostroma

  On April 9th a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church visits Kostroma. Included in the delegation were Bishop of Daugavpils Einars Alpe (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Latvia), Dean Elena Bondarenko, Lay Minister Artis Petersons, and the Church Council Chairman of the Kostroma Lutheran congregation Evgeny Fleiman. In Kostroma they met with the head of the Kostroma and Galich Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Ferapont. The meeting was friendly, and they discussed important questions for both sides regarding the defense of traditional values and questions of further cooperation. Later the Rector of the Kostroma Theological Seminary Father Georgi Andrianov showed the guests around the campus.

  The Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Kostroma has a rich history; historically it was made up mostly of Latvians, though there were also Russian Germans, Swedes, Estonians and Dutch members. Not long ago  Artis Petersons was appointed lay ministry of the congregation; he was born in Daugavpils.In this sense the visit of Bishop Alpe from the same city keeps the historic connection alive.
  The visit of Bishop Alpe was a sign of the rebirth of the Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Kostroma insofar as it shows that the congregation is alive, that international connections can be made and it is taking on an active role in the city and the oblast (state). For example the church council president is a Professor of the Kostroma State Univerity, Evgeny Fleiman. 

  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kostroma is part of the Central Deanery of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia, based in Moscow. The Moscow congregation is involved in caring for the needs of Kostroma Lutherans, including organizing events and trips. The historical tie between the congregation and the congregation in Yaroslavl is also maintained by the Pastor in Yaroslavl, Ivan Shirokov; together with Petersons and Bondarenko he makes frequent visits to the Kostroma congregation.