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

Restored Church in Zorkino Re-dedicated

Zorkino

The village of Zorkino in the Marx region of the Saratov oblast was known until 1942 as “Zurich.” It was a German settlement similar to many others on the Volga. But while it shares a history with many other settlements, it's present is unique thanks to the generous donations of a Russian German businessman who decided to restore the church in the home town of his father.

On October 3^rd of this year, then, the Church of Christ the Savior (a copy of the building that was destroyed during Soviet times) was opened and dedicated. At the dedication the main sponsor of the project, Karl Loor for Belgorod, said, “a few years ago I lost my father. A few days after his funeral I sat down to look at his photo albums and understood that there is so much that I do not know about the history of my family. I began to gather all the pieces of the puzzle, and it was then that I had the idea to restore the church.” Olga Litzenberger, a researcher and historian of Russian Germans, found the building plans and passed them on to Mr. Loor.

The Church of Christ the Savior in the Zurich colony was built in 1877 according to the plans of the famous German architect Johann Jakobstal. It was an exact copy of the church of St. Mary that was destroyed in Saratov in the 1970s. In the 1930s the church in Zorkino was closed and then used as a warehouse, a club and a movie theater. In 1992 there was a fire in the building and the building was abandoned. By the time the restoration of the building began, the only thing that was left were walls with trees growing out of them. The reconstruction began in 2013 and the day of re-dedication was chosen deliberately – October 3, 2015 is the 25^th anniversary of the re-unification of Germany.

More than 500 people attended the ceremonies. Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Dietrich Brauer was in attendance, as were the Dean of the Saratov Deanery Alexander Schaermann, pastor in Saratov Alexander Dzhamgarov, the Dean of the Volga-Kamsky Deanery Vladimir Provorov and also pastors from America, Germany and Brazil. Olga Martenz represented the International Union of German Culture while Yuri Gaar represented the Volga Russian Germany National Cultural Society of Saratov Oblast.

After the dedication of the building Archbishop Dietrich Brauer performed the first Baptism in the new walls of the church. After the 4-hour service, guest went to place flowers on a World War I.

In the future worship services here will be led by pastors from the Saratov deanery and there will also be a cultural center in the building.

The Restoration of the Kirche in Marx

 At the beginning of August as the city was preparing to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the Lutheran church in Marx (Saratov region) had almost regained its original form. Built as a church on the central town square, it was turned into a “house of culture” during Soviet times; now it is a church again, with a new tower and bell.
  The congregation in Marx, then Marxstadt, was closed exactly 85 years ago, on the 5th of August 1930. In 1941 its cross was removed, and the clock on the tower stopped working. It is said that someone took home the keys to the clock, waiting for a time when the Russian Germans, exiled to Siberia by Stalin, could return. Unfortunately, the bell tower was destroyed long before that could occur. The excuse for taking down the tower was that some boys had climbed up it chasing pigeons, and one of them fell. This might have been the case, but the real reason for its destruction was that the tower of the former Lutheran church, located just across the street from the Communist Party headquarters, irritated local officials. Long-time local residents say that those few Germans who had escaped deportation stayed home and prayed in quiet on the day the tower was torn down, while Russian women who walked by had angry words for those doing the destruction – it might not have been their church, but it was a church nonetheless, and they knew that it was wrong to destroy it.
  The building hosted the town's only cultural events in the Soviet period, but in the 1990s it changed hands a number of times before it was finally returned to the Lutheran congregation for its use. It is not the church's own property yet, though, and that is a matter of time and money. It is a huge building and the congregation, even though there are around 300 people there for worship on Christmas, the congregation still cannot maintain a building that was meant for 3000.  Yet a local sponsor, Vitkor Schmidt from Saratov, is doing a lot to restore the building. For now the congregation is grateful for the cross that acts as a sign and even beacon of faith for all who live in the city.

Visit of Archbishop and Ordination

Saratov
  ELCR Archbishop Dietrich Brauer traveled to Saratov on November 29-30 in order to preside at the ordination of Andrey Dzhamgarov in the under-construction buidling of St. Mary's church. In his words to the new pastor, Bishop Brauer spoke of the serious responsibility that goes with pastoral ministry. The pastor not only teaches what the the Lord and the Word of God – the Bible – says, but also in his life gives an example of righteousness. In his sermon Pastor Dzhamgarov noted that a real minister should not stand in the center and draw attention to himself, but instead always be off to the side, pointing to the crucifixion of Christ as the true center.

  There were many honored guests at the ordination, including representatives of the state and local government. Many warm and touching words were addressed to the new pastor by representatives from congregations in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Marx and other cities in Russia. During the second part of the celebrations guests had the chance to listen to the musical talents of the youth choir from St. Mary's church in Ulyanovsk. After that everyone “traveled to Africa” for a few minutes thanks to the choral number performed by Lutheran medical students from Namibia; their traditional African manner of singing was touching not only because of it being unusual, but because of the high quality of singing. The congregation's theater group prepared a gift for the new pastor – they performed a mini-play that demonstrated the true meeting of pastoral service, of how the shepherd guides, protects and brings peace to the flock.
  All the members of Andrey's family – his parents, his older brother, wife and son – shared their thoughts about this significant event in the life of their family and of St. Mary's church. His family name - “Dzhamgarov,” translated from Armenian means “bell ringer.” Andrey, like his anonymous forbearer, also has gone along the path of service in the church.
  On his first day in the region Archbishop Brauer traveled together with area Dean Andrey Shaermann to Holy Trinity church in Marx; this building, from the first half of the 19th century, is an architectural monument and is currently being successfully restored. The Archbishop also had a chance to see the restoration work done in Christ Lutheran Church in the village of Zorkino; this building was a copy of the historic building in Saratov, destroyed in the 1970s.

Trip to Saratov

  God's presence is always clearly felt in the church in Saratov – whether it be in the building of a new church, the ministries of the congregation or fellowship. For that reason the congregation in Ulyanovsk was happy to once again organize a visit to their fellow Lutherans on the Volga. Pastor Vladimir Provorov led a group of 11 to visit the congregation, to help them during their work day, and to celebrate Harvest Festival with them one week after they marked that day in Ulyanovsk. Pastor Alexander Shaermann asked Pastor Provorov to preach, and he took up the theme of thankfulness. Being thankful is not just being polite, it is our reaction to the grace given to us in Jesus Christ...and we are enriched in the process.  
  There were a number of special moments about the trip, including the singing of brothers and sisters in Christ from Nambia at the closing worship service as well as the stops on the way back from Saratov in the towns of Marx and Zorkino. In both of these places churches are being built; in the first, a new building to replace the one destroyed during Soviet times and in the second place – the restoration of the historical building. In Zorkinko they've already installed the bell tower; the clock and bells installed there and already being heard, summoning all who pass to prayer.  

Zorkino