Archbishop Emeritus Edmund Ratz (1933-2017)

Ansbach, Germany

On August 31 after a long illness Archbishop Emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Russia and Other States (ELCROS), Dr. Edmund Ratz, passed away.

Edmund Ratz was born in the Bavarian city of Zeitlofs. He studied theology in Germany and the USA; he worked as a pastor in England and then as the secretary for inter-church cooperation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, the director of the Worldwide Lutheran Service, and the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation in Stuttgart. Edmund Ratz twice received an honorary doctorate – in Zagreb in 1987 and in the Gurukul Theological Institute in Madras (India) in 1994.

In 1999 Edmund Ratz moved to Odessa, where he became the visitation bishop and then the bishop of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine. He remained in this post until his election as the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia and Other States (ELCROS) in 2005. From 2005 to 2009 Dr. Ratz served as Archbishop of ELCROS and lived in St. Petersburg; then until June 2010 he served as the Archbishop's assistant. From 2007 to 2011 Edmund Ratz combined this ministry with the ministry of the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in European Russia, having been elected to this post at the ELCER synod assembly in 2007.

The ceremony of burial for Archbishop Emeritus Ratz took place on September 9 in Neuendettelsau (near Ansbach). We express our deep sympathies to his widow, Doris Ratz, and to all his friends and relatives. Archbishop Ratz will remain in our memories as a pastor and theologian, a person with a big heart, attentive to the needs of those around him, willing to help in any way he could.

May the graceful Father take him into his eternal dwellings. “Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Heb 13.7)

International Festival of Organ Music in Odessa

Odessa, Ukraine
  On May 22 St. Paul's Cathedral flung open its doors for participants in the 6th International Festival of Organ Music. The long-time organizer of the festival and organist in the kirche, Veronica Struk, welcomed everyone at the festival's opening. 
The festival is named for Theophil Richter, the father of the famous pianist Svyatoslav Richter, whose talent as organist was displayed in the walls of St. Paul's Cathedral 100 years earlier. 75 years ago a tragic event occurred – the Lutheran church's organist was arrested and then executed.
  After initial greetings, the musical part of the festival began with the performance of a string quartet - “The Harmony of Peace” - which is famous in Ukraine and beyond for their performances of music in various styles, from boroque to modern, including their own arrangements of melodies from the 1930s and 40s. 

New Pastor in the GELCU

Odessa (Ukraine)
  On April 24th in St. Paul Cathedral in Odessa Deacon Igor Shemigon was ordained as a pastor in the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine. The service was led by the Church's bishop, Sergey Mashevsky; assisting were pastors Viktor Tselinko (Zhitomir) and Igor Taranenko (Lutsk).  

  Igor received his theological education through courses of the extension program of the Novosaratovka Theological Smeinary as well as in the Evangelical-Reformed seminary in Ukraine, where he is now a student in his final semester. 
  Pastor Igor Shemigon is responsible for St. Martin's congregation in Kiev. 

Chizhov Family Begins Service in Odessa

  On April 26th in the St. Paul Cathedral Bishop Sergey Mashevsky presided at the installation of Alexei and Natalia Chizhov as ministers in the Odessa congregation.
  Graduates of the Theological Seminar in Novosaratovka, Pastor Alexei and Deacon Natalia served for the past five years in the congregation in Herson. The congregation there (see photo) expressed their thanks to the family at their final worship service on April 12. They remembered how the congregation was struggling back then – with only 4 active members and grass in the yard as tall as your shoulders. Now the congregation has 30 active members and a lively ministry with children. Diaconal work began, ecumenical relationships developed, contact with the city government was established....the experienced they gained in Herson will serve them well in the cathedral church of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine. Andrey Mattos, the vicar in Odessa, will now become responsible for pastoral ministry in the Herson congregation.

How to Build a Home – The 2014 Synod of the GELCU

Odessa, Ukraine
  “I see a brigade of construction workers, trying to restore a building. They frequently argue with one another and do not trust one another. Some say that neither a plan nor building material is necessary, the only thing that matters is stirring the cement. Someone else says that you just need to build one wall and to destroy the other ones completely. Others still try to control everything but don't know the difference between paint and white wash...”   In his report to the synod Bishop Sergey Mashevsky painted this portrait of a building that could be compared with the state of the Ukrainian church today. The theme of the synod of the GELCU - “Thinking about the past, striving ahead” - called everyone to think about such questions.
  The meetings lasted from Oct 20-22 in Odessa, and the most important point was the election of a new Presidium of the synod. In the GELCU church structure the Presidium of the Synod has many tasks;  it fulfills the role of the synod council, as such, administers the church.
  According to the new rules for election, each of the 5 geographic regions of the GELCU presented two or three candidates up for election. The new presidium is made up of Oksana Klundt, Odessa (South), Oleg Fisher, Krivoy Rog (Southeast), Alla Wolf, Lozovaya, (East), Evgeniya Donetskaya, Simferopol (Crimea), and Konstantin Burlov, Kiev (Northwest). The church council president of St. Catherine's in Kiev, Konstantin Burlov, was elected President.
  Former pastor of the congregation in Zmeevka and the long-time friend of Ukrainian Lutherans, Ulrich Zenker, presently representing GELCU's partner the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria, gave the main report on the synod's theme.  Synod delegates split into working groups based on his analysis to discuss spirituality in action, the use of gifts, optimal church structure and strategic development.
  Bishop Sergei Mashevsky emphasized in his report that the first need of the church is to create a clear and functioning system of management and transparent structures. The first step to this, according to his words, should be a new document defining the structures of GELCU; this document was confirmed by delegates on the last day of the synod. Also Bishop Mashevsky underlined the importance of the representation of the church on the government level; work still needs to be done in this area for better cooperation. He spoke of the the successful development of partner relations with the churches of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which are not meant, however, to replace existing relationships with other churches, but only to widen and enrich them.
  The Synod ratified the agreement of the Union of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (ELC), as a member of the organization. At the same time synod delegates confirmed the importance of direct membership of the GELCU in the Lutheran World Federation; this needs to be done in the immediate future. At present the Ukrainian church is represented as a part of the ELC Union.
  “...but there are others still who carefully and constantly work. Brick by brick, mortar after mortar,   screw by screw...these people build the house not only for themselves, but they think about residents of the whole area. They have blistered hands and bruised knees, but their eyes are clear and honest.” This is the kind of building of the Church, according to the opinion of Bishop Sergey Mashevsky, that needs to be striven for today.

Life Returns to Odessa

Odessa
  In May 2014, the pastor of the Odessa congregation, Andrei Hamburg, wrote - “It is loud again in the streets - 'I can hear the drunk students yelling,' my wife says. She's happy, even though she can't go to sleep. It was unusually quite here a few days ago. It seemed like the whole city was holding its breath. There had been a horrible tragedy. 46 people died. We are still asking how this is possible in one of the most peaceful cities of our country.... There are attempts to explain what happened, but you can only explain it in part; in any case, it is impossible to understand it – 46 dead! Why? After May 2nd our city was split. I especially felt it the next morning on the TV broadcast. And I've never found it more difficult to find words than when answering calls from victims. It is never easy to soothe the grieving, but when a person also wants revenge, you simply go mute and can barely say a word. And then at the memorial events we heard the following: 'We'll never forget, and we'll never forgive.' In the church it became clear to us – it is still too early to talk about reconciliation. First it is necessary to heal the horrible wounds. It is hard to accept one's own powerlessness. So we simply limited ourselves to the most important things – to helping the wounded in hospitals and providing psychological support. The hotline that we set up after the first deaths on Maidan in Kiev was now very much in demand; those who called in were transferred to our volunteer psychologists. This 'first aid' helped people get by during the crisis situations, especially in the context of the 'information war' that makes many ordinary people – like you and me – lose their psychological stability.  Thank God that our church made itself known during peaceful demonstrations, that we did not look only at Romans 13 and not only totally submitted to those in power. We held together, supported and strengthened one another! Thanks to that people began to trust our church more, and now we were able to help people without first breaking down barriers of mistrust. We were criticized many times for being active in politics, but I remember the words of one Orthodox priest who came to me and talked with me, inspired by Bonhoeffer and Dorthee Solle... for me this was a sign that our Church is doing the right thing.
  In the work of reconciliation, we all are limited, we all need help. And because of that the type of unity that earlier seemed impossible suddenly arose – all of the religions of Odessa united! Muslims, Jews, Christians of all denominations, Hindus, Hare Krishnas... We all came together for an outdoor event; we prayed for peace, for the people, for the country. It was an amazing feeling! All the same I must admit that it is not only this that brings me hope...it is also the loud singing of students late at night in our neighborhood.”