“The World is in Me, and I am in the World”

Krasny Yar

The congregations in Tolyatti and Samara held their annual children’s camp during the winter holidays January 3 to 8 in the village of Krasny Yar in the Samara oblast. The theme was chosen deliberately. Many children today ask questions about how faith in God can be integrated into everyday life and how to act so that this faith is spread.

Human life can be divided into, let's say, three social “spheres.”The first has a radius of one meter around the person - we'll call it “I myself.” The second – with a radius of three meters - is “I myself, my friends and relatives.” The radius of the third sphere is endless - “I myself and the world around me: people, animals, nature.”
For 5 days the kids thought about how God spreads His love through all these “spheres” and how we can reflect that, how we can influence the world for the better.

Tatyana Zhivodyorova

A New Home for the Congregation in Tolyatti

On the morning of October 16, 2016, congregants of St. George Lutheran Church in Samara happily boarded a large bus to Tolyatti. They were going there for the first worship service of the local congregation in their new building.

Just a week earlier the hall of the church was still under construction; by the dedication ceremony it was ready for use and can fit up to 50 people. If one thinks about how much patience, energy and work was put into this, you realize that it is just amazing. In contrast to the previous space used by the congregation – the “Club for the Disabled of Tolyatti” - this new building has a sanctuary, a well-equipped kitchen, a multiple-use space, two bathrooms and an apartment. There is also another room that is still under construction.

Pastor Friedhelm Brockmann from Berlin together with Dean Olga Temirbulatova and Pastor Tatyana Zhivodyorova led worship on this Harvest Festival Day; the choir from the Samara congregation accompanied them.

Pastor Brockmann together with deaconess Lora Engelkes began the renewal of the congregation in Tolyatti in 2002. Unfortunately Lora was unable to share this joyful event with the congregation insofar as she departed this earth in 2008.

At the beginning of his sermon Pastor Brockmann remembered all the difficulties of the beginning of his ministry and about how the ministry continued under Pastor Zhivodyorova. He tried to make plane to everyone present that it was in no way a “given” that this building would appear, and it is a reason for the congregation to be proud. There is a lot of room in the building for, among other things, work with people with special needs, some of whom were in attendance. Pastor Zhivodyorova was very moved by the service, and she fought back her tears, as did many others present. These were tears of joy and pride and also, perhaps, a bit of recognition that the day which they had dreamed and prayed about had finally arrived. All the efforts weren't in vain! And it was particularly for these fruits of the harvest that we thanked God on that day.

Lena Gebert, Emanuela Yanson

Reformer: Change Changes!

Dresden, Germany 

  Pentecost for the youth group from the Samara deanery was an international holiday. On May 13-16 they represented the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia at the 4th international “Eva Peace Academy." Young people 15 to 27 years old take part in this event, organized by the “Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden” together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony. This year the festival had around 400 participants from 30 countries. 
The “Peace Academy” was dedicated to the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, and the theme was "Reformer: Change Changes!"
  Every event of the schedule was tied with the theme in one way or another – from quests and city tours to morning and evening prayer, master classes, and worship services. The organizers of the festival held a couple of public events, for example they walked around the city with signs that said “Free Hugs” and then shared their observations and experiences.
What are changes? What do they bring? And if they bring conflict – how can they be solved in a peaceful way? We all live together in one world and every person has his or her own subjective world. Both the world as a whole and as individuals are in constant motion, constantly changing. The one who moves and changes can also be a mover and a changer – of the world, of oneself, of others. In order to make changes, it is necessary to have the energy, motivation and skills to do so. Where can we get these things from? How can we be sure that we are moving in the right direction? At the “Peace Academy” young people could ask these questions and receive answers to them! And the right answer was found in the experience of one's own faith and in the faith of others.
  Tatyana Odzilyaeva

Visit to Congregations in the Samara Deanery

Samara, Russia
  On April 15-17 Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia Dietrich Brauer made a trip to the congregations of the Samara Deanery. 
On Friday the 15th, Dietrich Brauer arrived at St. George congregation; he also had two important meetings that day, with the meeting of the Metropolitan Sergei of Samara and Syzran of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the administration of the governor of the Samara oblast. The question of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation was discussed; the bishop of the  Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg    Dr. Frank Otfried July will make a visit during the upcoming year and an ecumenical conference will be held. 
  On Saturday April 16 Dietrich Brauer led worship in congregations int eh deanery – in the cities of Pokhvistnevo and Otradny, where he commissioned David Kreimer as lay minister. In the beginning of January 2016 the former leader of the congregation, Alexander Fridrichovich Mut, who was its council chairmen for more than 50 years, left this world. Thankfully he was able to raise up a successor, and now David Kreimer will lead the congregation. 

The Path to Heaven

Samara, Russia

  Over Spring Break, from March 29 to April 1, the 7th Bible Week for Children and Youth was held in St. George church in Samara. This time the theme was the story of Jesus Christ's path to the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father.
  The entrance into the sanctuary symbolized the city gates of Jerusalem. The first Bible study was held and the first happy songs were heard was held near the altar. On the second day the focus was on the Last Upper. The kids put together a large tent from materials they found lying around.
  The center of the third day was a procession. Participants went along the path from the organ in the balcony to the basement and then went out to the church yard; from there they into the sanctuary and climbed up to the very top of the roof for the next Bible study. Colored cloth was used during all the Bible studies and symbolized various moments of the Easter story. On the last day in the very heart of the church – on the altar near the cross, the children heard of God's loves revealed to people in Jesus Christ. 
  Besides the spiritual program every day the participants took part in various cultural events – exhibitions, movies and games. The local, award-winning singer-songwriter Evgeny Biritsev directed the kids as they prepared a small performance for Sunday worship. 
  These were full and interesting day – both for the young participants of the Bible Week and for its organizers. 
Larisa Zhivodoreva

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. 

The Right to Vote – For Winter Holidays!

Krasny Yar, Samarskaya Oblast (Russia)
  The traditional winter camp of the Samara danery was held in Krasny Yar (Samara obl.) from January 4 to 10. Children and youth up to 20 years old took part. The theme of the camp was “The Church is a gathering of people with the right to vote.”  Every child has a right to decide his or her own everyday problems and spiritual questions. And everyone has their own calling. For 5 days participants could take part in various aspects of “Kid's Church.” The evenings concluded with children's paryers and songs.
Participants in the program read the Bible and thought about problems of the contemporary Church. They also talked about dialog between religions since in the group there were children with Orthodox or Muslim parents.  

Love and trust reigned during the time the participants spent together. There were twice as many boys as girls. They showed their care and concern, gave them advice about faith...and even sometimes cleaned up in place of the girls! At the end of the time together the participants sang songs during the worship service at St. George Church in Samara. On behalf of the children and youth I would like to especially thank the Samara congregation and their volunteers – Manuel Schmidt and Hannah Böerle for full and interesting days at the winter camp.

150th Anniversary of St. George Сhurch in Samara

Samara

On September 13th guests (local and from among partners in Stuttgart) and congregational members gathered together in St. George church for a special event - the 150th anniversary of the church's dedication, which took place on September 26, 1865.

But that wasn't the only reason to come together for celebration - it was also the 200th birthday of the Governor of the Samara region, Constantine Karlovich Grot, the founder of St. George congregation. While the church choir sang the oldest member of the congregation, lay preacher Andrey Dubitsky, dedicated the Grot memorial plaque with the following quote from the Bible as a message to the citizens of Samara: "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." 

The Minister of Culture of the Samara Oblast Sergei Filippov said that the church and the congregation are important elements of the makeup of the city and the region. The representative from the city administration wished the congregation well, and then a representative from Stuttgart's government, Isabel Fezler, passed on greetings (in Russian! This was a pleasant surprise) as well. Pastor Olga Temirbulatova gave Ms. Fezler grapes from the vine they planted together in 2012.

The Orthodox priest Father Vitaly, a long-time friend of St. George Church, emphasized the current cooperation between the Orthodox Church in Samara and St. George church in the area of diaconal work. It was also a joy to hear the words of greeting from Pastor Viktor Ryaguzov from the Baptist church. The congregation in Tolyatti gave as a gift an angel (made by children with developmental disabilities). The children also participated in the worship service. After worship there was a small concert by organist Kye Johannsen. Although there were only a few songs played, those who listened were able to enjoy the wonderful music of a professional who loves his instrument. 

The celebrations came to an end after tea time, during which congregational members and guests shared their impressions. Afterwards many people went to the Volga embankment to join in the city-wide celebrations of Samara's city day. 

 Anna Gamazina

What Do We Depend On?

Krasniy Yar
     The congregation in Krasniy Yar (Samara region) hosted a winter break camp for children and youth from January 4th to the 9th. It seemed for a moment that the whole event would have to be canceled because of a heating problem, but Pavel Rechtenbach gave up time from his holidays and dedicated three days to getting everything back up and running.
  The theme of the camp was “dependency” as seen from all sorts of different angles; special attention was given to the questions of why we want those things that are harmful to us and how to fight dependencies. The key Bible verse was 1 Cor 6.12: “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.
  Every day was full of a variety of events – Bible studies, exercise, morning prayer, winter-day walks, drawing, preparing for the final evening's skits. All of this was made possible by the Samara congregation who made their building available and thanks to the leadership of the pastor of the congregation in Tolyatti, Tatyana Zhivoderova and her daughter, Tatyana, who led the youth group.

Ordination in Kaliningrad

  On December 14th in the Church of the Resurrection Elena Kurmyshova was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. She had recently finished her year-long internship in Samara under the direction of Area Dean Olga Temirbulatova. Now she is responsible for the congregations in the region of Gusiev in the Kaliningrad deanery of the ELCER.

  Lena is a graduate of the extension education program of the Theological Seminary in Novosaratovka. After getting her degree, Lena spent a year and half working in a diaconal program in Germany. For a number of years she provided pastoral care to hospital-bound HIV patients as part of the ministry of  St. Peter and St. Anna church in St. Petersburg . Her experience in the sphere of diaconal ministry will be very important for Pastor Kurmysheva in her work related to the Carl Blume home for the elderly in Gusev.

Two Seminars For ELCR Women

  Women's retreats have been held in ELCUSFE every year since 2006, and each of them has brought spiritual renewal, strengthening faith and bringing significant practical help to those who are serving Christ's church.  This year's theme (explored on May 2-7) was “Created in God's image.” This theme was touched on again and again in Bible studies by the coordinator of women's ministry in ELCUSFE, Tatyana Serebrova, among others. The main idea could be summed up in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer - “God loves us so much not because we are valuable, but we are valuable because God loves us so much.” During fellowship and worship sisters in faith came to feel that they are really members of one big family.

  The women's seminar for ELCER in Krasniy Yar (near Samara) was split into two parts; the first (for those serving in the area of women's ministries) was held on April 29 to May 3 with representatives of 7 congregations attending; also attending was a participant from Lvov, Ukraine, an important sign of the unity and solidarity of our church. Guests from Stuttgart, Pastor Gotfriend Stein and his wife Erika, acquainted participants with a catechetical program for congregational use, “Steps of Life," the text of which was translated by Ruth Stubenitsky at the Theological Seminary. It is planned that the text will be published and used at future seminars. The second part of the program was the annual women's seminar held from May 5-9; Erika Stein led lessons for women from various congregations of ELCER. These seminars provide not only knowledge and rest, but also important fellowship and a sense of unity.

Spring Break in the Kirche

Samara
  Spring has come. School is out for a week. Parents have a serious problem – what to do with the kids? Unfortunately the local government is unable to provide a high-quality alternative for parents. Therefore St. George Lutheran in Samara decided to respond to this need, and for the first time advertised in a newspaper that the church would host a children's day camp from March 25 to 28.
  Although they had high hopes for attracting new people, they were surprised (in a good way!) at just how positive the response was. The program was interesting and productive. The morning started with songs, and then children listened to a Bible story. Later the kids worked up an appetite by playing games outside. By the end of the week the children waited to pray before beginning to eat their lunch.
  After lunch there were field trips and workshops in preparation of the Easter program. The watchword of the day camp was taken from Psalm 121.8: “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.” The Biblical themes were dedicated, of course, to Holy Week and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  Tatyana Kuznetsova, Evgeniya Birintsev, Elena Kurmyshova and Olga Temirbulatova showed the children the world of the Bible; Lukas Hoernig and Anya Agapov ran around together with the kids; Tamara Mikhailova fed everyone with her treats and Tamara Kolesnikova fought to keep everything clean. With such a good team it is possible to think about how to make the next day camp even better.

Pastors Temirbulatova and Brockmann Recognized with Medals

  Pastor Olga Temirbulatova received a medal from the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation for her significant contribution to the rebirth and development of the Lutheran congregation in Samara and, through this, for supporting the German diaspora of the region. On Christmas Eve 2013 she was presented with a limited addition medal dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the German settlement of the region.
  On October 6, 2014 the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, acting in the name of the German President, presented Dean Manfred Brockmann with the country's highest civilian honor - “For services rendered to the Federal Republic of Germany” for his “many years of service for the development of the relationship between Germany and Russia.”
  Among the many letters of congratulation that came in from various corners of the world, two stood out particularly for Dean Brockmann – the letter of the retired Consul General of Germany in Russia and of the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Dietrich Brauer.
  The Consul General in Russia from 1995-2002 wrote: “for me it is a great joy that you received this medal. You are uniquely deserving of this honor....Your life and activities in this city and in the Far East brought Germany closer to those living in the region; you contributed significantly to reconciliation between our peoples...Your tireless personal participation in all of your areas of responsibility and your positive spirit is an example of how people can act for the good of Germany anywhere in the world.”
  Archbishop Brauer was born in Vladivostok and at one time had an internship there. He wrote “your ministry is a clear witness to the world that God sends out his love to all people and uses for that purposes various means and languages. These means can be liturgy, music or architecture...and also cultural days and educational seminars. God has given you gifts generously, and with boundless energy you serve and “witness to many.” (1 Tim 6.12).
  Dean Brockman, reflecting on his ministry here says: “yes, it is a country where nothing is easy. But it is for this very reason that Russia is so rich in human and religious experience; and it is possible to wholly agree with the words Sigfried Springer used for the title of his book about ministry here - Heaven is Closer in Russia.”