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

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.