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

Congregational Anniversary Year Starts With Book Presentation

Saratov
On January 28th St. Mary's Evangelical Lutheran church in Saratov hosted a book presentation. O.Litsenberger, A. Deryugin and N. Kolomitsev co-authored a book about the Saratov congregation on its 250th anniversary... which will officially take place only in 2020; since historical documents give no exact date of the foundation of the congregation, this date is calculated based on the first time the congregation is referenced in external sources.
The book is entitled “St. Mary's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saratov at the 250th Anniversary of its Founding.” This publication acts as a follow up to the first book about St. Mary's Lutheran, published 22 years ago, in 1995. It is targeted at historians and others for whom it is interesting to know about the Lutheran church in the city and its influence there throughout the years. The book covers the life of the congregation, its relationship with the government authorities, the difficult fate of those who ministered in the congregation in the 20th century, and the development of the congregation in our days.
The book presentation started the process of celebrating two other anniversaries related to the history of Saratov Lutherans. On October 6, 2018, 225 years will have passed since the dedication of the first St. Mary's church in the city, and on November 22 it will be 25 years since the congregation's rebirth. Unfortunately the first building lasted only 83 years
(1793-1876) and was seriously damaged in a fire. The second St Mary's arose 3 years later (1879-1970), but was destroyed during the time of state atheism. It was located on the central city street – German Street (now Kirov) and was built according to the plans of the world-famous architect from Berlin, Johann-Eduard Jakob Stahl.
The logo of the anniversary shows three crosses: the first is black-purple and symbolizes the tragic fate of the first building; the second is red and is a reminder of the sufferings of the period of repression, and the third is a white cross which is a symbol of the contemporary church building which is already 11 years old and the hope for long years of the the triumph of love, goodness and spiritual peace in Saratov and in the country as a whole. The appendixes to the book are also of great value – archival materials and rare photographs.

The President of the ELCR General Synod and Dean of the Saratov area Andrey Dzhamgarov, led the event. Elena Heydt, the representative of the publisher, the regional coordinator of the International Union of German Culture and the chair of the “National-Cultural Group of Russian Germans of the Marx region, personally congratulated those in attendance on the occasion of the anniversary and also read a congratulatory letter from the First Deputy President of the International Union of German Culture, Olga Martens.
Then the congregation and guests heard the letter from the main author of the two books, Professor Olga Litzenberger, Ph.D. “On this significant day I personally and all the authors of the book want to express to you, dear pastors, members of church councils and congregational members, our gratitude for your many years of irreproachable work. I congratulate all of you with the publication of this new book about the Saratov congregation.”

After this the co-authors of the book – church council member Alexander Deryugin and church council member, journalist and linguist Nikolai Kolomiytsev, spoke about how this publication was put together, and in particular drew the attention of readers to three very interesting chapters filled with abundant historical facts.
After this there was a ceremony thanking those who cooperated with the authors - each of the former of which were given a copy of the book and a certificate of thanks. Also a copy of the book was given to each of the two largest regional libraries.
Representatives of the government also were present at this event. Dmitry Konusov, the vice minister of internal affairs and civil society for the Saratov oblast, was in attendance. Elena Poznyakova, the head of the department of relations with cultural institutions for the Saratov oblast, also greeted the congregation and guests of the event.
Representatives of other Christian denominations in the region were also invited to the book presentation. The head priest of St. Clement Roman Catholic Church in Saratov, Andrey Slavik, gave a heartfelt congratulations to all in attendance on the occasion of the publication of the book and the double anniversary of the congregation.
After this those in attendance could ask questions of the authors and also receive signed copies. The day ended with a reception.

“Theatrical Sarepta”

Volgograd
The “Theatrical Sarepta” festival, which the Lutheran congregation helped organize and in which the congregation took part, was held on January 21-22. The ceremonial opening took place in the kirche and started with a celebratory concert of children's drama groups; locally-trained actors from Marx, Kamyshin and Volgograd presented their own original plays. For example the “Hoffnung” folk theater (led by Svetlana Gelber) put on a skit about Catherine the Great and the residents of the Sarepta Moravian Brotherhood colony which was founded near Tsaritsyno (now Volgograd) in the 18th century.

At the end of the festival a family drama group from the congregation, led by Nelly Tretyakova, put on a play that she had written - “A History of One Poem.” In this play the story revolves around an anonymous poem found in the congregation's porch; the actors showed how an intergenerational family (a grandmother, daughter, granddaughter and two grandsons) reacted to this text and the theme of forgiveness that is at its center. The grandmother helps the younger generation come to a true understanding of forgiveness. Special treats of the day included music by Nelly's grandchildren on the guitar and piano and her homemade traditional German “krebles.”

Artistic Album of German Russian Heritage Published in the Year of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Moscow

In the year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation the International Union of German Culture (IUGC) prepared a unique artistic album “From Heaven Above..." about the history of the most important Lutheran symbols of Russia – active and abandoned kirchen. The album (1000 copies of which were printed) contains historic information, prose texts, rare architectural plans of buildings and contemporary photographs, as well as digital painting by Russian German artists especially created as part of an art lab.

“This year is marked by an event of worldwide significance – the whole world celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which had enormous influence on the development of scientific thought, art, and faith of many people and cultures. The album published by the International Union of German Culture is more than just a project that presents the history of Lutheranism in Russia. It is also a large artistic and analytical work which is meant to save that integral part of the historical heritage of our country which is the Lutheran tradition of Germans of Russia,” noted Igor Barinov, the leader of the Federal Agency of ethnic affairs.

The publication is unique insofar as it presents a living reflection of Lutheran culture of our country; in addition to historical facts, it has real artistic value. The name of the album comes from a line in the poetry of Martin Luther: “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come...” - the poetry of a person whose theses caused upheaval in the Christian world.

“On the one hand we wanted to give a sign of respect to our ancestors who started to come to Russia already in Luther's lifetime and then, in the years of Catherine (the Great) II’s manifestos inviting Germans (1762-3) when Germans settled en masse in the Russian provinces and founded more than 75 Evangelical Lutheran colonies in the Volga region alone. On the other hand we wanted to tell our fellow citizens and European society about the rich history and tradition of Lutheranism in Russia,” said the album's publisher, the first vice-chair of IUGC, Olga Martens.

At the core of the album are the results of the work of the Art Lab of the Creative Union of German Russians, especially their expeditions to the Volga. In 2016 and 2017 painters created around 30 canvases with Lutheran cathedrals of Russia as their main subjects. Some of these historical monuments have been restored; others are abandoned, having been used in the Soviet period as grain bins, auto repair shops, clubhouses, swimming pools, barns... after that tragic page in the history of German Russians began in 1941 – deportations, forced labor, eternal exile.

Even in the most difficult circumstances of repression and homelessness Russian Germans were able to retain their ties with their religion. Faith helped many of them to survive the periods of deportation and repression. The Germans of Russia were always very pious and many families saved their families' Bible and hymn books. Even today a majority of Russian Germans are Protestant. This confessional commitment played and continues to play a big role in the preservation of German culture and identity.

“The Reformation was not only a religious event. It prompted man to think about his relationship with God as well as his place in human society. The Reformation began with one person and many others were caught up in it. We are heirs of the Reformation whether we are members of Lutheran churches or not. In these kirchen the main thing that happened was that there was a Reformation of the heart. In these building songs of praise were song to the One who gives life. Here people found inspiration for transforming and reforming life around them,” said ELCR Archbishop Dietrich Brauer in his forward to the album.

The exhibition and album are intended to acquaint readers with the history of Russian Germans through the prism of the Reformation and the confessional agency, Lutheran and German architecture. The album includes never before published historical documents – architectural plans and historical information about Lutheran churches and congregations in the capitals and in large cities as well as in the areas of German settlement on the Volga. The chronology of development of Lutheranism in Russia and these historical texts about church buildings were written by the most qualified specialist on the history of Lutheranism in our country, Prof. Olga Litsenberger, Ph.D.

The presentation of the first paintings from the exhibition of German Russian artists entitled “From Heaven Above....” first took place in the Temple of Jesus Christ in the village of Zorkino (Zurich) on August 28, 2016 – the 75th anniversary of the deportation of Soviet Germans. Then the pictures were sent to the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral in Moscow as part of the Forum of Germans of Russia in October 2016.

The ceremonial presentation of the album and the mobile exhibition took place as part of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation events in the city church of Bayreuth (Bavaria, Germany) on May 22, 2017. Visitors will be able to see the exhibition in other German cities as well – in Augsburg and cities of Saxony-Anhalt, after which the exhibition and album will be presented in various places in Moscow.

Original text from the site: www.rusdeutsch.ru

“A Healthy Spirit in a Healthy Body”

Saratov, Russia
  The Volga region has traditionally been a very important center for church life in Russia, from the times of the German colonists up until today. Saratov is certainly one of the most important cities there, and it was with great joy that I had the chance to visit and teacher there in May.
    Together with pastor Andrey Dzhamgarov and Area Dean Alexander Scheiermann, we chose the theme "healthy congregations" for our time together and, after inviting Dean Vladimir Provorov from Ulyanovsk (a good friend of the congregation) to share in teaching duties, we named the seminar "A Healthy Spirit in a Healthy Body."  There were approximately 16 attendees from Saratov, Saratov oblast, Ulyanovsk, and Kazan who took part over the first two days, while another group joined us for a summary of the seminary on Sunday after worship. 
   The group was engaged with the material, and especially enjoyed working together on the Bible in small groups, something that I learned was not typical for them. I personally very much enjoyed seeing the church (an enormous structure that has been and will be under construction for some time), meeting the congregations, and getting acquainted a bit more closely with a pietist tradition congregation in a large, provincial city.
  Less successful, it seems, was our choice of dates. The period of late April to the end of May is a great time in Russia, but it is also a time filled with many different holidays, events, and work on the dacha. This probably hurt us in terms of attendance, but we will learn from this experience in order to organize things better next time around.
Bradn Buerkle

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. 

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. 

Edith Mutel's "I Remember" Presented in Petrikirche

St. Petersburg

"The goal of my book is to help preserve Russia's small German settlements in people's memory." With these words Edith Mutel, the 96 year-old author of the recently published Russian version of her memoirs, greeted congregational members and guests at the presentation of her book in Petrikirche on December 13th. The full title of the book is: "I Remember: From Petrograd to Petersburg through the Volga and Siberia. The Fate of a Pastor's Daughter." 

Archbishop Dietrich Brauer, while congratulating Edith Mutel on the publication of her book, emphasized that it has significance for our whole Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

Congregational members gathered into a long line in order to get an autographed copy of the book, which came out in small run of 500 copies. Some of those will be sold through the book ministry "The Word," while a copy will also be sent to all the congregations of our church for their libraries. 

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.

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

Celebratory Days in Sarepta

Volgograd

From September 18-20 the Lutheran congregation in Volgograd celebrated a triple anniversary - 250 years from the moment of the founding of the only colony of the Moravian Brotherhood in Russia - "Sarepta;" 25 years from the moment of the rebirth of the Lutheran congregation in Volgograd and 10 years since the organ was installed in the church. The congregation as well as the local community organization the "Center of German Culture" and the "Old Sarepta" historical museum took part in the celebrations.

There were many guests from near and far at the celebration. Honored guests who gave their greetings included: ELC Archbishop Dietrich Brauer, Pastor Dietrich Hallmann and his wife Dorotea, who served in the congregation from 2000 to 2006, Karla Langerfeld - a pastor descended from a line of Moravian pastors in the 7th generation, partners of the German cultural center from city of Fuld (Germany), a representative of the International Union of German Culture, a representative of the German embassy in Moscow, the Minister of Culture in the Volgograd Oblast and the Vice-Chair of the Government of the Volgograd Oblast. 

Other congregations in the Lower Volga Deanery also took part - Kamyshin, Elista and the village of Lebyazhiy.

The event was opened by the laying of a time capsule with wishes of peace and good will to those who will open it 50 years from now. Two descendants of the Sarepta colony lead this memorable event.

On September 19th the Pastor of the congregation Oleg Schtulberg was married in the church with his wife Tatyana; the wedding was officiated by Pastor Dietrich Hallmann. 

On a sunny Sunday morning members of the congregation and guests gathered for worship, where Archbishop Dietrich Brauer preached. He also took part in the celebratory events related to the anniversary of Sarepta.

Finally in these days there was a meeting of the deanery with partners from the Berlin Mission.

Tatyana Schtulberg

Seminar in Sarepta

Volgograd
  “About Us and Our Church,” a seminar that ran from May 8th to the 10th on the site of the congregation in the Sarepta neighborhood of Volgograd, was the beginning of a project supported by the Berlin Mission and Bread for the World. The idea of this project is that Sarepta can become an additional site for education for church staff in the Volga region. The project is planned for two years; during this time there will be seminars and pastors' meetings. This first seminar, led by members of the Volga region working group in the Berlin Mission and a member of the Gustav Adolf Fund in Berlin, focused on the discussion of how to best plan educational efforts in the region in the next two years. Pastors and preachers from around the Lower Volga Deanery took part, including Dean Oleg Stulberg.

Historic Exhibitions in Siberia

Novosibirsk
  Photographs and documents, household items and clothing, hand-written hymn collections and antique Bibles – the exhibition “Lutherans: Three Centuries in Siberia” brought all of this and more together for visitors in Novosibirsk and Tomsk this winter. A lot of work in the state and personal archives led to a large amount of interesting historical material being gathered together that help tell the story of our church.

  On January 22 the exhibition opened in the Novosibirsk Russian-German house. There visitors could learn about the three stages of the spread of Lutheranism in Siberia – first, through the resettlement of ethnic Germans and others to Siberia during the imperial period, then through the repressions and exile of the Soviet period (including the confiscation of church property, the murder of pastors and the closing of congregations). It was this second period, despite all the trials, that saw real growth in the church, especially thanks to those who came from the Volga region. The third period, beginning in the 1970s, started when the repressions of the church began to wane. Small groups of believers who met in private homes began to receive the right to form congregations and to openly preach the Word of God. The exhibit showed the history of congregations in Tobolosk, Tomsk, Omsk, Barnaul, the Krasnoyarsk region, Irkutsk and other places.
  The opening of the exhibition was attended by many guests, including representatives from the Russian-German house and the city and state administration, the German Consul Vitkor Richter, Bishop Joseph Werth from the Roman Catholic Church. ELCUSFE Church Administrator Tatyana Muramtseva (who led our church's delegation); pastors and congregational members from Omsk and Novosibirsk greeted those in attendance. The Gute Laune  ensemble provided musical accompaniment, and a short film on the history of Lutheran was shown, followed by a reception.
  As Tatyana Muramtseva noted, the Church has two tasks – to spread the Gospel and to serve people. We hope that these exhibitions will be useful for understanding the rich experience of our brothers and sisters in faith and will inspire those who attend not only to get acquainted with the Lutheran church, but also with the One who stands at the center of the Church, Jesus Christ.

A Meeting of Stars - Marx and Potsdam

Postdam (Germany)/Marx (Russia) 
  On Oct 4 in Potsdam a new partnership agreement was signed between the congregation in Marx (Saratov oblast) and the congregation of the “Star Church” in Potsdam. This agreement is a part of the new, broader agreement between the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg and Silesia of the Upper Lusatia and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia. The main goal is to strengthen the congregational structures in Marx over the course of the next 4 years.
  The “Star Church” was built as part of the “Church for New Cities” program and was dedicated in 1990. Although totally destroyed in a fire in 1997, it was re-dedicated in 1998. The name (“Sternkirche”) it got from the form of its building. The star, a symbol of Christian promise and hope, was reflected in the architecture of the building.
  At the beginning of August of this year the restoration of the church building in Marx began; the bell towers should be re-created this year, while in 2015 the restoration of the facade should be completed. This brick church, built in 1840, was the largest church of the Volga Germans. During the Soviet times it was used not according to its original purpose. Its bell tower and cupola were sacrificed in order to build a cultural club building. Now it is hoped that the exterior of the building will be restored to its original form.