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

Church Building Anniversary

Saratov

On May 1st in St. Mary's church in Saratov there was a celebratory worship service dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the building process. The building is still not built yet, but it does function and every Sunday welcomes all for prayer.

  As part of his episcopal visit to the the Saratov deanery the worship service was attended by Archbishop Dietrich Brauer together with his wife Tatyana Petrenko. Friends from other cities also came to the Saratov congregation – the Schtelwag family from Germany and Pastor Donald Richman from America.

   In his sermon Archbishop Brauer wished everyone a happy Easter (it was Eastern Orthodox Easter that day) and underlined the importance of every person understanding the purpose of Christ's Resurrection; it is difficult to see sometimes behind all the traditional treats during the Easter feast. The family also took a tour around the building site; they were happy with the way various parts of the building are slowly but surely being finished in a way that will help the congregation as it develops; they wished the congregation well in their efforts in the difficult task of building construction.

   After worship the youth of the congregation prepared a surprise for everyone – they made special hot dogs for the occasion with rolls prepared by one of the congregation's members, Frank Baker, the latest in a long line of bakers in his family.

  Everyone had a chance for important fellowship at the tea time after church – they could visit with the spiritual head of our church, ask him questions, take pictures with him, or they could have personal discussions with the pastors-pastoral care givers from other cities and ask guests about different countries and the life of Christian congregations abroad.

  Then, together with the locals, everyone went to the newly restored church in Zorkino in the Marx region of the Saratov oblast, where worship was also held.

  Alexander Geryugin

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