Fall Seminars

  The past months have been filled with new opportunities for the “Equipping for Service” educational program for which I am responsible. The core idea of the “Equipping...” project remains the same – “to maximize accessibility to quality educational opportunities in the Evangelical Lutheran Church through a program that is collaboratively planned, flexible, and decentralized,” but in marked contrast to the events of the first part of the year, recently I've been engaged not only in teaching, but also in organizing events.

  The first of these came together at the last minute – “Two Issues in Christian Ethics,” held

in the congregation in Krasnoyarsk. This is an active congregation that values educational opportunities, so I knew that it was possible to try an experiment there - we would talk about Christian ethics. In a society that leans towards either a legalistic or a nihilistic approach to ethical questions, Lutherans sometimes would prefer to avoid the question altogether. But given the conflict between Russia and its neighbors and the influx of refugees from Donbas that have come even to Siberia, it seemed important to me to help our congregational members use their faith to engage these questions. While I hoped to look at the question of "Peace and War," in our two evenings together we only had time to look at the more general question of whom we help and why, which lead us in to the underlying question of how we go about moral decision making in as Christians. The two evenings brought together a total of 24 participants, which I consider to be quite successful given that people needed to take public transport to the church after work in order to attend. I was also very pleased to see congregational members interested in applying their faith to concrete ethical and social questions that surround them. I plan on doing more work in this sphere.

  The second event was south of Krasnoyarsk, in the region of Khakasia.  The region has 10 congregations spread over a 150 mile radius; most of them get only monthly visits from their pastor, Dmitry Schweitz, who was instrumental in helping organize this retreat, which we called "I am a Servant." The

main idea was to support the team of people leading congregations on a week to week basis. We hoped to reach this goal both through fellowship and through thinking about the following questions together - “What does it mean to serve? When do I feel like a servant? How can one serve effectively?” In the process we talked about the way service is understood in society and in the Bible, Jesus as a model of service, love at the center of Christian service, the Lutheran understanding of internal and external call, and our communal call as the church in this place. A number of concrete ideas were raised that the leaders intend to bring to realization – e.g., fund-raisers to help those in acute need, printing fliers about Lutheranism for distribution, and a cooperative attempt to form a new youth group in one of the congregations.  

  And this last month I was very pleased to welcome Pastor Chris Repp back to Russia.Chris had been my mentor when I came to Russia at as a seminary intern in 2001. About 2 years later, he passed on to me the position of teacher of Church History, Systematics and Ethics at the Novosaratovka Theological Seminary. When the opportunity arose to invite him for participation in an academic conference co-organized by the church, we decided that it would be great if he could also have contact with others through the “Equipping...” program. Chris and I chose to lead two 3-day seminars, one in Omsk (Siberia) and one in Ulyanovsk (in European Russia on the Volga). We thought that the title, “Law, Gospel and the Lutheran Confessions Today,” would attract mostly pastors and students. We did have participants from these groups, but it turns out that the topic had wider appeal than we might have expected. In Omsk there were 9 full participants (along with 7 others who were in and out) and in Ulyanovsk a week later we had a very large number – always more than 20, and most of the time around 30. Although the theme of the seminar was the same, Chris and I had to seriously adapt our material to the different audiences we saw, but in both cases I believe that the time we spent together was meaningful. 

  In Omsk the main thrust of my teaching was to help participants see that we do have official confessional documents, though we are far from familiar with their contents and that we need to familiarize ourselves with them in order to decide for ourselves what role(s) they are to play in the life of our church. Chris Repp focused on the issue of Law and Gospel as address in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology, demonstrating why this was important and how it applies to the interpretation of Biblical texts. (In this he has been influenced by the theological approach of the Crossings Community). In Omsk Seminary President Anton Tikhomirov was also with us and he first spoke about the confessions as a textual expression of Luther's Reformation break-through and then traced the development of Western (especially Protestant) theology from that time forward. In Ulyanovsk we kept things simpler, giving the most attention to the uses of the law and Biblical interpretation. In both places local leaders (a special thanks to Tatyana Muramtseva in Omsk and Vladimir Provorov in Ulyanovsk) did an excellent job of solving logistical issues.

Seminary participants in Omsk. Seminary President Anton Tikhomirov is 2nd from left; Chris Repp far right.

Seminary participants in Ulyanovsk. Pastor Vladimir Provorov (red, center) was our host. 

  Many thanks to you for your prayers and support (through the Hermannsburg Mission and the ELCA.) If any of you or your congregations are interested in making a special gift to help cover the expenses related to the “Equipping...” project, you can learn more about that through the ELCA's “Always Being Made New” initiative.

Youth Seminar in Krasnoyarsk

The following article was written by Svetlana Yukhnovets, a young woman from our congregation.
* * * 
  On March 16-17th a seminar dedicated to mission work among youth in our deanery was held for the first time. Pastors and youth from Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk and, of course, Krasnoyarsk were in attendance. As was fitting for the context of youth ministry, the seminar had an English language title -“For YOUth;” this could be interpreted in two ways, either as “for you” or “for youth.” The seminar had a well thought-out structure and was directed to practical ministry.

  The introductory part of the course was given to the question of the purpose and the tasks of the formation of youth ministry in local congregations. After that we thought about ways to get in touch with contemporary youth using their own interests – the internet, music, movies, sports, etc. Then we had discussion time, during which participants shared their ideas about the practical application of this approach. We found that such as activities as participating in sports together in public places, studying foreign languages, playing musical instruments and even various volunteer programs for helping the needy can be used as a means for becoming acquainted and then, eventually, for Christian fellowship.
  We thought about the ways that these interest groups could be formed into ministry teams made up of “assistant ministers.” During the seminar the term “assistant ministers” was used to speak about those engaged in any specialized ministry among youth based on a common interest. The goal of these ministries is to serve as a bridge between relationships based on a common interest and those that involve an acquaintance them with the Christian faith.

Pastors Gleb Pivovaro and Vladimir Vinogradov

  At the end of the seminar it was proposed that the participants work up and lead a youth worship service. It was held in the evening of the 17th of March. During the preparatory process participants were given the opportunity to use the wealth of talents and skills given to them from above. The youth were divided into 3 groups, each of which was responsible for a certain task. The first group was responsible for the hymns and musical accompaniment, the second group took care of all the questions around organizing the liturgy, while the third group was responsible for the sermon. The worship service was the highlight of the seminar and its logical conclusion, insofar as it reflects the heart of youth ministry.
  The seminar allowed us not only to note the tasks and possible solutions to problems in working with youth, but also encouraged us to exchange our experiences and the strengthened contact between local congregations.
  I would like to express the hope that this seminar will provide the necessary impact and new ideas for the development of a youth group in the congregation in Novosibirsk where, unfortunately, there is no such group at present.

Interpreting - Part I

The planning began a year ago, though certain details were being worked out at the last minute. How could it be otherwise when a church delegation from America comes to visit their partners in Russia? The ELCA Central States Synod has had a long relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Urals, Siberia and Far East. The initial connection came in the early 1990s through German-Russian communities stateside taking an interest in the fate of their distant relatives (figuratively and geographically) in the former USSR. A German pastor serving in the Russian Far East, Manfred Brockmann, made visits to the U.S. and developed partnerships. Today, almost 20 years later, there was an opportunity both to celebrate what the relationship has been, and to look toward where God might be leading in the future. Bishop's Associate Janice Kibler did much work to prepare the visit; ELCA Global Mission staff also shared their experiences, while I added a little local expertise. 

I say "a little" even after more than a decade in Russia. One of the reasons for that is that I had never really led such a group before; yes, I have frequently spoke with Americans about life in Russia and the situation of the church here, but I had never showed it to them. This time I would have to be a cultural and language interpreter on the ground, and I wasn't sure that I was ready.

This was particularly the case in Moscow; despite its relative proximity to my previous calls, I have never really felt at home there. Yet, my confidence grew as we were able to navigate through the city, see a few of the sites, and have good conversation both the Bishop Dietrich Brauer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia and with leaders of the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy. The former gave us a wonderful introduction to the history of the Lutheran Church in Russia and an overview of its contemporary life, while the latter helped us understand what it is like to be a part of the expatriate (or refugee) community in a diverse, expensive, traffic-jammed, difficult and beautiful city.

Bishop Brauer (center) showed us around the site of Sts.
Peter and Paul Cathedral in Moscow. On his right is
Bishop Gerald Mansholt from the Central States Synod,
farther right still is Pastor Loren Mai, while Kathy Walter
and I are soaking up the sun during the tour. 

Sometimes Moscow is so busy that
it is easier to pay attention to the cars
than the monuments (e.g., to Cyril and
Methodius, missionaries to the Slavs)

Our time in Moscow was short, however; we wanted to dedicate most of our time to cities east of the Urals. Our first stop was in my deanery, in Krasnoyarsk. I've written about the congregation there a number of times, in large part because of the vibrant ministries the congregation and its pastor have taken upon themselves. 

While a number of those in the CSS delegation had been to Russia before, none had been to Siberia. We therefore made a significant stop there, which gave us the time both to develop a sense for the place as well as the opportunity to hear stories of life and faith from members of the congregation. In the course of 5 days we went for very long walks through the city (one through some significant rain) and outside of it; we experienced morning prayer, Bible study, youth group, and Sunday worship with the congregation. 

Bible study in the congregation's apartment

Bishop Mansholt and Pastor Gleb Pivovarov descending a
ski lift overlooking the city 

A group photo with many of the congregation members
after worship on Sunday.

Yet, even after we left Krasnoyarsk, we had completed only half of our journey. From there we moved on to the deanery of the Far East, where we would visit 4 more congregations. I'll fill you in on that part of the trip in "Interpreting - Part II," to be posted in the near future. 

Retreat in Krasnoyarsk

In the Russian Lutheran church the term “retreat” is unfamiliar (in fact, if any of my Russian-speaking readers know a good translation for the word, please tell me!), as is the practice. However, one of the congregations in our region, the one most willing to experiment, decided to do something new. For 3 days in mid-August, more than a dozen congregational members and friends gathered outside of the city at the dacha of their church council president for Bible study, prayer and fellowship.

Pastor Gleb Pivovarov (above left) organized the event, and chose challenging Biblical texts for study - Jacob's wrestling with a man /an angel/ God (Gen. 32), the book of Job, and Christ's temptations in the desert.

I was asked to lead Bible study on the first day, and I had the joy of dealing with one of my favorite Biblical narratives – the story of Jacob. Many in the group were relatively new to the church, and it was moving to be reminded again together with them of the ways stories of faith that come to us through Scripture can change our outlook on life.

  

Although I could attend only two of the three days, I can say that experiment was a fruitful one. In many of our churches there is a certain degree of passivity, and the congregational makeup is fairly uniform; more concretely, most of our members are elderly, ethnic German women. The congregation in Krasnoyarsk has always differed from the norm in this regard, but in the year and half since Gleb has been in the parish, there has been a large influx of young members. It was really heartwarming to be in a church gathering here with old and young together, going deep into Biblical texts, singing, cooking, and playing games. I hope that the example of Krasnoyarsk will encourage other congregations to expand their ministry in new ways in the future. 

April and May showers, waiting for flowers...

While Lent saw me spending most of my time in the congregation in Novosibirsk, April and May have "showered" us with guests and with opportunities for travel.

First, Pastor Stephanie Fendler (one of the clergy couple who had responsibility for the Novosibirsk congregation before I arrived) made a brief visit to Novosibirsk before traveling on to Omsk to lead seminars for women and for married couples the ELCUSFE. Our congregation very much appreciated seeing their former pastor, and I certainly enjoyed reflecting with her about the life and development of the congregation. Stevie and Michael are continuing to work for my employer, ELM (Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower Saxony), in the area of partner congregation relationships, so I'll be blessed with further opportunities to be in contact.  

Pastor Stephanie is second from right.

While Pastor Stevie was an old friend of the congregation, the next weekend saw the congregation welcoming new guests. Two of them were also from Hermannsburg (where ELM is based), while two others were from Omsk. Niels von Türk and Ingrid
Höse had led a seminar for youth workers in Omsk the week before, together with Vladimir Vinogradov, a recent graduate of the extension program of the Theological Seminary and the coordinator for youth programs in the ELCUSFE. In our congregation Vladimir preached, while Pastor Evgeny Phillipov, the president of the ELCUSFE council, acted as translator and guide. Niels and Ingrid have been in charge or organizing weekend retreats for youth in Germany, usually based upon life and questions of faith in some foreign country. Therefore, in addition to the congregation, I tried to show them some of the sights in Novosibirsk, so that they might get a feel for life in the "capital of Siberia." Niels even joined me in the trip to the banya before my regular Bible study in the rehab center on Sunday nights.

When these four young visitors left for places further south and east, after a few days I moved in the same general direction...but to that in a minute.

The older woman appreciated the opportunity to hear a sermon in
 German; one of the woman in the congregation that morning,
Tamara, kindly agreed to translate for Helmut..

For now I'll remain concentrated on Novosibirsk where, for the third weekend in a row, we had a guest – Pastor Helmut Grimmsmann, Asia secretary for ELM. Helmut has loads of international experience and has been traveling to Russia for 5 years now...so I was proud to be able to offer him something new – a trip to the opera and ballet theater. As I've mentioned in previous posts, it is enormous and pretty impressive. We went toe theater's birthday concert, so were treated to segments by the symphony, both classical and modern ballet, and opera that included an attempt to bring together Stalin, the theater's birth as a part of the Soviet propaganda machine, and the current political environment. I'm not sure that I can say that we liked everything at the concert, but I very much respected their attempts to both entertain and to challenge their audience. Yet, the main purpose of the visit was to speak with Helmut, and he was helpful in talking with the church council about a few practical questions in addition to giving a powerful sermon.

Immediately preceding and in between these visits, I was away from Novosibirsk. First I traveled to Omsk, where 5 days were split between a meeting for all the pastors of our church and the synod consistory (much like a synod council). This visit to Omsk helped me learn a lot more about the life of our congregations in the far west (Urals) and Far East, as well as about the administration of the church. I was once again impressed by the development of ELCUSFE's structures; they show a maturity that compares favorably to some of the other Lutheran churches in the former USSR. At the same time the church structures are still young. One example – until now there have been no written guidelines for determining the process of ordination. Bishop Otte Schaude shared a draft text on this question with the consistory, though discussion with the synod and the pastors and approval of the document will happen only in the coming year.

My second trip took me the farthest east I have ever been – to Krasnoyarsk. There pastors connected with ELM met for two days of Bible study and business. Pastor Gleb Pivovarov was our host, and it was joy to be in his congregation, one of the most rapidly developing in our church. Below left: Gleb talking with Niels; we met with them again in Krasnoyarsk. Below right: a view of the Yenisei River outside of Krasnoyarsk.

In between all of that, regular life in the congregation in Novosibirsk continued. I must admit that I'm struggling a bit to write about congregational life as such, since a blog is probably not the best place to express one's frustration. A short way to express things would be to say that, for cultural and historical reasons, mistrust is the norm for many in Russia, and particularly among the Russian-Germans. This presents particular and rather peculiar challenges to ministry; most concretely right now I am feeling how this slows down the process of new birth (new initiatives and ministries) in the congregation. So, while nature around us is blooming (more pictures related to that to come), May's flowers have yet to break through the soil in the congregation.

Yet, Sunday is Pentecost, a reminder of how God can suddenly breathe new life on to and into a group of weak and scared believers. We'll be praying for the Spirit, and ask your prayers as well.