After a ridiculously long break, today I'm finally renewing work on my blog. Many of those who will read this have already read my newsletter, though, in which I described various events of the past spring and summer. That means that I'll limit myself here to my reflections upon events of the past month, when I've been blessed once again to have the opportunity to travel through Russia to teach through the "Equipping for Service" program.
In one sense these travels were nothing new. I've been to the Northern Caucuses many times (in fact, the capital of the region, Krasnodar, was my home as a student and then English teacher in 1997 and 1998), so its farm land, hills, mountains and sea are quite familiar... The relative warmth of the region was also quite welcome at a time when St. Petersburg had already seen its first snowfall. On the other hand every visit to the region through the church brings me something unfamiliar. Unfortunately I didn't even know about the existence of a Lutheran church in the region back in the 1990s; today I've been to the congregation's building, met it's church council chair and had many good discussions with the region's new area dean and my former student at the Novosaratovka Seminary, Sergey Maramzin. He has invited me to take part in the regions twice-yearly seminars, organized by the former area
Dean from Germany, Oswald Wutzke (with whom I, regrettably, don't share a common language...otherwise he is clearly a person with whom it would be interesting to speak and learn from his experience both as a politically active pastor in Germany and as a person who for many years has visited the congregations in the Northern Caucuses, including organizing aid for victims of flooding in Krymsk (2012) or for victims of the Beslan tragedy.) Being involved in the seminars is a great way to get acquainted with congregational leaders in this region, which in the past has suffered from a lack of pastoral attention. I saw the familiar situation of ethnic German clubs being the basis upon which congregations originally gather, but rather unfamiliar was the very fact that ethnic Germans remain in the Caucuses. In discussions with participants I also ran into some things that point to a somewhat unfamiliar mindset - on the one hand there is a respect for their Muslim neighbors that I don't see as much elsewhere, while at the same time I ran into more openly patriotic (bordering on nationalistic?) feelings than I usually see in St. Petersburg. Thankfully that generally anti-Western feeling was coupled with a generally positive relationship to me as a western there, so I didn't feel (too?) uncomfortable...(which rather well reflects my general state at the moment...) I hope that I was able to present participants of the seminars there (in the spring - "Images of Jesus," and in the fall "The Apostle Paul") with something unfamiliar enough that they felt like they were learning, but familiar enough that it was all comprehensible.
My next stop - Khakasia in south-central Siberia. As I've mentioned before, I feel at home there because Khakasia is a Russian version of "Big Sky Country" - rolling hills and mountains, fields and forests, small towns, really good people (even if they are outnumbered by livestock).... Before serving in Siberia, I would have never guessed that such a place was hiding in Russia. I use the word "hiding" not by accident - when I tell people in St. Petersburg that I'm going to Khakasia, they rarely have an idea where that is; it's their own country, but it's unfamiliar....just like almost an Montanan will tell you about conversations he or she's had about our state while visiting big cities in the U.S.
The theme of the seminar was quite familiar insofar as "conflict" tends to be the most popular topic I teach...on the other hand, congregational leaders in the region wanted me to address humility as well. The challenge was to find a proper understanding of the latter that would help participants see conflicts not only as destructive, but potentially as agents of positive change.
Later, in Moscow, I ran into familiar people (former students at the Theological Seminary, current students at the seminars that I organize for distance education students) in a familiar place (the dining room behind the altar at St. Paul's Lutheran) while teaching a familiar topic (History of Israel). What was unfamiliar was the first in what it is hoped will be a series of seminars that will lead directly to commissioning of lay leaders for the Central Deanery of the ELCER. There are high expectations for this program, so a particular challenge will be to fit the necessary material into a limited amount of time, but in general this is the kind of unfamiliar that brings me particular joy - signs of development in the church that will be important for its long-term health.
The tension between familiar and unfamiliar is in its own way productive. After all, if nothing is familiar, then I fee like nothing more than a tourist. If everything is familiar, then I feel like nothing more than a local. If can't help but feeling both at the same time, then I feel like nothing more than a missionary.
In one sense these travels were nothing new. I've been to the Northern Caucuses many times (in fact, the capital of the region, Krasnodar, was my home as a student and then English teacher in 1997 and 1998), so its farm land, hills, mountains and sea are quite familiar... The relative warmth of the region was also quite welcome at a time when St. Petersburg had already seen its first snowfall. On the other hand every visit to the region through the church brings me something unfamiliar. Unfortunately I didn't even know about the existence of a Lutheran church in the region back in the 1990s; today I've been to the congregation's building, met it's church council chair and had many good discussions with the region's new area dean and my former student at the Novosaratovka Seminary, Sergey Maramzin. He has invited me to take part in the regions twice-yearly seminars, organized by the former area
The theme of the seminar was quite familiar insofar as "conflict" tends to be the most popular topic I teach...on the other hand, congregational leaders in the region wanted me to address humility as well. The challenge was to find a proper understanding of the latter that would help participants see conflicts not only as destructive, but potentially as agents of positive change.
Later, in Moscow, I ran into familiar people (former students at the Theological Seminary, current students at the seminars that I organize for distance education students) in a familiar place (the dining room behind the altar at St. Paul's Lutheran) while teaching a familiar topic (History of Israel). What was unfamiliar was the first in what it is hoped will be a series of seminars that will lead directly to commissioning of lay leaders for the Central Deanery of the ELCER. There are high expectations for this program, so a particular challenge will be to fit the necessary material into a limited amount of time, but in general this is the kind of unfamiliar that brings me particular joy - signs of development in the church that will be important for its long-term health.
The tension between familiar and unfamiliar is in its own way productive. After all, if nothing is familiar, then I fee like nothing more than a tourist. If everything is familiar, then I feel like nothing more than a local. If can't help but feeling both at the same time, then I feel like nothing more than a missionary.
