The Situation in Ukraine - a strange point of view

My experience in Ukraine is limited; much of it came many years ago. Yet one thing that

struck me about the country then that is, quite obviously, playing itself out now is the fact that the country is very complicated. It seemed like (as in the old joke about a different ethnic group) for every 2 Ukrainians you'd find 3 opinions about any given issue. Maybe that is why I always felt refreshed by my visits there - here to the east there is the tendency to push toward extreme positions, and if you find yourself in a minority position you tend to have a hard time.

So when the dominant voices in the Russia media cover events in the Ukraine, I'm frustrated and disappointed (to put it mildly), but not terribly surprised at what I hear - "The people on Maidan all fascists;" "They are given payments / training / arms by Western secret service agents;" "The new, so-called government in Kiev wants to forbid people from speaking Russian..."At the same time, I wonder why other media sources (from what I can tell about what is being read / said / seen in the U.S., for example) would be just as simplistic in their analysis - "The crowds on Independence Square oppose corruption and seek equal rights for all;" "Russia undermines the Ukrainian democracy movement;" "Putin planning Soviet Union Lite..." 

These approaches are not helpful. I see a much healthier search for understanding developing on social media among the pastors and other church leaders that I know, both in Russia and in Ukraine. (And, in fact, among Novosaratovka graduates throughout the former Soviet Union). While some are subject to the general patriotic feelings that tend to arise at such times, most tend to be self-critical of their own countries and to search for paths to help their sisters and brothers on the other side of the border.  

To say that the situation is complicated is not to say that every side is equally right or wrong.  I hope that all of those responsible for violence in this conflict will face trial, and that this will open up a new, peaceful chapter in the history of Ukraine. I hope that Ukraine, Russia and the other powers engaged in this situation will all learn to respect international law, to build democratic institutions and trust them, to reject the temptation to put aside rule of law for expediency's sake. 

I know that I'm not alone in these hopes. Yet the voices speaking in this way are not well heard. Perhaps part of the reason is that some lack (or have forgotten about) the unique point of view we can have when we really try to apply our faith to complicated situations. I, personally, am convinced that everything looks so much different in the light of the cross. When we consider our own, common, frail human state in contrast to the One who created us for so much more, how can we possibly busy ourselves with condemnation, with jockeying for power and influence? The cross puts into perspective the idiotic and dangerous games we play, pretending to be much more important than we actually are. The cross calls us to be thankful that we have no utterly drowned in our own faults, and calls us to strive toward a new point of view, and a new way of being. A way that has something to do with love.

(As a side note - as I was preparing this text, I found pictures on Facebook from a Pastor in Ukraine (who last month was beaten at a peaceful protest) whose congregation held an event showing an example of how games are not always negative, but can help us deal creatively with a situation. I'm sure the costume party they threw helped them to deal with the stress that they must all be feeling.)

Walking Together, Though the Road Stretches Seven Time Zones - ELCUSFE XXII Synod Assembly, 18-20 Oct 2013

 ELCUSFE Bishop Otto Schaude, in his opening report to the synod, noted that such assemblies always have to deal with a certain amount of official business. Yet for this church the most crucial thing at these annual gathers is to see that we are not alone, that we are really on the road (-od) together (syn-). While we constantly feel the enormous challenges that come with our being scattered over such great distances, there is a positive side - it is completely obvious that we need and have much to learn from one another. 

  We did engage in important practical questions - from next year's budget to a small-group discussion about new mission congregations, from the blessing of lay preachers to elections for the synod council. Yet the richness of our gathering was felt less in our (nearly unanimous most of the time) voting and more in our sense of being together on the way, despite our differences in pieties, priorities and experience. 
  Below you'll find pictures from our days together - days spent in listening to reports on various ministries (for youth, for women, for men; diaconal, educational, and musical) from our 4 deaneries. I can look at the official assembly minutes if I need to remember the details of one or another of the decisions we made. But the conversations I had with brothers and sisters in faith, their concern for one another and for their neighbor, will stay with me; they convinced me, more than ever, that we are on the road together.  

Nikolai, one of the delegates of our deanery (Krasnoyarsk.)

Bishop Schaude voting with a number of delegates from
our deanery in the foreground - Pastor Dimitry from Abakan
(bottom left), Nikolai and Vasily from Tomsk (far right).

Our small group proposed a variety of priorities 

for the development of ministries in our church. 

Synod President Pastor Evgeny Filipov and 

Assistant to the Bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran

 Church of European Russia, Norbert Hintz.

At synod assembly Sister Heidi (who usually serves

  in the Omsk region) and I agreed that she 

would visit  a few of the  congregations in 

my deanery that are dealing with pastoral vacancies.

"A Prayer for the Workplace" will return 

with Vladimir to his home in the Urals.  

Andrey (above) and Evgeny (below) shared the stories 

of their faith journeysbefore being blessed as preachers

 for Magadan (Far East) and Azovo (Omsk), respectively. 

Not just the obligatory group photo, 

but the family of faith, on the way together.  

* * *
  I'll add a few words here for those of you interested in news of the synod itself.
  On the first day of the synod the schedule called for a guest speaker. While Bishop Schaude gave an interesting report in its place, we were saddened not to have had this guest with us. I would usually give his name, but in this case I've decided to be extra cautious - you see, the Central Asian country that he is living in has forbidden him to leave. Our guest not being able to come (as well as the strict limits on his actions within the country) is just one example of how difficult it is for Christians right now in that part of the world. 
  In other news - delegates to the synod assembly are selected here for 5 year terms. This year was an election year, meaning that delegates began new terms and elected a new synod council. Zoya Gentse, the lay person in charge of congregations in the Khakasia region of our deanery, was elected secretary, while Pastor Evgeny Filipov was re-elected synod president.
  As usual we discussed the budget plan for next year; while progress is slow, I see that congregations here are making progress toward the goal of doing more in terms of financial stewardship. This is a particularly important issue here, since most of the staff working throughout the church are paid through the central offices. Offerings from congregations to support ministries continue to increase.
  Based on what I heard at the synod assembly, 2014 should prove to be a very interesting year for our church: recent positive developments in building projects (e.g., in Ekaterinburg and Shelekhov) could mean new walls going up in those two places; a number of church partners plan to visit us (including church and Scout groups on the train); the Omsk congregation will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the church center with a number of events (including a conference co-organized with the state university here - "300 Years of Lutheranism in Siberia"); and we can expect further developments in educational ministries (an area in which I hope to be involved). 

Harvest Festival Pictures

In my last post I mentioned the Harvest Festival. Here are a few more pictures from celebrations in our church.

This is from my first congregation, St. Nikolai's in Novgorod

The rest of these are from Lutheran congregations in the Urals and Siberia.

Chelyabinsk

Chelyabinsk

Tomsk

Omsk

Omsk

Omsk

Abundance in Siberia

  One of the most surprising elements to me of life in Siberia has been the food. After living in Russia for so many years, I thought that I had tried it all - from the sweet and juicy tomatoes of my wife's home in Rostov-on-Don to the cucumber-smelling korjushka (smelt) fish that swim down the Neva in St. Petersburg every spring. 

  

  But I was wrong.

  

  Even today as I was preparing to write this, I tried something new - "zelts." I had to look it up in the dictionary. "Headcheese." I had thought that the aspic-with-floating-meat that I had been eating (or, rather, usually avoiding) throughout the years was headcheese. Wrong again.

Berries in the market

 Thankfully, my learning about food here has not always been related to meat products. This summer, for example, I was in Tomsk at the height of berry season. Every day of the two weeks that I visited the congregation there, I sat down to an enormous bowl of fresh berries, gathered by the family of my host, Ella Romanovna. Honeysuckle. Wild strawberries. Garden strawberries. Raspberries. Gooseberries. The I-don't-know-how-their-names-are-translated berries. Usually with fresh country cream. My days got off to a slow start as I took my time feasting on such goodness. 

Ella's dacha. Strawberries
drying in the foreground. 

   It was there in those days that I was struck again by the fact that stereotypes about Siberia are (usually) quite far from reality. Despite the harsh winters, this is an amazing abundant land. And it was with joy that I had the opportunity last weekend to celebrate that abundance together, once again, with our congregations in the Tomsk parish.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. Ps. 145:15
  This is the verse of the week, the week of the church's annual Harvest Festival.

 Preaching in Anzhero-Suzhdesnk and Tomsk I spoke about God's abundant grace and about thankfulness as the lens through which we can interpret our life. Despite the fact that many of them face material hardship, they, too, could point to many ways that God was good to them. Even without a pastor of their own, they were thankful that they could together every week, to remind one another that all eyes look to the Lord. Despite a sense of being at a bit of a loss during this intermediate time, they meet to hear again that God gives growth in due season. To be reminded of God's abundance. Even in Siberia. It was reason to celebrate. 

   

A photo of those whom I caught after the meal we shared in
Anzhero-Suzhdensk during the Harvest Festival.

Siberian Summer Camp

  Summer? In Siberia? Despite this region's legendary cold and in contrast to widely-held stereotypes, Siberian summers (at least here in the south) tend to be warm and pleasant. As I saw this year, it's just the kind of weather that is needed for church camp.

Beating the Siberian heat with water games.

   I hadn't worked at a camp in Russia since 1997, when I came to the country for the first time (through Camp Counselors Russia.) Then my Russian was primative, but that seemed to fit the atmosphere of the place where I was working - a complex near Moscow left over from Soviet days and filled with children whose parents seemed to want to get rid of them for the summer. Although that was a good learning experience, I felt much more at home (thanks to my experience in 1995 as a counselor at Red Willow Bible Camp) in the camps held north of Omsk for children of the Western Siberian Deanery this past August. Many of the church's active young people grew up in these camps and have gone on to be experienced and caring counselors; I felt priviledged to work together with them as a member of their team. Although I was only able to visit the young adult camp for one evening, I had the chance to fully participate in the week-long children's camp as one of the camp chaplains. The days were long and intense; this gave me a good opportunity to note that I'm not as young as I used to be! On the other hand diving into all the creativity surrounding games, skits, Bible studies, worship service, etc. not only benefitted the kids, but helped me break out of the rut of thought and action that can accompany "typical" congregational ministry, even in such a non-typical place as the Lutheran church in Russia. 

  I came away from the camps full of hope for the future of the church. I saw gifted and commited young lay ministers who shared God's love with the children; I saw children whose lives were touched thanks to the attention of their counselors and their encounters with the Good News. Knowing that similiar camps are held in various regions throughout the country, I felt blessed to be a part of the ministry of this church. 

A New Pastor for Khakasia

The new congregational start in Boridino (Khakasia),
gathered together during my visit to the region in March.

   The congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and Far East in south-central Siberia (in the regions of Khakasia and the southern part of the Krasnoyarsk krai) know what it means to be without a pastor. Although I made several visits there in order to provide support and bring Holy Communion, they were left largely on their own for more than a year. While for congregations in the West vacancies are a normal part of life and present a number of unique opportunities (e.g., to reflect on the congregation's identity, it's central focus in mission, etc.), here there is usually a significant amount of fear related to being without a leader. It was really a blessing to see, then, that local congregational members did not become despondent when their pastor returned to Germany in 2012, but took on the responsibility to care for one another spiritually until the time when God would send them a new pastor. Lay leaders, some of whom had little experience, began leading worship and doing everything they could to keep congregational life going. Zoya Geintse, who was commissioned as a volunteer preacher for the region, took on many responsibilities coordinating ministries, preaching and visiting the most needy congregations.

Lay leaders Jakob and Alexander (front left and back
left, respectively) did much to support  the
congregation in Abakan during the pastoral vacancy.

  In August the prayers of the congregations of the region were answered when my colleague from ELM, Pastor Dmitri Schweitz, moved from his previous assignment in Omsk to Abakan. Dmitri was born in Uzbekistan and received his theological education in Hermannsburg after his family emigrated to Germany in the 1990s. Among Dmitri's many gifts are his pastoral skills and his first-hand knowledge of the life and piety of the congregations here, since his initial contact with the church was in a congregation very similar to the “brother” congregations of Siberia. At the same time Dmitri is a natural missionary who will work equally well with the congregations of the region that are new starts and which hope to develop and grow.

Pastor Dmitri with Zoya (center, lay preacher
and administrator for the region) and
the congregation in Abakan

  Last weekend I traveled to Khakasia to lead the service of Dmitri's official installation.  While in most situations this would be the role of the Bishop, our church is very spread out and our bishop is only able to be in the country for 6 months of the year. For that reason he asked me, as Acting Dean, to travel there in his place. On the way there and back (it is more than a day's train ride from my current residence in Omsk to Abakan) I was able to stop by other cities of the deanery and make important contacts there.   

  As usual, my travels to our small and scattered congregations inspired me to continue in be as strong in faith as they are and reminded me to once again express my thanks to the church's partners who help support the church in Siberia. 

Siberian Circuit Riders

Earlier this week, I arrived back in Novosibirsk after a trip that lasted two days short of a month. The train took me as far west as the capital of the Urals, Yekaterinburg, and as far east as Lake Baikal.   

The enormous distances in Russia do mean that quite a bit of time was spent simply on the road. While that has a beauty of its own (even in 3rd class train wagons!), the more significant part of the journey involved visiting the people of our congregations. 

My traveling partner for most of the journey was also my boss - Pastor Helmut Grimmsmann, the Asia Secretary of my employer the Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Lower Saxony. I very much enjoyed Helmut's company - asking him about his experience as a missionary in the Central African Republic (25 years!) and reflecting with him about the theology and practice of mission service.

I felt like we were 21st-century, Siberian versions of the circuit riders of the Old West, traveling from one congregation to the next. As a rule Helmut would usually preach and I would translate; it was fortunate for me (since my knowledge of German is so very slim) the Helmut is completely fluent in English. We would then usually have "tea" (which is, more often than not, a very richly prepared mix of sandwiches, salads, cakes and candies) and talk with the people about whatever problems or issues might be facing them. 

Our congregational building in the mining town of Anzhero-Suzhdensk

Visiting with the older women after worship
(while the younger women are preparing "tea")

By the time we arrived in the south-central Siberian region of Khakasia, we had been away from home for more than a week; it would be fair to say that we were not exactly fresh. Yet five intense days of visits in the region lay ahead. One of the Abakan congregation's recent adult confirmands, Marina, took us into her home that first morning and for the next few to follow; her hospitality (and the hospitality of our long time member, Erika, who housed us in Chernogorsk) made it easier to prepare for the days of worship service, business meetings, and many kilometers of road that lay ahead.

The church council president in Abakan, Alexander, made our "circuit riding" possible by driving us faithfully from Kuragino and Roshchinsk in the east to Shira and Bograd in the west. In between he showed us some of the natural and man-made wonders of the region, including the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Dam and, together with folks from Bograd, the Borodino cave.

As we traveled I was struck again how every congregational situation in the region is unique - some are tied with German-Russian heritage, others are not. Some are open and welcoming, others are tightly knit. Some are urban, others are rural. A person with such rich missionary experience as Helmut, however, was able to provide both challenge and comfort to each of them. I was challenged, too, not only by tasks, on the one hand, as translator and the other hand as area dean, but also by Helmut's approach. While in my ministry I have put great effort into being understood by the congregation (i.e., coming as closely as possible to their mindset and values in order that they might hear the Good News in a way they could accept), Helmut put more emphasis on the way the Gospel brings something new into our lives. With such an approach he risked being misunderstood (or, even more likely, not understood at all) by many people in the congregation; on the other hand I was impressed by his willingness to take risks and challenge his listeners' assumptions. I saw that this really resonated with some congregational members, especially those around the “edges” of the church. 

Helmut (foreground) and the congregation in Bograd

Some of the questions that came up repeatedly in our time in the Abakan region were: the need to think creatively about finding long term solutions for community space when in most places we do not own our own, the necessity to improve congregational singing and worship leadership training for lay leaders. In addition Helmut and I thought about and discussed how our congregations' identity and mission are related to the issues above. One of the instruments we use in the U.S. to  help congregations understand better who they are and who they want to be is the mission and/or vision statement. In the coming months I'll be thinking about ways to help our congregations analyze themselves so that they might become more focused on the way God does and can use them as an instrument of challenge and grace in their environments. 

Pastor Andrey takes a new call

It has been a hard couple of years for the pastor. He wasn't exactly sure about the idea of getting ordained to begin with; though a seminary graduate, he was too young to be a pastor, he claimed. Andrey was able to convince church leaders of this for a couple of years. While working as a member of synod staff, though, they heard him preach, saw him work with youth and participated in his Bible studies. Eventually it became clear that there were congregations that needed his pastoral leadership. In the end Andrey agreed that the church's call was God's call, that it was time to stop resisting. And so he and his new wife would gather their things and move in order to fill a vacancy in one of our church's oldest congregations.

But “old” in no sense equals “easy.” In fact the experience of our church is generally the opposite. So, despite good support from the church's leadership, it was a challenging call.  Besides adapting to a new city and new people, he had to deal with unrealistic expectations and with a congregation that wasn't exactly sure they wanted him there – he didn't speak German, after all, and at times his blunt words struck at bit too closely to home. One step at a time, though, he worked his way through some of the congregation's simmering conflicts; they were able to find peace with the question of language (3 Sundays Russian (and only Russian), one Sunday German (with a Russian sermon)), to bring a degree of stability to the question of their place of worship, to attempt to begin social service ministry in the congregation and Andrey preached clearly every week about God's love and our response to that love.

And yet, while he continued to do his daily work, Andrey could no longer see what was next – the battles (and they were battles) of the recent past were too fresh in his mind. It was almost as if he didn't notice (though notice he did) that the congregation had, slowly but surely, gotten younger. I saw it when I came to meet the newly elected church council, with over half its members 35 years old or less. But by then Andrey was ready to move on - this call had reached its conclusion. 

That does not mean Andrey's call to ministry was done, however. Instead he saw a path forward for himself through further education...and for the congregation through a change in pastoral leadership. And so, he'll be leaving in some weeks time to Germany. In two years he should have a master's degree as well as new skills and experiences for helping his church develop.

The congregation? Well, the reaction was telling. Some were still living in a dream world where Germany sends pastors to all in need. Others seemed to note with guilt that they might have made life easier for their pastor and might have done more together with him. Most were worried about what would happen next – they know that pastors are significantly fewer than vacancies. And the young folks? Their reaction to the news brought me hope - “Good for you, pastor! I hope you have a great time and learn a lot! Keep in touch!... And now we'd better ask ourselves what it is it that we'll have to do to keep our congregation going. What might we do that is new to help us develop further?”

Thanks in no small part to my former student and current colleague, Pastor Andrey, it will be a joy for me to accompany that congregation as it continues on its journey.

With Pastor Andrey on a too-cold spring morning
at the train station in Anzhero-Suzhdensk, one of the cities in his parish.

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.

Pyotr Ivanovich!

In the blog post below, you'll find an imaginary letter with imaginary names based on my real experience visiting a village congregation earlier this winter. I hope you'll forgive me for my using a literary device - perhaps it is the English major in me trying to find his way out. 

Bradn 

 

* * *

 

Respected Pyotr Ivanovich! Respected Evdokmia Fedorovna!

Respected Ivan, Boris, Marina, Natalija and Larisa!

Dear Nastya, Pavlik, Lesha and Vova!

 

 Warm greetings to you from Novosibirsk! I've been thinking all week about what a pleasure it was to get acquainted with your wonderful family. May the Lord bless you in all you do and give you health!      

While I have a number of items to talk with you about related to the ministry of your congregation, first I want to say a few words to you, personally, Pyotr Ivanovich.

Visiting your village was an important experience for me. On the one hand I was reminded again of how differently people live in this country than in the big cities. No one in Novosibirsk would work for $50/month, like your brother-in-law does. Even your son Ivan, with one of the best jobs in the town, makes only $200/month.  How do you (and the rest of the 2000 residents of N....) get by?

 

On the other hand, you might ask the same of us, city-dwellers. Not in the sense of money, of course, but in the way we interact with the world and with others around us. I saw the way you and your family (5 children! and already 5 grandchildren!) interacted - it was an amazing mixture of respect (they addressed you with the formal "Vy") and of joy. I had only heard about the fact that in the old days all the men (even the boys) were served first at the table - this was the first time that I actually saw it. As a westerner it should have made me uncomfortable. But as I left I thought - when was the last time I laughed so much? Have I ever seen in this country such a close relationship between neighbors?

 

And the food! Over the weekend I don't remember eating a single thing that was sold in a store - it all came from the labor of your family or other villagers. The honey, the butter, the bread, frozen wild strawberries and goose...even things that I was convinced that I did not like - kidney, for example - on your table were simply delicious.

Yet, not everything in your village is working right. There is a lot of drinking. For many years there was not a single church.
 

But then, you felt the call. God was asking you to restore the village's church, a simple building abandoned after basically all the Germans had emigrated in the early 2000s. Despite your heart trouble, you milk the cows, feed the pigs, gather the eggs, clean out the chicken coop.... and you will do your best to make sure that people have a place to go and pray.

 

I will be praying for strength and wisdom for you. I hope that, in some way, I and others in our Lutheran church are able to help you.

And now, down to "business."

1. Your questions regarding funerals. I'm very happy that you've taken this very important ministry into your hands. One the unique virtues of the early Christians was there willingness to bury those who had no one else to arrange an appropriate burial. Since you are the only person in your village who is ready to take up this task, it is especially important that you keep at it. You will be in my prayers.

2. Baptism. We spoke about the fact that in our church we consider it important for those adults who want to be baptized (or parents of children who are to be baptized) to carefully consider the meaning of this sacrament. Normally an ordained pastor would do this, but since we are all so far away from you, in circumstances where the baptism needs to happen quickly you should know that this is the your right, as it is the right of every baptized Christian. If the situation is such that you have time to walk through the basics of the faith with them, I recommend using Martin Luther's Small Catechism.

3. By the way, about the Small Catechism - if you need copies, please let me know, and I'll send you some by mail.

4. I think that it would be very good if, in the future, you would be officially blessed as a preacher in our church. For that to happen the usual order would be that congregational members would ask me (as the acting dean) to consider such a request and take it to the Synod Council meeting (which happens twice a year) in Omsk. Before an official installation in this capacity, however, it would be important that you first take part in some of the educational seminars that the church offers. The next seminar which would fit your situation will be offered in October, and I'll be sure to send you an official invitation.

5. Right now there is no consistent practice in our church regarding whether or not preachers have the right to administer Holy Communion. In the meantime, please talk with me or with Gustav from Omsk about arranging that one of use visits you at least 3-4 times a year to support you in this regard.

 

Besides these questions, we also have questions related to the "prayer house."

I spoke with our church administration earlier this week and then with the state administration after that. To my surprise the state administration was willing to help us right away, and they called your village administration to clarify the situation. As I told them and they confirmed, the building itself is not registered anywhere, nor does it officially belong to anyone - this happened rather frequently, apparently, in village settings. At any rate the first step for the congregation to get official ownership of the building is for you to register as a legal entity. We spoke about that a bit when I was with you; if you like I can send you examples of the way these documents should look. Since the registration itself has to take place in Novosibirsk (and I know that it isn't easy to get back and forth between your village and the state capital), if you like you can go to a notary and give me the rights to make the application. I'm open to whatever works best for you. After registration, the congregation then will have to go to court to get official ownership. The state administration is willing to give you legal  help, if necessary, as is our church office in Omsk. The trial itself will be in your county seat, which should be much more convenient for you.

 

This letter has turned out to be much longer than I had intended - I'd best sign off. Once again, please pass on my thanks to everyone in your family for their hospitality. In addition, please greet your sister, Maria, who served so many years in your region as an un-official deaconess, and whom I had the privilege of giving Holy Communion to. Also a big hello to Manya, Frida, Katya.

 

Take care and God bless! 

 

Your brother in Christ,

Pastor Bradn

PS I have only one complaint about my visit - the banya wasn't hot enough. I barely broke a sweat...and that meant that there wasn't the usual rush one gets from jumping into the snow afterwards. But probably this has more to do with me than with your banya - perhaps I've been in this country too long. 

 

Tomsk

After much travel in the fall, I've dedicated most of the deep winter to Novosibirsk. This and another soon-to-be-posted blog entry will be dedicated to exceptions - visits to Tomsk (in early December) and Oktyabrsk (last weekend).

Tomsk is one of the easier congregations in our deanery for me to travel to, since it is "only" a 5-hour bus trip away. Usually the ride is tolerable enough, but I must admit that record low temperatures this winter (-35 was typical in December) made the poorly-heated bus quite uncomfortable; I tried wrapping my scarf around my legs and then stamping my feet for a couple of hours. 

Thankfully the fellowship we had once I arrived made it worthwhile. Usually I enjoy my visits with Pastor Andrey Filiptsov, who is the young pastor who was been serving there since 2010. This time, however, I had the chance to talk not only with Andrey, but also with his students in confirmation class (a university student and a middle-aged woman) and with the newly-elected church council. 

The congregation has had a complicated and difficult  history, with much conflict focused on the building you see to the right - St. Mary's Lutheran - which has been claimed by two different groups. The people of our congregation have faced many frustrations and much disappointment throughout the years; to a degree it seems like they were stuck in a spiritual swamp.  On this trip, however, I was quite  pleasantly surprised to see that the new council (with three of the 5 members new to the council and 35 years-old or younger) is motivated to move beyond old problems and focus more seriously on the work of  congregational development. My being there gave them an occasion to voice their hopes and dreams for their congregation, and to discuss how they might go about accomplishing them; the meeting  provided for the kind of mutual encouragement that is so crucial in a church (not just in Tomsk, but throughout the region) that frequently feels weak and alone. 

At the council meeting I was asked to schedule my next trip for a Sunday, so that I can meet the whole congregation. I plan to do so in March. 

With the Nativity of Christ! (С Рождеством Христовым!)

The title of this post is a literal translation of how we wish someone a Merry Christmas in Russia. While the same grammatical form is used on all sorts of occasions ("With the New Year!" "With your birthday!" "With the Day of Air Force Paratroopers!"), I think that it works best on Christmas; there would be no real reason to celebrate this day were it not for faith that Christ's nativity is "with" us now, that it is present in and among us despite a separation of 2000 years and many miles. 
  
In the season when we celebrate the birth of Emmanuel, I pray that all of us might be encouraged again to be "with" this holiday; it is my convinction that we will then experience the peace and joy of knowing that we are never alone.

S Rozhestvom Khristovym!
Bradn

* * *
Not long ago I was asked to write a very short Christmas meditation for “Loza” (“The Vine”), the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia, and Far East. I share it with you (below) in order to give a small insight into the the life of the church where I am serving. Despite the fact that their lives differ in many ways from yours, throughout the world we are united by the common need to see the incarnate Word embracing the world.

 

 

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14a (Verse of the day. Dec. 24)
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14a (Verse of the day. Dec. 25)

 No, the repetition above is not a typo, it is an exceptional situation – as you will notice later this month when you open up your “Daily Readings,” the verse (rather, half-verse) is the same on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The words are well-known, simple and beautiful. Is that the reason why we read them twice in a row?

 It would be easy to accept these words simply as a“theological formula,” as the way of correctly expressing the church's teaching. But it seems to me that we come back to this verse again and again not in order to memorize it, but in order to over and over again dive into its mystery and meaning for us.

In these few short words many questions about the Incarnation are raised. How could a small, helpless child be the Ever-eternal Logos? Can the Divine really become that which it earlier was not? Would the All-Holy and Perfect God really find our dirty and sinful world worthy of a visit, let alone come to “dwell” here?

Throughout the centuries many theologians and pious believers have tried to “save” God
from real contact with this world, have tried to show how “the Word became flesh” actually
has nothing to do with matter. But John 1:14 shows that God decided to truly embrace the
world precisely through contact with it. By taking on living, human flesh God found a way
to our hearts, strove to convince us that we are understood and we are accepted.

Two days in a row we think about this mystery and pray about it, with the hope that we
would feel new birth here and now. As the Russian poet Zinaida Gippius wrote during the
dark days of World War I: “Be born, Eternal Word! / Ignite the earth's silence / Embrace
our native land.” (“Our Christmas”)

Warmed by such love, don't we wish to response to it through service for the sake of our
neighbor? In such a way we can witness in our lives to the fact that the Word continues to
dwell with us today.

Merry Christmas to you, brothers and sisters in Christ!