August 1, 2007

Dear Friends in Christ,

Each visit to Russia has highlights that I treasure. And, for me a highlight is always the opportunity to meet with our Lutheran partners: members, seminary students, pastors, and church leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Russia and Other States (ELCROS). ELCROS consists today of hundreds of congregations in 10 of the 15 former republics of the U.S.S.R.

The ELCROS Lutheran church in Grodno is the denomination's only original church building in Belarus to survive World War II and the communist era.

It was with great joy that the crushing pressure of the communist system was relieved in the late 1980s, and Christian churches of many confessions entered a period of rebirth and renewal. A story is told of three elderly Lutheran women whose families had been exiled to Soviet Central Asia during Stalin’s reign. When political change took place a few years ago, the three women wrote the Archbishop in St. Petersburg. Their message was clear, “We have kept the faith for 50 years, please send us a pastor.”

There are many roots of the Lutheran congregations in Russia today.  Beginning in the 16th century, immigrants (mostly German) bringing skills as craftsmen and traders settled in several large cities. The first Lutheran church in Russia was erected in Moscow in 1547 with the permission of Ivan IV. Later, Peter the Great invited additional experts to assist in the construction of the new capital, St. Petersburg. Along with their technical skills, they brought their expression of the Christian faith. In wars of empirical expansion, Peter also conquered lands on the Baltic coast (portions of Estonia and Latvia), lands where many believers were Lutherans. In the 18th century, Catherine the Great invited German farmers to settle along the Volga River and in areas near the Black Sea. Many of these immigrants were Lutheran as well. And in the 20th century, the Winter War of 1939-1940 against Finland netted the U.S.S.R. 10 percent of Finnish territory with many inhabitants being Finnish Lutherans.

With its “militant atheism,” the communist regimes of the Soviet era sought to crush organized religion across the U.S.S.R. Whether Orthodox, Lutheran, Baptist or of other confessions, clergy and lay leaders were murdered or exiled by the tens of thousands. Houses of worship were seized and converted to serve as warehouses, factories, museums, offices, dispensaries, and stables. Most noteworthy is the Church of St. Peter, a principle Lutheran church in St. Petersburg. The sanctuary was converted into a swimming pool by ripping out the alter, pews, and main floor. While the church today is restored, the wooden “natatorium” seating is still in place left and right of the main church hall as a reminder of the worst of the repression.

With the Nazi invasion of the U.S.S.R., the plight of many Lutheran believers was made even more difficult. Owing to their ethnic identity, thousands more of the German-Russians were killed or exiled to labor camps in Siberia or Central Asia.

Pastor Dietrich was warmly welcomed by the council in Grodno during his visits to preach and offer the sacraments.

Our ELCROS partner is one of several Lutheran denominations reemerging in the former Soviet Union. The challenges are many and training pastors is a high priority. On my first visit to Belarus, I traveled to Grodno near the Polish border to worship in the only remaining Lutheran church in the country whose building had survived World War II and the communist era. Pastor Dietrich von Sternbeck was met by an enthusiastic church council and many, many members. It had been months since they had worshiped with an ordained pastor and been able to receive the Eucharist.

Today, the Reverend Joe Kang and his wife, Hannah, PC(USA) mission co-workers, strive to address this dramatic need. Joe is a seminary professor at the Lutheran Seminary on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. The Kangs have dedicated this portion of their lives to train men and women to serve ELKROS congregations across a vast geographic area. 

And it is my joy to help nurture the relationship between Lutherans there and Presbyterians in our PC(USA). Congregational “twinning” relationships exist between some of our parishes. We hope more will blossom. We are working closely with the Lutheran Bishop in Moscow to secure legal registration for the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy, where Bob and Stacy Bronkema, PC(USA) mission coworkers, are serving.

As I move into my ninth year as regional liaison, I humbly ask for your support of my ministry to all our partners in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland. The financial crisis within our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as it relates to international mission is all too real. In part because of inadequate funds, I will not be able to visit our partners in the fall of 2007, the first fall visit I have missed since my service began in 1999. If you can help support the expenses of my travel, no matter what the gift, write “Regional Liaison for Russia – ECO #051663” on the subject line and mail that support to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Individual Remittance Processing, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.

Thank you for your prayers and for your support.

May we continue to hold in prayer our brothers and sisters in Christ in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland.

Yours in Christ,

Gary

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.187