December 22, 2003
By Marina Chudenko

OMSK, Russia/GENEVA - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East is faced with both new opportunities and difficulties. While there are problems in finding new pastors when they are needed in Siberia's Kusbass region, large numbers of young people in Kemerovo, Russia, have recently begun attending church.

The head of the church, Bishop Volker E. Sailer, made these observations in his report to delegates attending the church's 12th synod meeting at Christ Church and Cultural Center in Omsk, Russia. During the October 22-24 meeting, other synod members noted that there are growing numbers of younger members in some congregations, as well as more intensive work with children. Congregation members in Bograd, Shakasia, had managed to buy a dilapidated prayer house with their own funds and to renovate it in three months. Problems mentioned by synod members included the emigration of preachers and the aging of congregations.

Concerning plans the previous year to start a Bible school, Sailer said, "We were very confident that we would be able to begin this autumn, but things just didn't work out as planned. I still believe firmly that this is our most urgent task." During this year the regional church has been able to establish new contacts with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States (ELCROS) Theological Seminary in Novosaratovka, near St Petersburg, according to Sailer. Four young Christians from the regional church began studies there in September 2003. The seminary is open to students from all the regional churches. Rudolf Bluemcke, dean of Central Siberia for nine years, was recently appointed as the seminary's principal.

Rev. Tatiana Muramzeva, director of the church office, reported that in the past year three religious organizations were registered in the Omsk area as belonging to the regional church. They include congregations in Asovo and Michailovka, and the Christ Church and Cultural Center in Omsk. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, one of the ELCROS regional member churches, can now officially invite foreign visitors to the cultural center, an issue that involved a great deal of bureaucracy in the past, according to Muramzeva.

Martin Schindehuette, vice-president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover's church office addressed the synod members during the opening worship. "We are united by the Bible and the faith which we share, and most of all by our common mission before God: to tell the story of Christ to those who do not know him," he said.

"Although there are great differences between our church and your church, we must learn to communicate with one another," Schindehuette told the congregation of over 50 delegates and 15 guests of the Synod.

During its meeting, the synod elected a new four-member executive committee, including synod president, Sergei Fritzler of Chelyabinsk. Because of its size, the church district of Chelyabinsk will henceforth be divided into two, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg.

At the closing worship on October 25, Victor Zelinko was ordained pastor, and pastors Sergei Fritzler and Waldemar Jesse were named deans. The synod also named delegates to the 2004 ELCROS general synod in St Petersburg.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals, Siberia and the Far East is an independent regional church of ELCROS. With headquarters in Omsk, it is divided into four regions: Urals, West Siberia, Central Siberia and the Far East. The 250,000-member ELCROS joined the Lutheran World Federation in 1989.

Lutheran World Information
Marina Chudenko is ELCROS Public Relations Officer.