This page includes various experiences from our global missionary groups who have been to Russia and to Bokoba South Africa. Mission opportunities are also posted on this page.
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YOSHKAR-OLA (URAL DEANERY) Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross, Pastor Vladimir Bochkov, Pastor Juha & Anu Valiaho (Dean, Finnish missionaries)
The Missionary Camp was organized by Vladimir and attended by church
leaders (lay and a few clergy) from around the deanery. It included
Bible study, worship, singing, discussion groups, good food and
fellowship. Pastor Robert Kleinke shared about his work with youth at
Duluth’s Woodland Hills both in a plenary session and seminar, and
Pastor David Carlson gave a plenary Bible study, “Faith Comes by
Hearing,” led a seminar on evangelism to adults, and preached at the
Sunday worship service. Other members had opportunity to hear all
plenary presentations and participate in seminars on youth work,
alcohol and drug addiction, and women’s ministry. Juha said visits
like ours that coincide with the Missionary Camp (held annually at the
end of June) are desirable. In fact, gifts raised by our group funded
the Missionary Camp this year, and both Vladimir and Juha said they
were unsure how they could have had the camp without those gifts. The
Missionary Camp is an annual project that could be funded in the future.
Accommodations at the “Missionary House” (dormitory that houses 30
people) are very comfortable. Since 2005, the dormitory has been
completed. On the second floor it has a small common area as well as
several sleeping rooms for 2-4 people each. Additional sleeping space
is on the first floor. There is a shower and bathroom on each floor
and the first floor also has a kitchen. After starting the
Yoshkar-Ola church and serving there for 12 years, Juha and Anu moved
on to Birsk two years ago after Vladimir Bochkov graduated from the
seminary in Keltto/St. Petersburg. It was good to see stability and
continued good work in Yoshkar-Ola after that leadership change. The
church there seems to be on solid footing with a number of long-time
lay leaders to work with Pastor Vladimir. Juha told us that of all the
Ural Deanery churches this one is also the most financially secure.
Shuarsola is a collective farm village near Yoshkar-Ola where the
parish has at least 50 confirmed members. Its church structure is
partially built and Finnish builders will continue in the fall, but
more funding is needed to complete construction. One of the sons of
this village, Sasha Mityakov, 27, was commissioned as a catechist at
the Sunday worship service in Yoshkar-Ola. He accompanied us on our
travel to Bashkortostan and works in Udmurtia, a neighboring province,
with emerging Lutheran churches. Project Maria. Juha and Anu
are raising funds privately to purchase a small apartment for a church
member confined to a wheelchair, her husband, and 2-year-old daughter,
Maria. They currently live in a banya/sauna. Some of our group
members have contributed to this project.
Dear Friends in Christ,
We arrived this morning (Friday, June 22) in Yoshkar-Ola, after a 15-hour train ride from Moscow, and all in the group are well. We have a wonderful group of travelers from northern Minnesota - flexible, cheerful, and not afraid to communicate with others despite language barriers. Our stay at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity, where Deaconess Nina Yurtaeva works, was very hospitable. We were able not only to see the Kremlin and several other sites there in the center of the city, but also to get to know some of the parish members. The amount of outreach that this small congregation does is impressive, not only to the Afghani refugee community but also to Armenians and to children with disabilities. It was a good first visit to the Moscow Deanery. For the next several days, we will be in the Ural Deanery at the Missionary Camp for church leaders and then at a Youth and Family Camp in Birsk (a day's drive east from here). We are staying in the Missionary House, a large dormitory that has very comfortable accommodations. In addition to getting to know the other participants in the camp, we will be sharing in the discussions and presentations of the program schedule. This afternoon I will be giving a "Bible Hour" presentation titled "Faith Comes by Hearing," and Pastor Bob Kleinke will be speaking about his work as a chaplain for youth at Woodland Hills in Duluth. It is wonderful to renew our acquaintance with several people already, and we look forward to the next days of accompanying our brothers and sisters in Christ unfolding. In our daily devotions, we continue to pray for you, and we are thankful for your prayers for us and the people of the Ingrian Lutheran Church in Russia. God's blessings and peace! Yours in Christ, Pastor David Carlson
INTERESTED in sponsoring a girl from our sister congregation(Bukoba, Tanzania ) to further her education? Two of us from Gloria Dei are currently helping 2 girls attend Iluhya Lutheran Secondary School in Bukoba. Once a year a monetary amount is sent to their Pastor through the N.W. Diocese. You will have contact with the family of the girl you sponsor. Contact Eldora if interested (722-1349). Pastor Faith Lugazia, now attending Luther Seminary will be at Gloria Dei some time in August and can explain the process in more detail.
HOLY LAND TOUR AND OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY 2010
Every 10 years, the village of Oberammergau, Germany, hosts its world-renowned Passion Play, which involves nearly one-third of its 5,000 residents and through music and drama movingly portrays the gospel accounts from the time Jesus enters Jerusalem until the resurrection. This 14-day tour, co-led by Pastor David Carlson, will begin with a week in the Holy Land and includes visits to biblical sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, the Dead Sea, Qumran, Tiberius, and Nazareth. Dates: May 5-18, 2010. A $150 deposit is requested as soon as possible. Brochures are available downstairs or in the narthex, or speak with Pastor Carlson.
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BIRSK (URAL DEANERY)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Birsk, Pastor Juha Valiaho, Deaconess Anu Valiaho, Slava Abdullin (2nd year seminary student)
Outside Mari El, Birsk (pop. 40,000) has one of the largest
concentrations of Mari people in the region. In January 2000, Juha and
Anu conducted a worship service in Birsk for the first time at a school
during the winter break. Slava Abdullin was baptized then and he began
to help with missionary work in the villages. Slava and his family
lived in a dormitory and he met with people in a tiny log church
building as well as in their homes. The parish’s baptized membership
now numbers over 200. Since 2005, a great deal of construction has
taken place. The new parish hall was dedicated in December 2006 by
Bishop Aare Kuukauppi. The main floor includes a sanctuary and
restrooms; the second floor an apartment with two bedrooms, a living
room, small kitchen and bathroom; and the basement a dining room,
kitchen, and church office. Our group slept mainly on mattresses on
the floors of the sanctuary and dining room. In addition, they have
completed constructing a garage and laid the foundation for a
Missionary House similar to the one in Yoshkar-Ola to accommodate many
visitors at a time more comfortably. Through the purchase of adjacent
land, they have been able to expand the once tiny property into a
larger church complex, including a house where Slava and his family
live, garden space, and a well. Our synod’s offerings to Birsk are
contributing to these building projects, and it was impressive to see
the results and progress made.
We had expected to conduct a day camp for youth and families
similar to the one we did in 2005, but several factors led to a
different agenda the days we were there. Slava had invited a Finnish
couple he met at Keltto to lead seminar sessions on marriage and
families, in which several from our group also participated. He also
invited four young adults from St. Petersburg who were interested in
working with youth in the villages. They ended up helping others from
our group with the handful of youth who came to the church during those
days. For the number of leaders present, attendance from the parish
members was low, which was disappointing. Although it was the haying
season and many people had to work, it seemed Slava, who was in charge
of the camp, did not participate as strongly in recruiting kids or
parishioners for the event. He seemed to realize this toward the end
and would work to ensure more participation in a future trip.
The hospitality of the church in Birsk was memorable. When we
arrived, we were greeted by church members dressed in national costume
and bearing traditional gifts of bread and salt, which everyone tasted
as we shared our greetings. In addition, because of the changes in the
agenda, several in our group were able to have home stays with church
members in villages near Birsk. For some, this unexpected opportunity
turned out to be the highlight of the whole trip. Some members visited
farms and workshops, went fishing, experienced a Russian banya, and saw
the daily life of church members. As a group, we also took an
excursion with several members to the foothills of the Ural Mountains.
There, we visited an Orthodox monastery, crossed a hydroelectric dam,
and picnicked by the beautiful Black River less than an hour from the
Continental Divide.
Juha and Anu are technically on furlough this year, fundraising
in Finland and Estonia. When we met up with them, they had just come
from a Finnish Missionary Society festival where they and others played
music and shared about the missionary work in the Ural Deanery among
the Mari people. In January 2008, they will return to Birsk for two
more years and then Juha plans to retire. Many people we met
throughout the region look to them as their spiritual parents, though
Juha and Anu have long been preparing local leaders to carry on the
work after them.
THANK YOU for your prayers and support for the Ingrian Lutheran Church
of Russia, and for the gifts that enabled Pastor and Stephanie Carlson
to lead this mission trip.
TRIP TO TANZANIA
Pastor Doug Paulson, member of Gloria Dei and Campus Pastor at UMD, lead a trip to Tanzania this past spring, May 14-June 4, 2007. We are looking forward to hearing more from him about this mission trip. Participants went to to Mount Kilimanjaro, Dar Es Salaam, and villages through connections with another leader of the trip from Duluth, Imanueli Magomolla.
(Note:
this is the second in a series of Sister Congregation Relationships
Gloria Dei has with international churches – last month featured
Ingrian Lutheran Church in Russia)
IBURA PARISH IN TANZANIA AFRICA In
1994, a sister-congregation relationship was established with Ibura
Parish, in the North-West Diocese (Synod) of Tanzania. Ibura was
selected because a relative of Elaine Wickstrom was married to a member
of this parish (Josiah Kibira) and his mother still lives there. His
father (deceased) was the bishop here and later became the President of
Lutheran World Federation. This parish consists of 3 Lutheran churches
with approximately 3,000 members. Most are peasants who live and work
on their own small farms with young people taking care of their elders.
Staple foods are bananas, maize and beans.
In February of 1998,
5 Gloria Dei members (the Wickstroms, Harry Wick, Eldora Recksiedler
and Helen Carlson) visited the Ibura Parish which is near Bukoba,
Tanzania. We received a very warm welcome everywhere we went. Each of
the 3 churches was visited, as well as some of the synod’s other
programs it operates: Ndolage Hospital, the Reforestation Program,
Deaconess School, Health Dispensaries, Orphanage, Handicraft School for
Girls, Women’s Training Centers, Blacksmith Training for Boys, etc. On
Sunday each of us attended one of the 3 churches: Kogondo (where Harry
preached), Itawah (Eldora and Helen gave greetings and presented book
marks made by the Gloria Dei Sunday School to their Sunday School
housed in a grass hut), Per, with the help of Josiah Kibira gave a
message at the Ibura Church. No church bells here—drums hung in the
trees welcoming people to church! We also attended a song fest at the
Lutheran Cathedral in the city of Bukoba. Many of the people we met
that week have become good and lasting friends. Jacki Mbuga (who was
here in Duluth the last year and a half) - - her father is now in
Bukoba serving on the N.W. Diocese staff. Pastor John Sippola got to
know Pastor Chris Mbuga quite well. Do you remember when he preached at
Gloria Dei a few years ago? Pastor John spent a sabbatical in Bukoba
and spent considerable time in Ruhija at the Synod’s music camp.
Carlene and Cara joined him new the end of their stay. Cara was
successful in climbing to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Since our
visits to Bukoba, we have kept up communications with the Bethania
Women of Ibura Parish, and often hear from Josiah Kibira who lives with
his family in Minneapolis and visits Bukoba quite often. Pastor Faith
Lugazia also worked in this Diocese prior to coming to Minnesota. She
is presently studying at Luther Seminary. She has been at Gloria Dei
with her family on 2 occasions. We presently are trying to revitalize
our relationship with Ibura and look forward to our Global Ministry
Committee bringing forth new ideas. Join us if interested.
(As I write this I still feel the warm spirits of the Ibura Parish expressed in their uplifting song!) Submitted by Eldora Recksiedler
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church 219 N. 6th Ave. E. Duluth, MN 55805 218.722.3381
MISSION TO CENTRAL RUSSIA June 18-July 1, 2007 This report was shared by Pastor Carlson at the Companion Synod Task Force meeting in July 2007.
MOSCOW (MOSCOW DEANERY) Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Pastor Igor Alisov, Assistant Pastor Andrey Yurtaev, Deconess Nina Yurtaeva
This congregation is blessed with a pre-Revolutionary church building
(1911) as well as a parish hall across the cemetery, formerly a
building for the cemetery caretaker. The parish hall has good spaces to
host people and conduct events; it is also a good location – relatively
close to downtown and train stations. But the upkeep and renovation of
both buildings is a financial strain. The leaders say they are very
happy to host visitors from the U.S. It is a little more expensive to
stay at this church than in Yoshkar-Ola or Birsk, but that is due to
the higher cost of living in Moscow in general.
Our group
participated in the last day of a seminar on women’s work, which Nina
organized for the deanery. After brief introductions, we shared about
ministries involving women, families and children in our churches in
MN, and then we heard from other participants. Holy Trinity in
particular is involved in many outreach ministries – ministry to
Afghani refugees (coordinated by a young woman, Marcella, who herself
was a recipient of some of the services they provide, such as Russian
language classes), ministry to hearing and speech impaired children,
ministry to people in Armenia (one member makes an annual trip there),
ministry to school children and to others in need. It was impressive to
us that in receiving some gifts from our group (e.g. crafts, school
supplies, quilts), they asked permission to give some away to these
ministries.
The congregation has about 100 members on the roll
and an average Sunday worship attendance of 30. Leaders said they are
eager to establish a friendship relationship with a congregation in the
U.S. (perhaps Hope in Floodwood). Challenges continue to be funding
building renovations and reaching new members. Pastors usually need to
supplement their salaries with other jobs, and younger members
sometimes leave Moscow to study abroad (e.g. Finland). Still, Nina
thinks the situation in the churches seems to be getting better each
year.
The Moscow Deanery is made up of five congregations (it
used to be eight but three are now in a different deanery “Under the
Volga” Deanery). Two congregations in Moscow, and others are up to 200
km away. Pastors in the deanery used to get together every few months,
with funding from the LCMS, but now once or twice a year because
pastors must pay their own transportation. Once, the deanery received a
visit from Robert Kolb, a professor from Concordia Seminary (LCMS), who
provided funds for their seminar time together. It was one of the
happiest times Igor can remember in the deanery. Igor said their
contact with Lutherans in the U.S. has been mostly with the LCMS (the
previous senior pastor was an LCMS missionary), but said he was
thankful to have this connection now with the ELCA. Andrey, Nina’s son,
speaks some English and accompanied us on our day trips to the city
center. All the leaders were friendly and gracious hosts.
"Empowered by Christ's love, Gloria Dei reaches out as an inclusive, welcoming church through worship and social action."
