faith-and-hope-265

faith-and-hope-264

Peace to you, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Summer is a great time to travel around Siberia, and we hope that many of you will find time and dare to visit Siberia. In the beginning of July, we had excellent theological seminars for the lay people, and we gladly welcomed our guests: Rev. Daniel Johnson, Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill and Rev. Jeremy Mills. They traveled from Novosibirsk to Tuim and to Novokuznetsk.

And soon after the seminars in Tuim had ended, the local pastor Vitali Gavrilov set out on another journey. We would like to bring to your attention his short report.

Our two-week journey ended happily!  Over these days, I and my family (five people in total) drove a distance of 4000 miles by car.  We managed to visit our brothers and sisters in different locations, with the final destination in Buryatia.

The first point of our journey was Sukhovo, a village in the midst of the taiga; the nearest town (Kansk) is about 100 miles away.  The distance from our Tuim is about 600 miles.  Sometimes there is a road, sometimes – not really.

Civilization, of course, has reached there; I mean a cellular coverage, which, however, works there with interruptions.  In this village our parishioner Maria Innokentevna lives, she is 69 years old.  She is very afflicted that she can not go to church.  And I always really dream to visit her, although, of course, it is far and quite expensive.  The distances in Siberia are huge, and roads, let’s say, are not very good.

When we arrived to Maria’s village, it was already late evening. When she saw us, she ran to meet us so quickly that I thought that I could hardly catch up with her.  I wish everyone to run so fast at 69 years!

We were all very happy to meet!  There I served two services.  First, because Maria did not take Holy communion for a long time, I talked to her, and I heard her private confession.  And then I conducted the “common confession of sins” for all of us.  And afterwards, the Divine service with the anointing and the Eucharist.

And then there were excellent donuts, delicious food and lots of conversations.

Maria is a brave woman! She is strong in the faith and in trust in God and His Christ.

The next day we went to Angarsk. We drove all day, and arrived late at night. We stopped in our church. How good is to be in the church!  I want to pray like Saint Peter prayed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here” [Matthew 17: 4].

And the psalmist said correctly [Ps 27: 4], One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life.

In the church we slept very well and decided next day to go to see the lake of Baikal [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal].  I really wanted to bring my children there.  But sadly it was not happen: there was a very large and chaotic traffic on the road near Irkutsk, and in the stream of cars I accidentally crashed into a Toyota which was standing in the middle of road, and damaged my car also. And so I was forced to go to repair it.  And then we returned to the church in Angarsk.

The next day, we cleaned up and prepared everything, and then I served the liturgy for our parishioners and talked with them.

And the next day we moved further towards Buryatia. Having traveled around the lake of Baikal, we went finally to the road to Buryatia and Mongolia.

We drove a very long time with sleeping a night on the road. The road was difficult, and we were all very tired.  But in Buryatia our brothers and sisters met us with a great joy.  We had rest and then I served the Divine service.  Our Buryatian parishioners always dream about the liturgy, I want all Christians so to dream about the Eucharist!

My wife and children have made new friends, we are all very glad that we have served our brothers and sisters!  It was a great travel!

Thank you everyone for prayers for us!

Please pray for the safe travels of the Lutheran clergymen in Siberia!

“Faith and hope”

Please see attached photos.  

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Peace to you, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last Sunday we celebrate the Nativity of Saint John the Baptizer. May we bring to your attention the piece of the sermon by our Bishop Vsevolod.

“What shall this baby be?” (Luke 1: 66).

God made humans free.  We can talk about this a lot and for a long time, but the fact remains: we can choose between good and evil.  We have a choice.

But there is also that area of life where God decides for us.  Where God has already decided for us and instead of us.  God did not check with us when He created the world.  He did not check with us when He sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world “for us men and for our salvation.”

And God decided how to save us; and in this we must see the miraculous grace: to be saved you do not need to run to the end of the earth or mock yourself, as medieval ascetics did.  For our salvation, the Lord created the Church in which He accepts us and our children through holy baptism, and forgives our sins, and feeds us with the Eucharist, and keeps us on the way to the Heavenly Kingdom.

***

“What shall this baby be?” (Luke 1: 66).  You know, I continuously meet people who say: “I do not want to put pressure on my child. Faith is a matter of personal choice. Let him (or, her) grow up and decide whether to be baptized or not.”

“Let him grow up and decide: whether to be baptized or not, whether to be a Christian, or, let’s say, a Buddhist.”

Strange logic! We adults decide what our child will wear, and what will eat. We choose for him (or her) a school to study in. We shield our children from vicious street influence. We give them tasteless medicines. But at the same time seemingly intelligent people can say: let him grow up and decide to be baptized or not to be.

Then also you must not talk with the child in Russian: let him grow up and decide himself which language to speak. And you should not care for a child when he is sick: let him grow and decide whether to take medicines or not.

You know, recently in one of our parishes I baptized an infant, it was after his relatives entreated the infant’s father more than for six months.  It is good that they managed to persuade him!  I really do not understand how fathers (and mothers) can think that they give their children freedom, depriving in fact these children of the eternal life.

“What shall this baby be?” (Luke 1: 66). We have no options — to baptize children, or not to baptize, to teach them Catechism or not to teach, to educate them how to be Christians or not to educate.  There is no option, because God has already decided everything: He decided that He wants to give Christian names to our children.  He decided that following us our children should be Christians too.

During the liturgy in the parish of Saint James (Novokuznetsk) a baby girl Elvira was baptized by the Bishop.  But there was a problem with photographs of this baptism.  The fact was that the baby girl’s dad fought two days ago (he protected a teenager from street criminals), and his whole face was bruised. Therefore, no one took pictures.

Please pray for the mission of the Church in Siberia, that new people come to holy baptism and bring their children.

“Faith and hope”

Please see the attached photo of the chapel in Novokuznetsk.