2004 – 28 m
This video tells the story of three of the earliest graduates from Theological Seminary of Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC) in Novosibirsk, Russia. It documents the life of the seminarians as they enter their first congregations and mission plants in the city of Chita of the Russian Far East, as well as, Omsk and Tomsk in Central Siberia. It begins with the congregation in Chita in which the clergy and laity work among people demoralized by poverty, crime, theft and bereft of faith in Christ and the Gospel. The primary work of these young pastors focuses on catechetical instruction and strengthening the people in the liturgical life of the Church. The congregation meets in a rented school classroom. Nearly half of the members are deaf. The mission in Omsk, gathered in a rented apartment, is an example of how the Church follows her people as they move to new cities for employment. Thirdly, the video tells the story of a new pastor serving a German congregation in Tomsk. This young man is the only pastor in the SELC who was raised in a Christian home by Lutheran parents. All the other pastors are converts to the Christian faith who, sadly, have become the objects of scorn and ridicule from friends and their closest family members. The video also chronicles the tragic murder of Gennadij Artim,