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May 2007 Pastor Lytkin Ordained Bishop.
In an historic and joyous consecration ceremony on May 6th, Pastor Vsevolod Lytkin, leader of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC) was ordained as Bishop at the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Tallinn, Estonia. Although Americans may not be familiar with the notion of a Bishop as leader of a Lutheran Church body, this office is traditional in Europe. Under Bishop Lytkin’s leadership, SELC is now officially recognized as an independent church body by the Russian government. This new status will enhance SELC’s credibility with local government officials and also gives Bishop Lytkin the authority to ordain Pastors and Deacons.
 
2007, Consecration of the Church Building in Angarsk.
July 2007 Vacation Bible School.
Vacation Bible School was held in Novosibirsk in July. About twenty children spent two weeks with Sunday School teachers, seminary students and Pastors. Every day began with matins and ended with vespers, where children sang church hymns, heard the Word of God and prayed. Along with Bible studies, children prepared short plays, participated in creative projects, worked in hobby groups, and went on excursions to the Botany garden, Adventures park, and the Railroad Museum (which is unique in all of Russia).
During the Bible classes, children learned about the prophet Jonah, about God and Nineveh. They learned that old stories that may not seem relevant in today’s world can have meaning for us today. Jonah’s story teaches us about a just, patient and merciful God. The children also learned that the Bible is a book about Christ, because Jonah, through his life and preaching, showed Christ to the people.
Two Sunday School teachers from Khakassia came to Novosibirsk to participate in the program and gain experience in leading a VBS program. They returned to Khakassia to conduct a VBS program in Sunduki for sixty children from different parishes and locations in Khakassia.
2007 Summer Seminars.
As in the past several years, Summer Seminars have been held during June and July in several locations in Siberia. This year, the first seminars were held in Angarsk, Abakan, and Chita, where the church serves deaf as well as hearing members of the congregation. Pastor Daniel S. Johnson, a member of the SLMS Board of Directors, presented lectures on “The Gospel of Mark” and “Lutheran Spirituality”. Pastor Robert Wurst taught a program on “The Letter to the Galatians”. Rev. Alexei Streltsov, Rector of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk, presented lectures on the “Apostles’ Creed”.
In July, Seminars were held in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Chelyabinsk and Ekaterinburg. Dr. Timothy Quill taught a course on “Liturgy” at all four seminars. Pastor John Dryer taught a course on “Genesis – How to Read the Old Testament Christologically”. All these seminars were open to the general public.
 
January 2006
SLMS BOARD MEETING
The Siberian Lutheran Mission Society began 2006 with a January meeting
of the Board of Directors in at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne.
Bishop-elect Vsevolod Lytkin and Rev. Alexei Streltsov attended as guests
and representatives of SELC. The Board members reviewed activities during
2005 and discussed possibilities for our work in 2006.
After the Symposia in Fort Wayne, Bishop-elect Lytkin and his son, Daniil,
flew to California with Board member Elizabeth Meyer. They were received very
warmly at Grace Lutheran Church in San Mateo where Pastor Lytkin preached and
taught Bible class. Services were followed by a Mission Festival and Russian
luncheon prepared by members of the congregation.
Later that week, Pastor Lytkin taught Bible Class at the Senior Saints group
at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Cupertino. Approximately 50 people
attended this mid-week class and were impressed with Pastor Lytkin's power
point presentation which made clear the challenges and rewards of bringing
the Lutheran doctrine to Siberia.
Pastor Lytkin then flew to Southern California and Daniil with Mrs. Meyer.
They visited Immanuel Lutheran Church in Orange where Pastor Lytkin preached
both services and taught Bible class. On Tuesday the tour moved on to Concordia
College at Irvine where Pastor Lytkin spoke at chapel. The week also included an
opportunity to make a presentation to the confirmation class at Immanuel, a visit
to the Lutheran High School of Orange County, the largest Missouri Synod high
school in America. Bishop-elect's visit to the U.S. ended with an opportunity to
preach and teach at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California.
Pastor Alexei Streltsov, Rector of the Novosibirsk Seminary, spent two weeks
after the Symposia in Fort Wayne visiting several congregations in the Midwest,
including St. Luke's Lutheran Church and School in Clinton Township, Michigan.
QUILTS FOR SIBERIA
The women of the Quilt World group of Holy Trinity Lutheran
Church in Grandview, Missouri have spent a year stitching and assembling quilts
to be sent to the children of Siberia. These thirty-six lovingly hand-crafted
gifts are designated as gifts for children in orphanages who have very little
that they can call their own.
FUNDRAISING FOR DEACONESS
Funds have also been received for the ministry of Deaconess in-training, Alla
Shvetsova. When she returns to Siberia this summer from her studies at Fort Wayne,
these funds will be used specifically for her work with children.
March, 2005
SLMS Profiled in Michigan In-Touch
Click on link to view/print article.
Although many of our ongoing activities got their start in late 2005,
we expect them to become firmly established during 2006.
The SLMS Board of Directors will meet the third week of
January, 2006 during the Symposia held at Concordia Theological
Seminary in Fort Wayne. These meetings provide valuable
opportunities for the Directors to confer with each other
and with Pastors Vsevolod Lytkin and Alexei Streltsov
to discuss issues and progress that is being made, thanks
be to God, both in America and in Siberia.
As a result of a generous gift from St. John Lutheran
Church in Wheaton, Illinois, the congregation in Touim
will have new wheels! The gift will be used to purchase
a much-needed van that will be of great help to Deacon
Vitali Gavrilov and will allow him to continue to serve
the needs of his three congregations and preaching stations
within his parish through the proclamation of the Gospel.
A gift has been made by the congregation of Peace Lutheran
Church in Shell Knob, Missouri for the purchase of a new
car for the congregation in Tomsk. Additional funds were
donated by an individual to make the new wheels for Deacon
Alexander Hahn a reality. Again, these cars are a truly
valuable asset which allow our clergy in Siberia to minister
to their congregations and mission stations.
As the result of an ongoing project initiated by the congregations
of the Northeastern Circuit of the Rocky Mountain District
to build up a fund for the purchase of a flat in Tomsk,
we are coming closer to that reality. The fund grew recently
because of the very generous gift of the Lutheran Women's
Missionary League, Iowa District- East. The Lord has blessed
this undertaking and we can look forward to a new apartment
in Tomsk, perhaps during 2006.
Because rents are rising and congregations often must
shift their meeting places or services because of the
many uncertainties of life in Siberia, we have undertaken
an effort to purchase properties for the Siberian Evangelical
Lutheran Church that will provide permanent church buildings
which will also be used for Bible Study, Confirmation
classes. A donation by an individual was matched very
generously by LCMS World Relief and Human Care. This matching
gift allowed the SELC to purchase three church buildings.
The members of the congregations in Angarsk, Abakan and
Ekaterinburg are very grateful to have permanent houses
of worship.
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Rev. Frank Frye of Ft. Morgan, CO
lecturing at the 2005 summer seminars in Siberia |
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REV. ANDREI IVOLGA GRANTED A SABBATICAL AT WHEATON
COLLEGE
Rev. Andrei Ivolga, Pastor to the churches in
the Irkutsk region, was granted a 6-week sabbatical
study at Wheaton College - Wheaton, IL, June 10-
July 22, 2005. Rev. Dr. Scott Bruzek of St. John
Lutheran Church - Wheaton, IL was instrumental
in arranging the sabbatical study and serving
as Rev. Ivolga’s mentor. In the summer of
2004 Revs. Pavel Khramov and Daniel Burlakov of
St. Andrew Lutheran Church - Novosibirsk participated
in the sabbatical program.
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ORPHANS RECEIVE PRESENTS AT CHRISTMAS
St. John Lutheran Church and School (Wheaton, Ill.) Along with St. Andrew Lutheran Church (Novosibirsk, Russia) presented toys and basic necessities appropriate for children ages one to sixteen.
Besides the orphanage in Novosibirsk, children in Khakassia, Ekaterinburg, Irkutsk and Buryatia also received boxes with presents. In Barishevo, there was a holiday program in which the children were told the Christmas story.
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RUSSIAN PASTORS RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIP FOR DOMESTIC
STUDY
The Rev. Pavel Khramov, current director of the Bible School in Siberia, which prepares men for the seminary, and Rev. Daniel Burlakov, Assistant Pastor at St. Andrew Lutheran Church - Novosibirsk, Russia, traveled to the United States in the summer of 2004 for six weeks of independent study at Wheaton College - Wheaton, Ill. The Rev. Dr. Scott Bruzek, senior pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton, Ill., and board member of the Siberian Lutheran Missionary Society, was instrumental in obtaining a scholarship for their studies.
LAPTOP COMPUTERS GIVEN TO RUSSIAN PASTORS
The SLMS received a $5,000 gift in 2003 to purchase laptop computers for Pastors serving Siberian congregations. Because they are constantly traveling great distances from one parish to the next, the need for a portable or laptop computer is essential. A total of six were purchased through this generous gift. In 2005, a donation of $790 was matched by WRHC for the purchase of two laptop computers for Siberian women who are studying in the Deaconess Program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. Those women plan to return to Russia to work full-time in a shelter for homeless women and children.
CHURCH WIRING REPLACED
In the fall of 2002 the members of the Touim Congregation arrived at the church to find their electrical wiring had been stolen. They had no electricity to heat the building. The SLMS with Redeemer Lutheran Church - Marshalltown, IA and Lutheran Heritage Foundation teamed up to supply sufficient funds to replace the wires.
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HUMANITARIAN AID
The SLMS teamed up with Redeemer Lutheran Church - Marshalltown, IA and LCMS World Relief/Human Care to bring food and vitamins to the children in the Church in Buryatia and surrounding area. Unemployment in this area is very high. “Drunkenness and drug abuse is rampant and many parents sell their children’s clothing to feed their own vodka addiction,” says Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin. “These funds are enabling the Gospel to go forward.” |
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SUMMER CAMPS
Rev. Pavel Zayakin is devoted to his outreach programs to the youth who attend his parishes in Khakassia, one of the poorest regions of Russia. Because parents are often unemployed or substance abusers, the young people are vulnerable. Pastor Zayakin leads summer programs that offer camping, mountain climbing, cave exploration and various activities that are exciting for young people. The days begin and end with Bible study, devotions and the Liturgy. These summer camps have been supported by donations of St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton, Illinois and Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois.
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NEWSPAPER
During recent years, newspapers and television stations have been controlled increasingly by the central government in Russia. The newspaper in Abakan, a major city, has shut its doors. Realizing that a newspaper might be a major vehicle to publicize a Christian viewpoint, as well as the activities of local parishes and the SELC, Rev. Pavel Zayakin proposed starting such a project. A generous donation from St. John – Wheaton and from Lutheran World Relief now funds this ongoing project.
HOUSING
The cost of renting in Siberia continues to rise. In 2004, the Northeastern Circuit of the Rocky Mountain District of the Lutheran Laymen’s League in Colorado, pledged $8,000 annually for three years for the purchase of an apartment for the congregation in Touim.
TRANSPORTATION
Advent Lutheran Church in Zionsville, Indiana provided $7,000 in funds to purchase a van for the congregation in Chita, greatly enhancing the ability of the clergy to reach remote locations. St. John in Wheaton, IL has also provided funding for the purchase of vans over the years.
“On behalf of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, I want to express our deep appreciation of the mission-minded Lutheran laity and clergy who have organized the Siberian Lutheran Mission Society, and to all of you who support it with your offerings and prayers.”
- Dr. Timothy C.J. Quill, Dean of International Studies, Concordia Theological Seminary
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