A letter from Joe and Hannah Kang in Russia
February 2009
Dorogoi druzia! (Dear Friends),
Our trip back to the States over Christmas and New Year was rather short. Joe had to teach another extension course beginning January 19. This time 29 students (including seven new ones) came to attend the two-week intensive study. Joe taught a course called “Formation of the Bible” for the biblical field. A teacher from Germany taught pastoral theology, and another seminary lecturer taught early church history.
Sharing peace before Holy Communion during the worship service for the extension program.
Students in this program are lay leaders of the Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States of the former Soviet Union. While they continue to work in their own profession, they serve their congregations as preachers and teachers. Our seminary offers two two-week courses each academic year—one during the winter break and another during the summer break—to give these lay leaders basic theological information and skills. After completing eight courses, students could be eligible for ordination. Anyone who completes the program with good grades can take graduation exams to earn a diploma along with regular on-site program students. The highlight of the program was the Communion service at the end of second week when Archbishop Edmund Ratz preached and met with these lay workers.
Joe with Vladimir Tatarnikov and Lena Bondarenko.
In ten days, regular program students will return to campus for the second semester. This time they will be joined by ten interns who have been spending a year at various local congregations. They are going to have a two-week seminar before the final interview with the faculty and bishops, which will be followed by their official graduation on February 20. Vladimir Tatarnikov from Vitevsk, Belarus, is one of the ten interns. He has been doing his internship at Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy under the supervision of the Rev. Bob Bronkema, a PC(USA) mission co-worker who is responsible in charge of the MPC. His internship was one of two in non-Lutheran ecumenical settings, and it turned out very successfully for both churches. Another ecumenical intern, Lena Bondarenko, served as Joe’s interpreter at the Anglican Chaplaincy in St. Petersburg. Archbishop Ratz decided to ordain Vladimir on Easter Sunday at the MPC. They will serve two Lutheran congregations in Belarus.
During the spring semester Joe is going to teach two New Testament courses, one on the fourth Gospel and another on New Testament theology. Hannah will keep her Russian language study and ministry through the home. On February 24 we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary. Since our children won’t be able to be with us for this celebration, they gave us a good dinner during our last visit. It was our great joy and happiness to be with them, especially with six grandchildren, over Christmas and New Year. Matthew, the youngest of the whole family, is going to celebrate his first birthday on February 22, and as we are going to miss this family event, we gave him our gift in advance.
In early June, at the end of the spring semester, we will return to the States for our end-of-term home assignment. We are going to be part of “World Mission Challenge,” the successor to Mission Challenge ’07, from late September through October 22. Then we’ll return to St. Petersburg for another two-year term in early November. We will welcome any invitation to visit with supporting churches during those months in the States. The month of June is open to the West Coast, and July to the East Coast. Our mailing address during the mission interpretation is:
Joe & Hannah Kang
784 Santa Barbara St.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(949) 813-7223
Email: Joe and Hannah Kang
We do hope to see as many of you as possible during our home assignment. In the meantime, we wish you good health and joyful life throughout the year despite the dreadful economic downturn. And allow us to extend our sincere thanks for your continuous support and prayers for our ministry in training the future church leaders in this side of the globe. Bolshoi spashiva! (Many thanks!) Dosvidanya! (Bye for now!)
Hannah and Joe Kang
The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 177
