A letter from Hannah and Joseph Kang in Russia
March 2010
Privet, dorogai drudzia! (Greetings, dear friends)
Snow covered Seminary main building.This last winter has been unusually long and cold. Novosaratovka, which is 2 km. away from the city limits of St. Petersburg where this Lutheran Theological Seminary is located, is still surrounded by the mounts of snow. It was said to be a record breaking snow, the most in 130 years. The rising temperature above the freezing degrees will soon make all these snow mountains melt away and may cause flooding everywhere. It’s quite normal, though, that snow remains way beyond Easter here in this part of Russia. Despite lingering snow falls, people say “Vesna skoro!” (Spring comes soon!). These days the daylight is getting longer and longer, moving toward the season of white nights.
ELCROS (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States), where Joe and Hannah have been working in partnership since September 2002, has been undergoing a restructuring by making regional churches independent and dividing Russia into two dioceses: European Russia and Siberian Russia. Under this new structure all the regional Lutheran churches in Russia, Central Asia, and Ukraine are to be independent under each of their bishops while loosely connected to the newly elected archbishop, Augustin Kruze, who is succeeding the Rev. Edmund Ratz. The new Constitution has been in preparation for this new structure although there are yet many unresolved issues such as constituting new board members of the Theological Seminary, the role of General Synod, etc.
Dietrich and Tatiana Brauer after their ordination.Under this new structure, Evangelical Lutheran Church of European Russia held its synod meeting for three days from March 17. The most important agenda for this meeting was to elect its new bishop, and the Rev. Dietrich Brauer was elected as the bishop “visitator” equivalent to “interim” in the American system. In a year or so, he is going to be installed as the bishop of ELC of European Russia. Learning of this election, Hannah and I were overwhelmed by joy and by the hope this new development might bring to this church. The Rev. Brauer is one of 2005 graduates of this seminary along with his wife, Tatiana Petrenko. Dietrich and Tatiana were classmates and married at the seminary chapel right before their graduation. Ordained in June 2006, Dietrich has been faithfully serving a Lutheran congregation in Gusev (Kalingrad region), while his wife, Tatiana, is working as a director of the Carl Blume Home for the Elderly and Handicapped in the same city.
When Anton Tikhomirov was elected as the new rector of this theological seminary a few years ago, Joe expressed that it was “a giant step forward” for the Russian leadership of this church. Hearing this election of new bishop, Joe responded to it as “a big leap” toward the Russian leadership. In less than two decades of existence since the Perestroika, this theological seminary is bearing its tangible fruits for the church! It is our great joy and privilege to have been involved in this leadership development ministry. Above all we would like to extend our immense gratitude from the deepest bottom of our hearts to all of you for your unceasing prayers and support for our ministry. With our retirement being only a year away, we do feel that we will be able to depart for another juncture of our journey without any reservation or hold-ups. As Joe indicated in our earlier letters, his assistant and interpreter, Lena Bondarenko, began to take over teaching responsibilities in the biblical subjects Joe used to teach. Under Joe’s supervision Lena completed her diploma work in Theology in addition to her advanced academic degree in English. The seminary faculty has made a unanimous decision to recommend the Seminary Board to appoint her as a lecturer in Biblical Studies upon Joe’s retirement.
As the East and the West meet together at Easter this year, we pray for peace and reconciliation in this broken and striving world once again! May the Lord of life remain with you all in new hope and vision for the transformed ‘mir’(world, peace)!
Dosvidanya! (Bye for now)
Joe and Hannah Kang
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 195
