October 2000
Rudi and Kirsten Blümcke, 660001 Krasnojarsk, ul. Menschinskogo16a
kw.109, Russia;
tel+fax: 007 3912 440160; e-mail: rubl@online.ru
Krasnojarsk, 24 October 2000
Dear friends!
I don't yet know whether or when I can finish this letter, but I will simply begin, since I've already had it in front of me for a very long time, but something always interferes..The last letter is far past, and I must reach for the calendar, in order to remind myself about all that has taken place.
Naturally first there was the visit with us of Dieter Grimmsmann, Klaus Schulz and Alexander Jung. That was really a highlight in the work of the last 5 years. First we organized three open evenings, to which we invited all Christian congregations of the city who showed an interest. Between 80 and 100 people came, and it was very interesting to observe how Dieter and Klaus slowly got their listeners interested in their topics, and with time became freer and more open -- as expected, and the visitors also. Topics were Biblical thinking and also personal experiences in the light of the Word of God. Sometimes of course we had many serious discussions among ourselves at home, which suited me personally very well. After this warming-up phase we then withdrew with a group of approximately 60 people from our congregation, to a sanatorium at the edge of the city, in order to consider as a small congregation ethical topics such as marriage, family and relating among ourselves. Sometimes there were opportunities for massage, sauna, aerobics or table tennis. Those were really moving days. As a minister of this young congregation my eyes opened up to the wealth, which is entrusted to us there. The concept was already a celebration for me - we had made certain that people introduced themselves to one another, who didn't know each other well or at all. "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" [Psalm 133:1, NRSV] This Psalm word broke in to me again and again and I hummed this word to myself - even if larger groups of people here in Russia are anything but peaceful and friendly - also with us there were some tears and shouting, but that was not the main thing. The obvious desire of all to go around differently together here, and to learn and enjoy living in community was obvious. So this time the entire life of the congregation has been deeply shaped, and again and again memories of the intense experiences come back. We are very grateful to Dieter and Klaus for their sensitive ability to talk with people and then come to the point. Also Alexander had a good ability to be quietly there in the background for people. We have a lot of hope that we can continue this type of congregation retreat.
After these full days, then I had to travel directly to a regional conference of the EKD ministers from Eastern Europe in Budapest. I experienced this city as very pleasant symbiosis between east, west and south Europe. Particularly the enormous synagogue and the attached museum were impressive. Additionally it is always very good to interact with colleagues, and we even had the possibility of participating in a Hungarian pastors' conference.
Germany, family, friends, vacation, that more or less rushed by me this year - unfortunately. Only for a week, when I was with three old friends in the Alps on a motorcycle, did I have the feeling that I could really relax. Naturally in the summer I also visited again in different congregations - particularly a visit in the Greifswald area, where I gave three lectures in congregations and met old study colleagues, who serve in Greifswald today. How much closer these congregations are our to our experiences here - partly I had the feeling of carrying coals to Newcastle. In contrast, beforehand I gave a presentation to the Lions club in Bad Bevensen - my former pastor had arranged this assignment for me. Also the questions and concerns of management people were very informative for me. Services in Suelze, Unterluess, Eschede and Paderborn and some other lectures were simply a little too much for the short time in Germany, but I had enjoyed the many encouraging meetings and discussions nevertheless. How important this network of relations is for us in the work here - I believe anyone can appreciate that.
And then naturally there are still the regular sessions in mission work and personal time with Fendlers, the second Hermannsburg pastor married couple for the middle Siberia - they wanted to know everything, what to consider, to bring along, and all were so important. A genuine high point in all this preparation for me was Stefanie Fendler's Ordination by Bishop Kaesmann. There was a really festive service in Hermannsburg in Peter and Paul, a very appropriate and sensitive sermon, and also the feeling of being sent by a church which despite all criticism is carrying something boldly.
Immediately after our return to Krasnojarsk the last hectic preparations for our youth camp began (Kirsten's official report I will attach!). During this time I began to remodel our home, which after five years of living there and our regular damages caused by water, could no longer be delayed - one comes regularly to the point, where one would dearly like to tear the whole house apart, in order to build it again - however after a good month and with a lot of assistance from Tamara from our congregation, we finally removed all coverings and put in wallpaper again.
Then a highlight was the first day at school for Jonathan. School is great fun for him, even if sometimes he groans under the double load - Russian in the school and German instruction at home with Kirsten. Anna Maria again is happy to go to kindergarten, but will probably go to school next year.
A few pieces of news briefly from the congregation: Since August now Fendlers are with us in Krasnojarsk, and they are industrious to learn the language - then in March we will be able to see more clearly, how a future division of labor will look. In the same month also Efgenij Lukinow came to us. He is one of the first graduates of our theological seminary in Novosaratovka in St. Petersburg. He will be now be with us a whole year as Intern (Vikar) and will get experience in the congregation. Since a lot of new things are happening with us now, I am very glad for him that he can experience everything. Stanja, our Intern (Praktikantin) from the Czech Republic, after a whole year has left us for youth work. She began a visitation circle, which continues and hopefully now grows, because it is urgently necessary that many people, whom we supply diakonia or with meals also are visited, simply in order to talk. A regular meeting of our seniors is also new, developing from the desire of old people in the congregation. The two Bible study circles are very active, and also the youth group and children's service are very much alive. The question of the building for the congregation now goes into the third round, after two substantial projects burst. Beyond that however I would not like to write much now - before clear contracts are signed and the building belongs to us, I have the impression that I make myself ridiculous, to always present new projects which nevertheless fail again because of the incredibility of the official contacts. Sooner or later this incredibility will fade. Thus I became more careful and tell only myself. We operate and have large hopes in the next year to call a church our own. At present we meet in the center of the city in the house of the actors. Very noble premises, bus-technically optimally located right behind the city hall, but correspondingly expensive. But at present many congregations are on the search for spaces and it was difficult to find something, after the culture palace sent us on our way in the summer. Moreover we were then in a type of program theatre, which however was so tight that only approximately 80 people fit in and children's services were not possible at all. I hope that we can now remain there in the center, until we own something, since each move naturally brings losses for the congregation in its attendance at services. But now here is Kirsten's report on youth work, and we wish you all cordial thanks for everything that you do for us. We commend you to the Lord. (We include a current photo from the summer for you.)
In our youth camp (Jugendlager, JL) 42 young people participated, 13 adults and 5 kitchen employees. Approximately 20 Kids were from our congregation, the rest came from a friendly Baptist congregation in Irkutsk, and from 2 of our village congregations in Chakassien. A preparatory group, including me, started out on 13 August, which already was quite exciting because we did not know whether the bus, which we had only arranged for the evening beforehand after a long search, would really come. It came. Such a bus is intended for 20 people. However we were 27, and besides our luggage we also had to stow away food for 60 people for 10 days. It was one of the many gifts of God, that the bus driver continued through everything. Together we pushed everything into the bus and then locked the door, before the cabbages and cookie crates, between which we got caught sitting, could again spurt out.
So we were approximately 1 hour on the way, moving was hardly possible, and at upward gradients we felt each moment the need to to step out, created by a totally overloaded bus. Finally we set out with the ferry over the Jenissej river, and after some further kilometers across country, we arrived at a landing place, from which a ship would bring us to our camp. It was a miracle that the half drunk boat operators were there in time, particularly since it began to rain and we still had to stow away all the food. With the ship we then traveled over an artificial lake, which is beautifully surrounded by wooded hills and, as we soon determined, had a pleasant bathing temperature. Having arrived at camp, we found a sloping area, on which there were some small wood buildings beside 3 larger buildings (kitchen, assembly place and billiard room), in which we then established ourselves after much moving around of beds, mattresses and bed linens. I will save you here from further details about the status of the kitchen (after we had already prepared, for lack of a functioning stove, hamburgers over an open fire, thanks be to God we found in neighboring camps another acceptable kitchen), and all the other preparations which were to be met, in order to arrange the area comfortably to some extent.
On the next day then the rest of the campers arrived, and by means of a game, which was also co-ordinated with our theme, were made familiar with the area. As a theme we had selected the Acts of the Apostles of Luke, and the individual groups (approx. 5-7 Kids and a responsible person lived together in a house) had been given names of the Biblical New Testament churches. During the evening meeting, each "little congregation" was presented in creative manner.
Here I would like to review the routine of the day of our camp, which naturally varied at times. In the morning around 7.30 was unofficial waking of the "early swimmers". Although at night we often froze and slept in sweaters and trousers, the water was pleasantly warm there in the morning, in the comparison to air. There was naturally no running water, so that was also the best possibility to freshen up. Around 8.30 then there was the official waking and prayer meeting of the coworkers. Our household leader affectionately supplied us each morning with coffee and chocolate, and as we enjoyed this extravagance, we talked over the events of the last day and our prayer requests. Afterwards we prayed and sang together and finally discussed still substantial points of the program for the coming day. Meanwhile also the Kids gotten up from their beds ourselves and around 9.15 came to the "Linejka", which one can perhaps translate with morning roll call. We began our "Linejka" with a "waking up song", read a Bible verse which fit the name of our camp, Source (Quelle), and briefly discussed it. There followed announcements, and common prayer as well as singing the camp verse ended the "Linejka". While the kitchen crew set the tables, the individual groups were asked for the Bible verse that they were supposed to learn by heart, and I was again and again surprised, over the eagerness with which everything was done. Toward 9.45 there was finally breakfast and by 10.45 everyone needed to straighten up their houses and the area. Around 10.45 we gathered for a morning meeting. With the view of the beautiful landscape around us, it was not difficult to praise our creator and God with many songs. The singing was a lot of fun especially for the children, who did not have to do with faith beforehand, for the young people thereby came very well into the community. After singing, a personal witness followed, generally from a coworker, about how he or she came to the faith, and about how living with Jesus in everyday life affects them quite concretely. A small theatre demonstration followed, in which alternating in each case a group under guidance of a woman coworker presented the Bible story for the day. Afterwards the young people distributed themselves among 4 groups for discussion, in which the text was discussed together and applied to our personal faith life. Sometimes we all met again, in order to share our results. So the Kids had the opportunity to talk in front of others about their faith. On approximately 4 days we offered different workshops after the discussion groups, e.g. music, sport, psychological plays, tinkering, camp newspaper etc.. Around 13.30 there was lunch, and afterwards the young people had free time, which they usually spent with swimming and boating. We coworkers often still had to prepare some things. Around 15.00 the kitchen workers met with me. We discussed how it was going in the kitchen, problems or observations. I told about what was going on in the camp, and we prayed together for our concerns. In addition we read the text for the day, and often had interesting conversations about it. We noticed how important this time was, because the kitchen personnel thus felt integrated and jointly responsible in the camp. At 17.00 our camp play took place, which was likewise always coordinated with the respective daily topic. I would like to pick out one day here as example.
On this day the topic was the conversion of Paul. In the morning in the groups we had discussed that Paul's meeting with Jesus changed his life completely, as it was turned around. Thus we called this day, the Reversed Day. The Kids got an assignment at 17.00 in the assembly place to look "as turned around as possible". The result was simply remarkable, from strange hair-styles to shirts buttoned over on the back, and it even went so far that one person really looked as if he would run on his hands: he had put his sweater pulled onto his legs, feet barefoot, on his head a balloon as a face, had squeezed his arms into the trousers, and had covered and had pulled gym shoes onto his hands. Thus the impression developed that he came there walking on his hands down the mountain. After we had all been laughing, we indicated the young people that today they would have to invent today a game for the leaders, since today everything would be turned around. A game leader was appointed and each "small congregation" had 20 minutes time to invent something for us. When we met again after a half hour, we leaders were divided into groups of two and then had to get to 7 stations as fast as possible, at which the most varied functions were provided for us. Thus one could see that: 14 conductors move about the area, from one station to another, did push-ups, said 1000 Bible verses by heart (it was good that the Kids did not know the verses too well, so that our mistakes were not so obvious), ran (much too) many laps around a house, looked for various assignments in the grass, collected garbage, sang songs, made staff runs. Briefly said, the young people had a good time with us. Thus in the evening one could still hear many merry stories over the playing leaders and I must admit I rarely have had as much fun.
After the play there was dinner and at 20.00 there was then time for the evening meeting to be prepared. Each group had gotten an assignment. which then changed daily: demonstrate a song with movements, a Biblical example, represent camp reports (which were often amusing to the point of roaring), a merry sketch, a Bible verse, etc. Honestly I was astonished at the eagerness and wealth of fantasy with which the young people prepared this meeting evening after evening, and accordingly they also succeeded. Besides these entire presentations much was sung, and at the end an approximately 15 minute sermon was held. With a common prayer and song everyone then went to their houses, in which each group had their evening tea (and some pastry) prepared themselves and got ready for sleeping. As daily closing then a quite special time, the "obschenje" followed, an open round of talks in the individual groups. Here they could talk very openly in the small group about today's activities, where there were problems, what they think about the particulars of the sermon, like the relationship of the individual with God and the neighbor, etc. After this very intensive time, a common prayer was prayed, night rest ensued, and it was my role again to go into all houses mostly to wish a good night and peace. We coworkers, who did not sleep in the houses of the groups, often still sat together afterwards, discussed the past and coming day, prepared and prayed. Each evening we were astonished at what God gives us daily and even if we were often exhausted, we were pleased and nevertheless always strained onward to the next day.
There would naturally still be much to report on, e.g. on the Olympic games, which we carried out on 2 days and became particularly clear, as a very real Christian community had grown, in which being together counted more than being in competition with each other. Or of our trip on a ship with 2 totally drunken captains, who sailed us in meandering lines by the beauties of the landscape and again and again argued, who should now take over the steering wheel. Here also the rest still learned prayer! Additionally we were surprised by a thunderstorm and I will probably never forget, as we with some Kids clung to one another under a large rain cape in streaming rain on deck, singing songs of praise.
You see, I could always write further, because I am still quite fulfilled by the experience after all these weeks . Nevertheless I would also now like to bring the report to an end with a few personal impressions. Honestly I was afraid before this camp, had the feeling that it simply goes beyond our competence, and excessive demands would be made of me. But despite my small faith, God gave me a great release some days before camp, I wanted simply to allow Him to act. And I do not cease from being astonished, as Jesus created a community from this chaotic, thrown together heap, which was connected on the closest level and remains in common search for Him and experiencing His love. That became particularly clear in the last evening. We had put a large wood cross in the ground. In its center a candle burned, and in front of the cross there were many tea lights. Everyone who wanted could now make a tea light, ignite it, express in prayer before God and the others, what moved one and then place the candle on the cross. It was overwhelming that almost all young people took this opportunity, very many spoke a public prayer for the first time in their life, some gave their life to Jesus, many tears were shed. I was deeply moved by the evident love of God for His people, for these Kids, who already began to allow this to take part in their life, and to really experience change and a new beginning. And I am grateful that also we experience this working of God further in the life of each individual. That becomes noticeable above all, as we meet each Saturday in the youth group and further follow together the question of what God's good will is for our life, and how we can be still better acquainted with it.
From these days to today I personally experience the most intense Christian community. The simple life in this beautiful nature, in daily community with brothers and sisters, created by God, the common singing, praying, Bible reading and fun, which all-around-the-clock application prepares us for God's kingdom, and experiencing how God alone has qualified us for this, were a great gift and has given me a foretaste of eternity, in which we will be together in unity and will worship God.
By the way we have a new email address in the office of our congregation: luthkras@online.ru Our private address remained the same: rubl@online.ru
You can find our letters (in English and German version), some information about Siberia and some photos on the following site in the Internet: http://inst.augie.edu/church/OSL/rudi.html That is a grand possibility that our former Internship congregation provides us. Many thanks for that!
Rudi and Kirsten Blümcke