Rev. Matthew Heise March 2011
Above: The view from my apartment in Tbilisi, Georgia
The Mountains of Tbilisi
Psalm 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
This past week saw me arriving in Tbilisi and moving into a new apartment. The Georgians have a wonderful setup where a renter can put down a sum of money for one or two years and get the money back after the period is completed. (Bank rates are fairly high for lending, so this is a way in which one can get some quick capital to start up a business). All of this makes me pretty cheap by missionary standards (no snarky comments, please)- I only need to pay for utilities.
My move was made necessary when the old landlord decided to sell his house, where I had been renting the basement. So after one and half years in this setting when I didn’t always know if it was day or night (although I do travel every month and am not often at home), I now have the view you see in the picture above. Not a bad tradeoff. The Psalmist certainly put my thoughts into more poetic language than I could manage, but I am thankful that the Lord has provided me with a nice place and a room with a view.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia: 1611-2011
The image you see above is the anniversary logo for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia, which is now celebrating its 400th year of existence with special evens throughout the year. I hope to share with you in the course of this year the rich history and current mission work of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s partner church in Russia. The first Ingrian congregation was formed in Lempaala in 1611 (in Russian, Lembolova), a town now mostly in ruins located just north of St. Petersburg. The Ingrian people’s introduction to the Lutheran Church took place during the Time of Troubles in Russia (1598-1613), an era replete with foreign invasions (Poles and Swedes), intrigue and instability after the death of Czar Fyodor, Ivan the Terrible’s son. I’ll provide you with more details in the future as the church has commissioned authors to write histories of the church and its life in Russia.
St. Michael’s Lutheran in St. Petersburg Completes Restoration
St. Petersburg, Russia 1876- Russia was undergoing monumental
St. Petersburg, Russia 1876- Russia was undergoing monumental changes under the leadership of the Liberating Czar, Alexander II.
changes under the leadership of the Liberating Czar, Alexander II. He had freed the serfs a decade earlier, much like his friend and acquaintance President Abraham Lincoln, who announced freedom for American slaves in his Emancipation Declaration of 1863. The famed novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, while gravitating from apartment to apartment due to his gambling debts, was completing a short story based upon his conversion to Christianity (“The Peasant Marey”) and perhaps already laying the groundwork for his classic The Brothers Karamazov, his last published book before his death in 1881. These two historical figures lived in St. Petersburg and were most likely unaware of the one story wooden house on the corner of Sredny Prospect and 3rd Line street on Vasily Island.
In 1874 the property was sold to the Church Council of St. Michael’s Lutheran congregation, who had been searching for a site on which to build a church. In that way, St. Michael’s soon came to the attention of Czar Alexander II as military architect Col. Karl von Bulmering proposed the use of government money to construct a neo-Gothic cathedral on the site. With the czar’s approval construction began immediately; and although the work wasn’t completed until 1877, the church was consecrated on December 19, 1876.
In 1935 the communists closed the church and destroyed and reconstructed the interior of the building so that the company “Sport” could take possession. So for the next forty years “Sport” produced volleyballs in their new “factory” setting. Given this sad chapter in the church’s history, it was a happy day when 135 years later to the day, December 19, 2010, Bishop Aari Kugappi and Pastor Sergey Tatarenko re-consecrated the newly reconstructed cathedral to the service of our Lord in the heart of this island in St. Petersburg, not too far from the Winter Palace and Hermitage.
As you can see from the picture below taken on Sredny Prospect, parishioners of St. Michael’s gathered to commemorate the day of the re-consecration with some members from the few congregations who pay rent to use the church (with which Pastor Sergey pays his other pastor and utilities). St. Michael’s comprises 1/3 of the people on the street, so it is wonderful to see that other Evangelical Christian groups are given space where they can worship in St. Petersburg. St. Michael’s is always buzzing with activity, holding services, Bible studies, and Christian musical concerts where it provides a home for Christian musicians of all types (classical and contemporary) to gather and worship the Lord.
We are especially grateful that The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was a strong partner in the reconstruction, actively campaigning for funds to restore the cathedral through “Fan into the Flame.” We are especially thankful for the hard work of Len Fiedler and the extraordinary generosity of Michiganders Laura Sias and Keturah Thunder-Haab. They have helped provide an opportunity for the Gospel to be proclaimed in a setting comfortable for most Russians.
Ingrian Lutheran Church as it celebrates its 400th anniversary
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for the Ingrian Lutheran Church as it celebrates its 400th anniversary this year. May their dedication to the Great Commission of our Lord remain strong.
Pray for Pastor Sergey Tatarenko and the good people of St. Michaels, that they might use this building to strengthen and nurture those in the Faith and share with those who don’t yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Please pray for my travel to Odessa, Ukraine this Saturday and for the six weeks I will spend there teaching. Please pray for wisdom and the gift of language as I teach new courses in Russian. (I will be there from March 12-April 25).
Please continue to pray for the recovery of our current Eurasian mission accountant, Karen Roemer, and former Eurasian accountant, Larry Ogg. Both are dealing with issues related to cancer, but we are thankful to the Lord that they appear to be on the road to recovery. Thanks be to God!
E-mail: matveih@yahoo.com—mailing address- 26650 Woodshire, Dearborn Hgts., MI., 48127. To support my work financially, you can send a tax-deductible gift to:
LCMS World Mission, Missionary Support, PO Box 790089, St. Louis, MO 63179-0089
—–Make checks payable to LCMS World Mission. Mark checks “Support of Matthew Heise.” If you would like to partner with me in my ministry with ongoing support as an individual or congregation, please contact Debra Feenstra for information on Together in Mission or Mission Senders at 1-800-248-1930 Ext. 1651 or Debra.Feenstra@lcms.org Thank you, and may God’s peace be with you in Lent!
