Reading of THE SECRET

We had a wonderful turn out for our very first reading of our children’s book, THE SECRET.

Author Melissa Stanton signed books for our guests and refreshments were furnished by Karen Haynes, Edna Mae Olson and Mary Tidemann of Ruth Guild.

Rochester, New York

OUR PARTNERS IN MISSION: I visited the congregation of Faith Lutheran Church in Rochester, New York in March of this year (see post of March 18) since that time, they have become our Mission partners, helping to support our mission and ministry to the children of St. Marie’s Orphan School for girls.

They have faithfully contributed money, prayers and gifts. The latest project was a Penny Tower. The children of Faith Lutheran collected over 200,000 pennies. Here’s a copy of the letter sent on their behalf regarding this project and also photos of these young Christians in mission, may God bless them everyone!

Invitation to "The Secret"

All members of Gloria Dei are invited to the first ever reading of the children’s book “The Secret” written by Melissa Stanton.

Ms. Stanton will host the reading on October 10th at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, refreshments will be served.

Please plan to bring your children for the special event, books will be available for sale and signing by the author.

All proceeds go to support the Orphan School in Ussurisk, Russia.

Russian Far East holds Annual Summer Seminar

Here are some photos of the seminar hosted by Pastor Manfred Brockmann . Members of all the Russian Far East Congregations attend this week long study.

Pastor Brockmann has requested donations for a new computer and printer for his church in Vladivostok.

If you are able to make a contribution, please make the check payable to Central States Synod and send it c/o Jackie Volbrecht, 902 Faulkner, Wichita, KS 67203 and I will send you a tax deductible receipt.

GRANNY’S ATTIC GARAGE SALE

Ruth Guild has made and sold Christmas ornaments, designed and hawked t-shirts, packaged and peddled tea and cake mixes and our latest adventure in mission funding was our garage sale!

We cleaned our attics, promised each other we would not just trade stuff and held a very successful sale.

When I observe the women of my guild, I am reminded that mighty courageous souls are many times packaged in ways you’d never imagine. Thanks to all!

Easter 2009 in St Paul’s, Vladivostok

Easter 2009 in St Paul’s, Vladivostok : Consecration of our Church Bells and of our new Altar.

The times get harder, but “behold, we live” ( 2 Cor 6,9), and time and again we are reached by signs to show us, that there lie blessings on our church. At Easter, the feast of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we could celebrate two great events.

1. The consecration of our three bells.- As we reported already June 28. 07. on our website, they were cast in the firm Bachert, Karlsruhe Germany. Then we showed August 8.08. , how they were unloaded und lifted up into the church steeple. And now they were hung up in the days before the Passion week. For to do this, the representative of the firm Festo, H. Krehl, came from Germany with a bell-specialist . The bells are a present of the readers of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung”, where the German journalist Elke Windisch,- she had also come,-had written about St Paul’s, Vladivostok, at Christmas 2006. Now they were consecrated in the Easter Divine Service, and then they sounded for the first time.


The powerful sound of these three bells made the deepest impression to all people,- to those in the church as to those on the streets. Never before such a sound was heard in Vladivostok!!

St Paul’s is the oldest church in our city and is situated in its center , and when from now on the mighty sound of these bells regularly will be heard in the middle of Vladivostok, then this really may appear as a sign of ENTERING A NEW PERIOD OF LIFE , BEYOND THE OLD SOVIET AND THE NEARLY WORSE RUSSIAN CAPITALISTIC WORLD. SOUNDS OF ETERNITY IN A COUNTRY, WHICH HAS SUFFERED SO MUCH AND BEGAN TO SUFFER AGAIN.

On the biggest bell are written the words of psalm 46 :”God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear ! “

2. The consecration of our new altar.- This is a present of Joan Krodel, widow of the late professor Gerhard Krodel, Gettysburg, USA. G. Krodel stands at the beginning of pastor Brockmann’s work in the Far East. He brought us nearly all our friends and partners in the states and is so not only the sponsor of our seminar in Novosaratovka, but also the great friend and promoter of the resurrection of the Lutheran Church at the other end of Russia, the Far East. The new altar is built in his memory.

Manfred Brockmann, pastor at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Vladivostok, and dean of the Russian Far East.

The Bells of St. Paul

Easter comes there first. They live in our tomorrow. In this bawdy seaport a cathedral sits at the highest point of the city. Once built as a place of worship in the 1800’s, it was partially destroyed, filled with weapons and silent for 70 years.

Now, the curtain has fallen, the silence will be broken by the ringing of the bells! This Easter morning through the power of God, working through His people,those from Germany, Australia, Korea and all over the United States-the Bells of St. Paul’s Lutheran Cathedral of Vladivostok Russia will call the faithful to worship.

I can’t help but think that as they ring, they are singing “He Is Risen” and with all those saints who lost their lives during the Soviet oppression and those alive today I say “He Is Risen Indeed…Alleluia!”

We celebrate as a people, and we thank all who have prayed and worked for this day.

Jackie Volbrecht