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Calvary Lutheran Church ● Grants Pass ● Oregon

Dear brothers in Christ, 

 Warm greetings to you from Siberia! Last week I received a note from ELCA Global Mission letting me know that this summer your congregation in Grants Pass decided to sign of covenant of support for the ministry in which I am engaged here in Russia. I look forward to sharing a bit with you about the lives of Christians here in the former Soviet Union as well as to hearing about the life and ministry of your congregation. 

 Perhaps it would be useful if I shared a few words as a way of introducing myself.

I am a native of Montana, where I group up on a family farm and ranch. From there I went to St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where I graduated with degrees in English and Russian. After teaching English for a short time in Russia, I returned to the United States to get my M.Div. at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA (though I also took a few classes at Luther in St. Paul, MN and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago). I had a fourth year internship at seminary that turned into a long-term call. I first became pastor at my internship congregation, St. Nikolai in Novgorod (about 3 hrs from St. Petersburg), but insofar as the ELCA doesn't typically send pastors to serve as traditional parish pastors in local congregations abroad, this was seen as being only temporary while I made some preparations for teaching at the Lutheran seminary just outside of St. Petersburg. I taught in many different areas (especially Church History and Ethics) there until March of this year, when the ELCA decided that they were no longer able to fund that ministry. The Lord works in surprising ways, however, and it turns out that this was not the end either of my time in Russia or my work as an ELCA mission. As it turns out, a German mission organization (the Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Lower Saxony) was looking for a pastor to serve in a parish in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. From my work at the seminary I had contacts with this organization, and by late spring it was clear that they would be able to offer a call to me starting in September. The ELCA liked this idea so much that they decided that they would also take part in supporting the work, and now I will be a "global mission associate" with my call approved by the ELCA board. 

So, my new ministry is just at its beginning, and I've decided to report on this time through regular (at least weekly) updates to my blog. You can find it at russiancorrespondent.blogspot.com In addition, I'll be gathering that material, editing it a bit, and sending it out in newsletter form about every other month - hopefully you'll be receiving one in October.

 I would certainly be open to any questions or ideas you might have - please feel free to write to me at any time.

Wishing you God's blessings on all your ministries.

In Christ,

Bradn

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