Dear

friends of Karelia !
March 2015
Step by step and remember, I will be with you to the end of
time.
According to St Matthew, these were the last words of Jesus.
This is why they are important. Jesus said these words to the
disciples he had at that time. At the same time, he gave his
disciples a task: others need to be made disciples of Jesus. The
method was baptism and teaching.

We, too, are disciples
Have we been baptized? Yes. Have we been taught? Yes. We
have even been confirmed, and have publicly professed that we
are disciples of Jesus. Our participation in communion is further
witness to our discipleship.
So we profess to be disciples of Jesus. Our Lord is always with
us as he promised. It is simple. It is true. Even so, I forget
sometimes. And forgetting can be embarrassing.

Coincidence or guidance
God created the earth. Do we know of anything else that was not created by God? I think God did not
create coincidence. When something appears to happen by coincidence, I forget that our Lord may
have guided things to turn out this way. He is with us. We can trust that. That is great!
Step by step guidance in Sdder
The congregational council of Sdder was established 20 years ago. A founding meeting was held in
January 1995 in the home of Iivan and Anni Turkkonen in Upper Lega or Joven. After that we have
climbed many steps to become an independent congregation. The congregation has been registered
several times, in response to the frequent changes in Russian
laws.
Due to my limited skills in Russian, we even managed to register
ourselves as a separate denomination. In other words, there
was the Russian Orthodox church, the Ingrian Lutheran church
and the Evangelical Lutheran church of Sdder. Someone
suggested that since we had the stamps and colorful seals of the

Russian government, I was a fool not to dash to the church supplies store to purchase a long gold
colored staff for my hand and a hat resembling a tea cozy for my head. I answered: Yes, yes, but we
must use our money responsibly: to help the poor, spread the gospel, repair the church building,
support students, delight Sunday school children, but we must avoid extravagance.
Registration, self- governance and acquiring our own buildings have been important steps in the path to
independence of the Sdder congregation.
For several years, the worship services in Sdder were held at
the Sdder club house. We received free use of the space.
Then the club house burnt down. We purchased an old store in
the center of town. According to the local customs, we rented it
for 49 years. The rent was charged in advance. It was 8 marks
per month.
The worship services are on Sundays at 11 am; a prayer circle
meets three times a week, bible study on Thursday afternoons,
sewing circle and Sunday school on Saturdays.

The Sunday school at Veskelys met in the home of the teacher. The teacher was Tatjana Berentsova,
who was 100% handicapped. The children liked her. A total of 63 children were registered as
participants, which is a lot. It was necessary to have three classes: two groups met on Saturdays and the
third on Sundays. I often wonder how 20 children could fit into a one bedroom apartment, how order
could be maintained, so the children enjoyed it and came along each time. Then Tatjana passed away.
Her family sold the apartment to the congregation. Her apartment continues to be used by the Sdder
congregation as a meeting place in the village of Veskelys. Worship services there are at 4 pm on
Sundays, bible study on Tuesdays at 12 noon, Sunday school on Saturdays at 1 pm.
The church at Novie Peski has been converted by volunteers from an old club house. A big old wooden
house was vacant in the center of the village of Novie Peski. Vladimir, an old communist who was
retiring from the position of chief of operations for the village council, gave it to the congregation. (A
few years later, Vladimir was baptized.)
Esko Vhtalo, a beekeeper, rented a small farm in Tohmajrvi. The farm became the focal point for
supporting the reconstruction of the church in Peski. Construction supplies were gathered in Eskos
yard, volunteers sometimes in large numbers - stayed overnight at Eskos place. It almost reminded
me of Pentecost- how people came from many locations throughout Finland to help with the
construction.
It was wonderful to join in singing a hymn together, heads uncovered, in the early hours of the morning
in Eskos yard before starting the cars. Then we would climb into the fully loaded Saabs, Transits, Opels,
Ladas, Toyotas and even a Mercedes. A heavy trailer teetered and tottered humbly behind the Toyota.

Quietly, we would pray that we would clear the customs. We often did, but not always - but we did
finish the church.
Sensible saving
A lot of inexpensive recycled goods were used to build the church. This was responsible stewardship.
People from Joensuu bought an old construction trailer and dismantled it to provide useable materials:
windows, doors, electrical goods. Some new materials were cleverly brought in: Men from Mikkeli built
beautiful frames into the church yard of the Lhemki congregation, the frames were sold and the
money was used for the construction at Sdder.
The pews came from the chapel in Savitaipale, the cross from Karakappeli, the organ from the
Niittykumpu chapel in Olari, the light fixtures for the childrens room from the basement of the church in
Kauniainen (all locations in Finland). The tiles for the chimney were purchased economically from the
demolition of a prison.
Spiritual work
As soon as the mortar had dried, a fire was lit in the stove in the kitchen, and a Sunday school class was
begun in this warm space in the church. The construction crew was inspired by the singing of the
children: the church had not been built in vain. Confirmation camps, childrens camps, seniors camps
and youth activities were soon moved from rental locations to the church. This resulted in savings. Our
ability to spread the word has improved: it is easier for people to attend, when the church is located in
the middle of the village.
Training
Training of congregational workers has been an important step. Our senior pastor Fjodor Sidorenko
completed training as clergy in Russian at the centre in Keltto. Our diaconal workers, organist,
bookkeeper and Sunday school teachers have also taken courses at Keltto.
We have also received assistance from Finland for training leaders for youth programs, Sunday school
teachers and youth leaders to serve at confirmation camps.
Assessment
I feel relieved and thankful a bit like old Simeon. I can see that the congregation of Sdder is working.
The goals are in the right direction and they are Christian. The use of financial resources is responsible
maybe even too cautious in diaconal work. The workers are skilled and committed to Christian goals.
The administrative structures are sound and consistent with instructions from the church of Ingria.

Am I still needed?

 I still try to be in Sdder, Peski, Metshl, Veskelys two consecutive Sundays a month. This way, I can
lead the worship services and the local spiritual work, and free our young senior pastor for
administrative work or days of rest.
Heres an example of how the locals can take care of things:
in February, the council meeting was held in the sanctuary. I
was in the childrens room, playing with the children of
council members, so the young mothers and fathers could
discuss important matters without interruption. So I was still
needed. The meeting was a good one I thought, and so did
the members and the children.
Our youth work is strong. A second generation of youth is
active, as the children of the first youth group are now active.
This gives us hope for the future.
But we do have some concerns. The congregation is not independent financially. There is no church tax
in Russia. The collections, tithes, other donations and membership fees do not cover expenses. The
work is Christian in nature, varied, plentiful and ethically of high calibre, but it will wither if additional
funds cannot be obtained from other sources. Support is necessary: the congregation is in need of
money. I am glad Esko Vepsa has talked about bequests to people in Finland.
Pekka Palosaari