wfn.org | Church Dedicated in Chelyabinsk, Russia

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

First ELCROS Church to be Built with Local Donations

CHELYABINSK, Russia/GENEVA, 20 December 2002 (LWI) - On November
3, the Church of the Savior was dedicated in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
It was a significant event in that, this was the first time since
the end of the 80s that a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Russia and Other States (ELCROS) had managed to
construct a new church building through its own efforts.

At the dedication service, Bishop Volker Sailer emphasized that
the foundation for life can only be Jesus Christ. He called on the
church members to rely on this foundation and to build on it. More
than 300 members and guests attended the ceremony.

The modern, white building designed by architect Vladimir P.
Kovaliev, has a sitting capacity for about 140 persons. The office
and meeting rooms are located in the cellar. The construction took
14 months at an estimated cost of 3.6 million roubles (EUR
110,000). The project was possible because of the commitment of
the congregation's chairperson, Vladimir Groo, a local
entrepreneur. Various local firms and enterprises, a number of
private individuals and the town and district administration also
provided assistance toward the project.

The Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Chelyabinsk is a member
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Urals, Siberia and Far
East, and has more than 100 members.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 16 member churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where
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