The Russian Project

Pax Christi,

Scott Klemsz

Rev. Scott Klemsz
Director of Admission and Public Relations
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

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Lutheran Theological Seminary, Novosibirsk
Seminary newsletter, September.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The first month of the new school year has passed by. Although the professors did not arrive until the 22nd of September the work of the seminary was very fruitful during this month. Before professors arrived students had classes in church music. The course involved instruction in liturgical chanting. They also had classes in computer knowledge which included learning to use the Biblical computer programs.

Professors William Cwirla and Timothy Quill came on the 22nd of September. Despite the long and tiresome travel professor Cwirla gave two lectures to students the same day he came.

Professor William Cwirla came to our seminary to teach a course on the Lutheran Book of Concord, which is the collection of the official confessions of the Lutheran Reformation. Pastor Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, which is located in southern California outside the city of Los Angeles. He has taught courses and lectured in church history, doctrinal theology, catechesis, and liturgical theology and practice. He is currently working on a doctorate on the doctrine of the holy ministry in the Lutheran church of the 19th century. Pr. Cwirla's wife is named Karen.

Professor Timothy Quill is an assistant professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Prof. Quill teaches liturgical theology and practice and homiletics, and he is currently completing his doctoral dissertation on liturgical contributions of Theodosius Harnack, a famous 19th century Lutheran theologican who was born in St. Petersburg, educated in Tartu, Estonia, and taught at both Tartu and Erlangen, Germany. Prof. Quill served as a parish pastor in Connecticut and Missouri for 14 years. He is now the director of the Russian Program. This current trip was Pr. Quill's eleventh visit to Russia. Pr. Quill has a wife, Annette, and a daughter Kathryn, who is ten years old.

Every day students have three classes one and a half hour each. They have daily assignments and at the end of the course they are required to write and present papers on themes taken from Book of Concord.

>From 29 of September till 1 of October seminars for deacons and workers of church took place in the Seminary. Nineteen people took part in the seminars including the seminary students. Six of the participants came from cities other then Novosibirsk. People came from Tomsk, Chakassia (their group came with deacon Pavel Zayakin) and from Buratia (deacon Yri Poddelsky). Professor Cwirla gave some lectures on the Book of Concord and three lectures on the Small Catechism during these seminars. In the lectures on the Small catechism he showed how one may use Small Catechism of Doctor Martin Luther for teaching and everyday prayers. The seminar participants also heard three lectures by Professor Timothy Quill on the theme, . The lecture looked closely at the question of the importance of the liturgy in church life. All lectures were interesting and useful and well received by participants.

On the 4th of October on Sunday Professor Kennet Korby came to the Novosibirsk. He will teach course of Pastoral Practice from October, 12 to 30.

We are very thankful to God for all the blessings that He bestowed on the seminary and we pray that the Lord would keep and bless us in our life.

We ask you to pray for our Seminary that God will keep it and bless it in everything.

In Christ, Vladimir Kolosov.