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The fervent worship of Russian
believers
is the expression of a faith that
has been tried
in the fire of oppression and
persecution.
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Blog Note: My purpose in reposting this series of blogs about our travels in Eastern Europe in 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union, is to show the joy of the Eastern
European peoples as they emerged from the Marxist system into freedom.
My hope is that at least a few Americans will be warned as our present
government seeks to lead us into that darkness.
After my return from the
Arpatskaya we were met by Mrs. Ingrid Zaprometer, a lovely lady of about 70 who
was a member of the secret group of Pentecostal Christians in Moscow. She took us by taxi to a high-rise
apartment building somewhere out on the fringe of Moscow, where the elevator let us out at the
11th floor. Turning a corner or two and passing a young man working on a
full-size Yamaha motorcycle in the narrow hall, we entered an apartment
consisting of an entry hall, bathroom, small kitchen, and one room about 12 by
20 feet that was packed with about 70 people.
Some explanation is in order here,
because this is now ancient history and some of my readers may never have heard
of the Russian Underground Church.
During the 70 years the Communists
ruled Russia,
they conducted all-out war against religion, and most especially Christianity.
The Russian Orthodox Church was the only church recognized by the government,
and it was thoroughly infiltrated by the KGB, with even many of the priests
being on the KGB payroll. There was at the time we were there only one Roman
Catholic church and one Jewish synagogue in all of Moscow. All evangelical groups were illegal,
with their members subject to discrimination and persecution. Many evangelical
pastors and even lay believers were sent to prison camps in Siberia.
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The Russian pastor speaks to a
crowd of
about 70 people in a 12x20-foot room. |
Our attendance at this meeting was probably only possible because of the "Glastnost" policies of loosened restrictions instituted by Prime Minister Gorbachov. Even so, the singing and preaching were in hushed voices to avoid attracting attention or alienating the neighbors.
The service was long and the room
was hot, but it was an unique experience and great privilege to photograph
something few Americans had ever seen: the worship of the Underground Church.
Afterwards, there was quite a long time of fellowship. I drank three cups of tea and most of a plate of wafer cookies before we finally caught a bus and then a subway, arriving back at our hotel around midnight.
The next day, Thursday, March 22,
was chilly with a heavy overcast all day -- more like I had expected Moscow to be, actually.
Louise went shopping with Olga Zaprometer, Ingrid's daughter. I went over to
photograph the U.S. Embassy and some other scenes, then back to the hotel to
check out. We then went to the Zaprometer's apartment with our luggage, where
we were served an elegant high tea.
Dr. Zaprometer, 71, is a noted
biochemist and teacher. He is also a believer, but in secret, for fear of
losing his position at the university. The Zaprometers are people of high
culture. Their apartment, for which they waited 15 years, is small by American
standards, but beautifully decorated, with bookshelves containing an eclectic
library of books in many languages as well as many art and music books lining
the walls.
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The only Jewish synagogue in all
of Moscow.
There is also only one Roman
Catholic church.
|
After the tea, Louise and I caught a taxi and went out to find and photograph the Roman Catholic church and the Jewish synagogue. Dr. Zaprometer had written the addresses for our driver, but it still took a good bit of looking to find them, even after we got to the proper section of the city.
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Olga Zaprometer picks out a tune
on the spinet.
In the background are Dr.
Zaprometer with his
back to the camera, Ingrid
Zaprometer,
the pastor and his wife, and
Louise.
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We got back to the Zaprometer's about 5 p.m. They were amazed at our ability to catch taxis quickly. (The secret, of course, is to look like hard-currency American capitalists.)
After a very enjoyable supper with
the Zaprometers, Paul Lauster, and the Russian pastor and his wife, I again
exercised my taxi-catching ability, loaded in my ace travel companion (also
known as my wife Louise), said goodbye to our friends, and headed off to the
airport. Customs, security, and boarding were all uneventful and we were soon
off to Poland on LOT, the Polish airline.
Photographs made with Olympus OM and Leica M cameras and lenses, Fujichrome 100D and 400D films, except for the worship pictures. Blame the funky colors and large grain of those photos on 3M 640T film pushed one stop to ISO 1280 to make pictures under the low ambient light in the apartment. Today's digital cameras can do this easily, but that was then and we used what we had.
Photographs and text copyright 2021, David B.Jenkins
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week.
Soli Gloria Deo
For the glory of God alone
Tags: photography, Dave Jenkins, David B. Jenkins Eastern Europe, Communism, Moscow, Russian Orthodox Church, Soviet Russia, the Arpatskaya, KGB, worship, Pentecostalism, Russian Underground Church, Roman Catholic Church, Jewish Synagogue, Poland, LOT Polish Airline, Olympus OM cameras, Leica cameras, Fujichrome film, 3M640T film, film cameras
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