Dmitri Cherepennikov

Dmitri Cherepennikov has lived in various parts of Russia and the Ukraine. After finishing school and nursing school, he began studying at the Orthodox Seminary of St. Petersburg. Early in his theological studies, he felt drawn to Lutheran theology; so much so that his views were troubling to the administration of the seminary, which eventually expelled him for a “Lutheran sermon” he gave at chapel services. Dmitri was already active at that time in a local parish, where he was confirmed in 2003. “My desire to become a pastor developed a few years ago when I decided to give myself fully to the ministry, serving the Word of God and people. I know that for this, I need proper education. I believe that God has called me to this ministry, and I hope that he will help me and bless my studies,” Dmitri says.

Dmitri was married in 2005. He and his wife, Vera, were on internship in Volgograd.

Andrei Filiptsov

Andrei says the following in telling the story of his journey to the Theological Seminary: 'I was born in 1983 and grew up in Krasnojarsk, in Siberia. I started attending church when I was 15 and I began to work with youth after my confirmation a year later. After finishing high school I realized that worldly sciences and professions didn't interest me, nor did work for myself; I was drawn exclusively to work in the congregation and for the congregation. I continued to work with youth and was invited by pastors Michael and Stefanie Fendler to go to Abakhan (Khakasiya, Russia). There I worked as a pastor's aid for one year. Then I worked for about 6 months in Omsk (in two, three-month periods), and these experiences all gave me the opportunity to become acquainted with the work of the congregation and of the church as a whole from the inside. Then, finally, after having passed exams, I turned into a student of the ELCROS Theological Seminary.'

Andrey spent the summer of 2006 in the U.S.A. at camps in Minnesota as part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's International Camp Counselor program. He then completed his internship in Omsk (Siberia) with mentor (and Seminary graduate) Evgeniy Lukinov. In the same congregation he is working now.

Menzer Ismailova

Sofia Tikhomirova

Sofia (Ulman) Tikhomirova was born in 1973 and grew up in the small town of Slavsk, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast). She worked from home as a dressmaker and was educated as an arts teacher before coming to the Seminary. Sofia was baptized in 1991 and led prayer and Bible-reading services in her home congregation when they were without a pastor. Sonia finished the theoretical portion of her seminary studies in 2000 with her by-then husband, Anton Tikhomirov. Sonia went to Germany with Anton, and there they had three children - Arina, Nikita, and Arseniy. Since returning to Novosaratovka in 2005, Sonia has been directing the 'Children's Services' portion of the Seminary webpage, a ministry she continues to develop and expand. In the fall of 2006, Sonia took the next step in her theological education - she began a year-long internship at St. Peter and Anna Church in St. Petersburg, which she successfully completed in the summer of 2007.

Igor Zhuravlev

Igor Zhuralev finished the Seminary's Extension program in 2006. Igor participated in and passed all the final, comprehensive exams that the full-time students took, and began his internship in the congregation where he served as preacher and head of the congregation, St. Nikolai Lutheran in Velikhiy Novgorod. Igor was ordained in July of 2007, and continues his service in Novgorod.