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Our questions are answered by Fr. Evgeny Popichenko

When was the department of social service established? Yekaterinburg diocese? What are its tasks and main areas of work?

The Diocesan Social Department of Social Service was established in April 2002. The purpose of its creation was to expand social service within the framework of the Fundamentals social concept Russian Orthodox Church and the exercise of general direction and coordination of church social work on a diocese scale. There are several areas of activity of the department:

1. Solution of current social issues with which every day people turn to the diocese. For example, you need to decide the fate of a homeless person sleeping on the street - we are looking for an opportunity to arrange it; it is required to help the senile department of a psychiatric hospital with room shoes - we are looking for sponsors, assistants; you need to take care of installing a phone for a disabled person - we contact the appropriate service, etc. In the course of such work, links are gradually established with municipal and public organizations, and schemes for solving various problems are worked out.
2. Activation of social work in the parishes of the diocese. With the blessing of Vladyka Vincent, at each parish it is necessary to organize brotherhoods, sisterhoods and mercy societies for comprehensive assistance to those in need. At many churches and monasteries, such societies have been created and are working, carrying out their service in hospitals, nursing homes, colonies, shelters and orphanages. They help the elderly, the disabled, homeless people with clothes and food. Such societies and sisterhoods need methodological, organizational and other assistance. The Department of Social Service coordinates their activities, conducts training seminars in various areas, invites specialists from other dioceses to exchange experiences.
3. Work by directions . At the moment, the diocese is actively working in the following areas:

• Rehabilitation of drug addicts, prevention of drug addiction and HIV / AIDS, assistance to drug addicts and their families
• Outreach hospice service
• Children's social and pedagogical center for mentally ill children
• maternity protection center

These areas are provided with comprehensive support and assistance.

1. Cooperation with educational institutions. On March 6, 2003, the first graduation of Orthodox sisters of mercy in the specialty "junior nurse" took place at the regional medical college. The sisters carry out their obedience at the churches and monasteries of the city and the region.

Please tell us more about the most active areas of social work in the diocese.

The most ambitious project of social service is the program "Life without drugs", implemented by the Yekaterinburg Diocesan Charitable Rehabilitation Center. The main goal of the program is to provide spiritual, psychological and social assistance young people in recovery from drug addiction, as well as their families. The program is carried out with the participation of priests of the Yekaterinburg diocese, psychologists, social workers, the public, as well as in cooperation with foundations, enterprises and organizations whose civic and moral position coincides with the goals and objectives of the Center. The center is headed by Inga Vladilenovna Korolkova, a professional psychologist.

The program is implemented on the basis of a network of advisory offices and inpatient departments. At present, the work of 10 advisory offices is organized in the largest cities of the region. Two offices operate in Yekaterinburg. The task of these cabinets is to provide assistance to people with drug addiction and their families, as well as active interaction with the public, enterprises and administrative bodies in all areas of work with youth, without exception, creating a kind of “bridge”, a link between the world and the Church.

On average, up to 300 people a month receive help in the consulting offices of the diocese. Often, those who seek help, already with the help of consultations, are on the path of getting rid of their vice. Those who find it more difficult to overcome their addiction to drugs are sent to inpatient rehabilitation departments.

Today, two stationary branches have been established in the diocese. One of them is located in the Sarapulka Berezovsky district and is designed for the simultaneous stay of 15 people. The department operates on the territory of the former recreation center, on which there are 6 houses for the residence of pupils, as well as for household and industrial needs.

Another center is located in the village of Olkhovka, Verkhne-Pyshminsky district, and is also designed for 15 people. The center is located in the building of a former kindergarten, donated to the diocese for 5 years, there is a backyard plot of 50 acres.

Training and production workshops have been organized in stationary rehabilitation departments. The presence of own production and jobs in the center allows the rehabilitator to master a working specialty. Young people who have successfully completed rehabilitation are assisted in finding employment.

To date, 280 people have undergone rehabilitation in inpatient departments for 3 to 6 months.

Another area of ​​social work in the Yekaterinburg diocese is the activity of the mobile hospice service. This service has been operating since July 1, 2002 at the Holy Trinity cathedral. For 6 months, she provided medical care to 125 patients with stage IV cancer. The age of the patients ranged from 12 to 96 years, all of them were under the medical and nursing patronage of the service staff. Most of them were provided with medicines free of charge for the first three days from the start of observation. 18 people constantly received painkillers for free, because they did not have the means to purchase them. In total, the employees of the service made 430 medical and 367 nursing visits to patients. The priest visited 74 sick people and performed 140 rites.

The diocesan hospice service is attended by people of various nationalities and religions from all parts of the city. The doctor prescribes treatment, the nurse controls its implementation, makes dressings, treats wounds. Each patient is examined by a doctor once every seven to ten days. Medical and spiritual assistance is provided to all patients and their relatives who applied. The priest comes to the patient's house, talks, confesses, takes communion, unction, baptizes. Volunteers help lonely patients, go to the store, pharmacies, clean the house, talk with patients.

It should also be noted work related to family problems. Since October 2002, under the spiritual guidance of the priest Dimitry Moiseev, the Motherhood Protection Center began its work. Obstetrician-gynecologists, psychologists and volunteers work in the center. They set themselves the task of saving the unborn; participation in the revival of the family; educational activities; interaction with state structures; carry out reception of the women going on abortion, in women's consultations. Since then, the center has opened four advisory offices at the temples of Yekaterinburg - in the name of the Nativity of Christ, St. Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, Ascension of the Lord, St. healers Cosmas and Damian, which are constantly receiving visitors. The center's specialists participated in the fifth Catherine's Readings in 2003, where they made three presentations.

1500 copies were prepared and distributed. flyers on relevant topics. Currently, sets of materials (40 items) for clergy and parishioners are being prepared and distributed throughout the city's churches. Lectures are given in schools and colleges. Establish relationships with the administration and employees of women's clinics. Thus, in October 2002, Priest Dimitry Moiseev had a conversation with the medical staff of the Zheleznodorozhny district antenatal clinic, and in November, the staff of this clinic made a pilgrimage to the Monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers on Ganina Yama.

In 2002, the Orthodox Family and Marriage Service “Consent” was established in Yekaterinburg. The idea of ​​this undertaking belongs to the priest Georgy Viktorov, cleric of the church in the name of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky Novo-Tikhvinsky convent. Throughout this year, he has been the curator of the service, a spiritual mentor for the service's employees (there are three of them) and the leader, Irina Vladimirovna Karpina. During the year, 63 women and 59 men applied to the service with the intention to start a family. To find peace in family happiness, people go for help from many cities in the region: Novouralsk, Asbest, Pervouralsk, Achitsky district, and even from Perm and Krasnoyarsk.

You can only contact the service Orthodox person with the written blessing of his confessor. Then he goes through a short interview with a service employee to find out the degree of his churchness. After the interview, he fills out a questionnaire of the established form. Attached is a photograph. For a more successful result of cooperation, the applicant undergoes psychological testing. The completed questionnaire is in the database of the service until the time of the formation of the family, or until the termination of relations with the service. Among those who applied, there were many seminarians, altar attendants, who are concerned about the depth of faith and adherence to church canons in their future companion. However, ordinary laity are no less concerned about these same issues. There is a dating club at the service, where people can directly meet, chat, and spend time together with benefit. It has already become a good tradition to go to Saturday services in the churches of the monastery of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers on Ganina Yama or to get acquainted with icon painting.

An important activity of the diocesan social department is the holding of conferences and seminars on the problems of social service. On October 24-25, 2002, in Yekaterinburg, on the basis of the Ural State Pedagogical University, an international scientific and practical conference "10 years of social work in Russia: actual problems of practice and professional training of specialists in the higher education system" was held.

By blessing His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Russia Alexy St. Demetrius School of Sisters of Mercy in Moscow on November 25-27 held a seminar "Medical and social ministry of the Orthodox Church" in Yekaterinburg. The seminar was held on the basis of the Regional Clinical Hospital and the Regional Medical College. The program made it possible to consider the issues of training sisters of mercy and modern methods of rehabilitation of convalescents; the activities of the parish patronage service and the organization of the assistance of the sister of mercy to the priest in the performance of treb in the hospital and at home; organization of leisure and provision of psychological assistance to the elderly and disabled. The seminar was attended by 80 people - sisters of mercy of parish sisterhoods, social workers of churches, 6 clergy who provide care for medical and social institutions.

On April 8-12, 2003, specialists from the DECR and the Moscow public organization AIDSinfosvyaz held traveling seminars on working with HIV-infected people for the clergy of the diocese and seminarians. The seminar was attended by 70 people.

To implement large-scale social programs, cooperation with state structures is necessary. Are you able to establish such interaction?

Indeed, good relations with state structures, including social ones, are very important for the successful conduct of church social work. Fortunately, our diocese manages to establish constructive cooperation with the state. Relations between the diocese, the city and the region took shape in the relevant agreements.

On August 29, 2002, the Ministry of Social Protection of the Population of the Sverdlovsk Region, represented by Minister Turinsky V.F. and the Yekaterinburg Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by the Ruling Bishop, "guided by the current legislation, in order to further improve the organization of social protection of the population, comprehensively address issues of social support for the most vulnerable groups of the population, restore moral standards in public life, as well as striving to expand the potential of the system of social protection of the population of the region”, signed a Cooperation Agreement. The following are defined as the main areas of cooperation:

• development of joint programs, including charitable ones, for social support of the population;
• creation of conditions in institutions of social service for citizens for the implementation of missionary and educational activities by the clergy of the diocese: the performance of religious rites, the distribution of religious literature and religious objects;
• collection, analysis and mutual exchange of information on jointly implemented and related projects, generalization and dissemination of positive experience of cooperation;
• holding joint events, searching for new forms of interaction.

The parties also undertook to acquaint each other with the plans of their work in the part relating to issues of joint activities. The implementation of specific projects and programs, the holding of joint events will be formalized in separate plans.

In order to implement the above Agreement, a joint work plan was approved. One of the first joint events was the holding of the Day of the Elderly on October 1, 2002. Within its framework, the clergy and laity in the Novolyalinsky district visited all departments of medical and social rehabilitation within a month. In the cities of Alapaevsk, Polevskoy, Talitsa, Kamyshlov, Artemovsk, prayers were performed for the health of the elderly. In the city of Novo-Verkhnyaya Salda, more than 300 people gathered for such a service. By October 1, parishioners brought a lot of homemade jam and sweets to the Church of the Nativity of Christ on Uralmash and went to a home for the disabled and the elderly.

At the request of the employees of the regional Ministry, a joint discussion was held on the issue of creating a hostel for people without a fixed place of residence. The project is currently under discussion by the working group.

Favorable relations have been established with the Yekaterinburg City Department for Social Policy. On August 20, 2002, the Ruling Bishop and Head of the Department for Social Policy of the Administration of Yekaterinburg E.Ya. Goncharenko signed a cooperation agreement. This document defines the forms, directions of activity and the procedure for interaction in the implementation of social programs in order to combine efforts aimed at a comprehensive solution of social problems, increasing the social security of the city's population. The agreement provides for the mutual informing of the Diocese and the Office of each other about the ongoing activities for social support of vulnerable segments of the population, the joint holding of such events, the development and implementation of various charitable programs aimed at supporting the elderly, the disabled and citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation.

The social department of the diocese, under the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, regularly informs the Office of social work in the diocese. Since the regional subdivisions of the city's Department of Social Policy of the city are willing to cooperate, the main joint work goes through them. On the eve of the Day of the Elderly, 200 free season tickets were delivered to 5 social service centers for screenings of Russian films in DKZh, organized by the diocesan department of culture. Some centers are supported by parishes. So, the House of Veterans on the street. Technically assigned to the Church of the Vladimir Icon Mother of God. The social service center of the Ordzhonikidzevsky district takes part of the meals for the poor in an Orthodox free canteen, which is under the care of the Novo-Tikhvin Convent. The administration of the Kirovsky district is also very grateful to the canteen for help with food. At the request of Evdokimova T.T., director of the rehabilitation center for children and adolescents with disabilities "Luven", Deacon Andrei Shestakov, cleric of the parish of All Saints in Yekaterinburg, was assigned to the center for spiritual guidance. At the request of the administration of the MU "Psychiatric Hospital No. 12" for cooperation and spiritual guidance, a cleric of the Holy Trinity Bishops' Metochion, Priest Sergei Savin, was assigned to the hospital. Also, the Psychiatric Hospital No. 12 received charitable help parishioners of the Holy - Panteleimon Church with sewing materials and accessories.

The social department of the diocese seeks to establish cooperation with other departments of the administration of the city of Yekaterinburg in order to more actively promote Orthodox social projects. Consent to cooperate on charity concerts was received from the head of the Department of Culture of the city V.P. Plotnikov, it was transferred to the department of culture of the diocese. Confirmation has been received from the City Health Department that a cooperation agreement with the diocese is possible. The agreement is being prepared for signing.

What are your plans for the future?

As part of the development of anti-drug work, it is planned to open another inpatient department of the rehabilitation center in the village. Kosulino.

To train medical personnel who could participate in the implementation of social programs, it is planned to organize a three-year training in the specialty "Orthodox nurse" and a 4-month course for "junior sisters of mercy".

We are also planning to create a "house of mercy", which would include an Orthodox boarding house for the elderly, offices of the maternity protection center, Kindergarten and schools for the mentally ill and their parents, etc.

Mission of the Department: Multiplying love in serving people

In the formulation of the mission of the Social Department, each of the concepts has its own unambiguous interpretation:

1. Fulfilling the commandments of Christ the Savior, the Church testifies of Him and His Kingdom, fulfilling the ministry of love and mercy towards her neighbor. Life in the Church is unceasing service to God and people. All the people of God are called to this work.

2. Each member of the Church is given special gifts to serve all: "Serve one another, each one with the gift that he has received, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10). Members of the Body of Christ, participating in the common ministry, also perform their special functions, in accordance with their abilities, opportunities, skills and experience: “The ministries are different, but the Lord is the same; and the actions are different, but God is one and the same, working everything in everyone ”(1 Cor. 12, 5-6). The indivisible church organism participates in the life of the surrounding world in its entirety, however, the clergy, monastics and laity can exercise such participation in different ways and to varying degrees.

3. The most important task of a Christian lies in the practical fulfillment of the commandment of Christ the Savior about love for God and neighbor (Matt. 22:37-39). The social service of the Church (charity, social activity, diakonia) is an activity initiated, organized, coordinated and financed by the Church or with the help of the Church, aimed at helping those in need.

4. The Old Testament repeatedly points to the pleasing of goodness (Deut. 16:9-10), which is directly associated with the veneration of the Creator (Prov. 14:31), delivers from death (Tov. 4:10; 12:9) and purifies everyone sin (Tov. 12:9; Dan. 4:24). Almsgiving is placed on a par with prayer, sacrifice and fasting (Comrade 12:8; Isaiah 58:6-7).

5. In Holy Scripture Old Testament it speaks of helping the poor (Job 29:16; Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7-11, etc.); duty to feed the hungry (Tov. 1, 17; Is. 58, 7, etc.); to give drink to the thirsty (Prov. 25, 21); clothe the naked (Tov. 1:17; Isaiah 58:7); help the sick and the crippled (Job 29:15; 2 Mac 8:28); to support a widow and an orphan (Job 29:12-13; 31:16-17; Proverbs 31:8, etc.); to show hospitality to the homeless and strangers (2 Kings 17:27-29; Isaiah 58:7); take care of the prisoners (Isaiah 58:6; 61:1), etc. Pious people are commanded to give to the poor (Lev. 19:9-10) or lend without interest (Lev. 25:35-37; Deut. 15 , 7-11). However, the concept of "neighbor", in respect of whom good deeds should be performed, was limited to the people of Israel (Deut. 15, 3, 7-11; Ex. 22, 25-27; Lev. 25, 35-37; Deut. 23, 20 ).

6. In the New Testament, diakonia is an active and practical expression of Christian mercy and love commanded by the Savior: “As I have loved you, so love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Love for one's neighbor is a sacred calling and moral duty of a Christian (John 13:34), for the Last Judgment God will ask everyone if he has done works of mercy (cf. Mt. 25:40).

7. All members of the Church are "one body in Christ" (Rom. 12:5). Between them there should be communication based on Christian faith and love, expressed, among other things, in mutual assistance and joint socially significant works. There should be no one in the church family who suffers from the lack of the necessary.

8. At the same time, the social service of the Church cannot be restrained or limited by religious, national, state-political or social boundaries. The Church extends its philanthropy not only to its members, but also to those who do not belong to it (Luke 10:30-37). Merciful service is based on love, which, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, “is long-suffering, is merciful, does not envy, does not exalt itself, is not proud, does not behave violently, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:4-7). The most excellent part of love, in the words of St. Gregory the Theologian, is “love for the poor, pity and compassion. For no service is so pleasing to God as charity” (Word 14, On the Love of the Poor).

9. Merciful service helps a person to find love, and along with it - selflessness, meekness, long-suffering, humility of mind and other Christian virtues. Abba Dorotheos wrote about this kind of soulfulness of works of mercy, instructing the brethren that “the sicker does good to him (the servant) than he does to the sick” (Soulful Teachings, Teaching XIV “On the Creation and Accomplishment of the Spiritual House of Virtues”).

Department principles:

To form a unified worldview in the organization, general principles have been developed that are part of the corporate culture and are shared by all employees of the Department:

1. In our ministry, we are guided by the gospel commandments.
2. We testify of Christ in serving people, respecting their free choice.
3. For us, service is a way of spiritual growth and revealing the talents God has placed in every person.
4. In our ministry we are accountable to God and to people.
5. We church organization and open to cooperation with the state and society.
6. We do not duplicate the state system of social work, but help to transform it through sacrificial service to people.
7. We are interested in finding a solution together and offer support, while not promoting dependency.
8. In our ministry, we combine a professional approach and modern effective technologies of charity with a truly Christian service to our neighbor.

Department Objectives:

Organization, development and coordination in the diocese of charitable activities, social and charitable service of religious organizations that are part of the structure of the diocese.

Tasks of the Department:

1. Involvement of Orthodox religious and other organizations of the diocese in charitable activities and social service;

2. Involvement in charitable activities and social service of individuals and legal entities.

Areas of activity of the Department:

1. Assistance to the canonical divisions of the diocese in their charitable activities and social service;

2. Building a system of interaction with assistant deans for social service in order to coordinate diocesan parish social activities;

3. Introduction to the parish social activity effective methods of helping all categories of those in need, taking into account the historical and spiritual traditions of Orthodoxy;

4. Assistance in organizing the activities of volunteer associations, patronage services, charity groups, Orthodox brotherhoods and sisterhoods of social orientation in the territory of the diocese;

5. Assistance in the opening of boarding schools, orphanages, almshouses, charitable canteens and mobile hot meals, shelters, shelters and social centers for the homeless, rehabilitation centers, anti-crisis centers, etc., administered by the canonical divisions of the diocese;

6. Spiritual care of social and medical institutions by assisting in assigning pastoral priests and parishes to them;

7. Assistance in the opening of hospital churches and house churches at hospitals in the social sphere;

8. Providing assistance and support to victims of natural disasters, emergencies, military conflicts, as well as refugees and internally displaced persons;

9. Receiving and distributing humanitarian aid received by the diocese, including from abroad;

10. Carrying out educational activities aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle, preventing abortion, orphanhood, alcoholism, drug addiction and other kinds of addiction;

11. Holding conferences, seminars, round tables etc. events dedicated to charity and charity;

12. Organization of courses (schools) for sisters of mercy;

13. Organization of advanced training courses, consultations, master classes and training seminars for church social workers and volunteers;

14. Informing the public through the media and the Internet about diocesan social activities;

15. Holding Christmas and Easter holidays, charity evenings, concerts, promotions, etc. events.

Department Partners:

1. Non-profit autonomous organization "Social and pedagogical center for the rehabilitation of disabled children", head Petukhova Lyudmila Nikolaevna
2. Charitable foundation "Sinara-Fund"

Deaneries of the Yekaterinburg diocese:

The Yekaterinburg diocese is divided into deanery districts headed by deans appointed by the diocesan bishop.

In the Yekaterinburg studio of our TV channel, the rector of the Cathedral in honor of the Assumption answers questions from viewers Holy Mother of God on the visa of the city of Yekaterinburg, head of the Department for social service of the Yekaterinburg diocese, Archpriest Evgeny Popichenko.

I propose to start today's conversation with an important date: today marks the sixth anniversary of the Orthodox service of mercy under the Department of Social Ministry of the Yekaterinburg diocese. Compared with the age of the child, it would seem that the child is already reading a little, now he is already reasoning, developing slowly, may even remain alone in some cases, but at the same time he still has a long time to reach adulthood ... But for organization Six years is still a long time. And for a charitable organization that exists on donations from people and does not have any material profit from what it does, six years is already akin to a miracle. Do you agree?

You have been the head of the diocesan department for social service for a long time. It is clear that every person who comes either to the service of mercy, or to the department, goes through a certain school, changes, withstands it or does not withstand it, and this or that event in this field, in this service leaves a serious, large imprint on him. life. What was the biggest lesson this activity taught you?

The biggest lesson is that you need to be attentive to people, you need to be honest with people, you need to cherish each person and help each person, first of all, reach the main goal of life - to the Church, to life in the Church, to meeting God. And the second is to help him develop those talents that God has laid in him. For me, every person the Lord has brought is a treasure. In a sense, I imagine that I work in a gold mine: panning for gold. I was once jokingly called "treasure collector". And the truth is: each person is like a special pearl, a diamond on a necklace. When you look at people, at projects, at each person, how he ended up here, it is a sincere and huge gratitude to God for all this time...

Just today we had a small meeting with employees, and someone remembered how he came here. Each parish is a small miracle both in the life of a person and in the life of the service. A person's life really changes. Therefore, people are the most important treasure, and the most important lesson is always in communicating with people. The heaviest anxiety: I sometimes think to myself that I am like Ichthyander - I cannot live in rusty water, it fills my breath, and when there is some kind of tension or restlessness, disagreement, it definitely responds to my physical health, I I literally start to choke. I really want things to be done and there to be peace.

- Why do people strive and come to this field - to help others? And where does their journey begin?

By the grace of God it happened, we have a very good experience of volunteer service. That is, such a threshold, a porch in cooperation - this is the service of volunteers. My principle is this (with rare, rare exceptions): only those who have served as volunteers, who came for reasons not to earn money, not just to do something, but who came to serve, become employees. Service differs from work in that the motivation is different, the approach is different. Service is rewarded with God, and work is paid here.

What is wonderful about volunteerism, a person selflessly comes to serve and give his life for the sake of his neighbors. This is the formula of love really. And the main motive always for people who come to the service of mercy is that, consciously or unconsciously, a person is looking for love, he wants to learn love. He may not formulate it like that, he says: “I want to make the world a better place. I want to make good use of my time for other people. I want to comfort someone." But if you dig a little deeper, then a person is looking for love. And love is where a person gives his life to his neighbor. Even if not fully, not covering a comrade with his chest in the war - you still need to grow up to this feat, but at least two hours a week a person gives up some extra whims of his own and instead of watching TV, devotes this time to poor people giving their warmth, their resources, their means. Because it is very important to give to God through people, to make God your debtor. This is the amazing benefit of tithing: when a person gives to God God's things (that is, what is laid down according to the law), then the Lord never remains in debt. It often happens that when a person pays attention to this, does not get greedy, does not count, then the Lord rewards him all the time, and the material issue straightens out. And, on the contrary, when a person does not give to God according to the commandment, then he always loses something: either a tooth will break, or a wheel will be punctured, or neighbors will flood from above, or he will lose money. That is, all the time something happens that a person suffers material damage.

And it's the same with volunteering. A person comes for these reasons, serves for some time, somehow proves himself, and then it turns out that he spends more time on volunteering than on his main job, and he has to take a person, because he is a reliable, proven fighter. Ninety-five percent of employees are like that. And this is why they are valuable, that they did not come for self-interest, not just to get settled. They came for the sake of service, for the sake of their neighbor, for the sake of realizing those talents, those inner urges that the Lord awakened in them.

Question from Valentina from Orenburg: “I am baptized myself. I treat children with prayers, I speak to small children. Is this considered a sin?

Dear Valentine, this, of course, is a sin, because a conspiracy is, after all, an appeal not to God. Prayers to God are written in prayer books, and conspiracies were composed by ancient inhabitants, pagans who turn to the elements, which in these phrases mention not so much the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but various incoherent phrases. They turn to the spirits, which, of course, respond to these words and create the appearance of some kind of process. A wart, for example, or a stye disappears, but the disease goes deep into the soul, and the person is damaged. We need to stop this for sure. And moreover, to come to the priest, to ask the priest to give repentant penance, to give labor that will make it possible to get rid of this poison, which enters through such contact with the spiritual world, from one's soul. This is very dangerous and needs to be stopped. Help you Lord!

Let's continue the theme of service and mercy. You said that a volunteer, having been away from his main job for a long time, comes, helps, and then realizes that for him the work that he did before, and the service that he has as an alternative, are incompatible things and what he wants dedicate your life to this service. How can you characterize the people who come? Is there something that connects them all? It is clear that this is not education as such, not age, but some kind of quality that allows you to feel the service?

Yes. There is a willingness to take a step out of the ordinary, to go forward. Youth of the soul, perhaps. I have already spoken about this once: the sign of a young man, a young soul, is the readiness, when choosing forward or backward, up or down, to enter a closed door or stay behind the door, always go forward, towards surprise, towards new adventures. Volunteers have this impulse, a certain amount of adventurism, readiness, as they say, to break the game. This is such a quality when a person does not very accepted, not very standard actions. Here the Lord very often broke the game, acted unexpectedly, unpredictably: everyone thinks that it is so, but He takes and heals a person with a dry hand on Saturday. Everyone is in shock: how is it? And He does this because He cannot do otherwise. And to capture in the minds of people the importance of this event. And volunteers have about the same thing: there is this vein when a person acts outside the box, not in the way that is usually accepted.

Today we spoke with the staff and they were interesting to talk about their experience of traveling in a taxi. That is, several people talked about how they get into a taxi, suddenly the phone rings unexpectedly, and the dispatcher is forced to answer on the phone: “The Orthodox service of mercy is listening.” The driver hears this and literally digs in: “Why do you need this? Let's stop helping them!" He either scolds the wards (“these homeless people, these invalids - they are swindlers, they are to blame themselves”), or, at the other extreme, he scolds the employees: “Yes, this Orthodox Church, yes, they are all deceivers, they only have money ...”

But people seem to be worried about it. The person reacts, does not remain indifferent, and it seems to me that he subconsciously wants to be convinced that this is not so. Because he based his position on a lie, and nothing can be built on a lie - it torments, it does not give life. And so a person digs in, asks, demands that they somehow prove to him that he is mistaken; although he seems to be attacking, he is waiting, hoping that they will answer him or behave outside the box, not as usual, and he will change.

It’s not customary among normal people to behave like volunteers, because you have to take everything from life, you need to organize your life, you need to spend your free time on yourself, on entertainment. And when a person goes to the old people - this is not normal, this is a crazy person. Indeed, Christians are, in a sense, crazy to the worldly mind, because they try to live by the mind of Christ. And it's amazing. What is striking about volunteers is this willingness to do something beyond the ordinary.

Father, you want to say that the dispatcher is driving in a taxi and he receives a call on his cell phone from those people who, perhaps, need help. Do I get it right?

Oh sure.

I just didn’t understand how the taxi driver could hear that you yourself called the control room of the Orthodox Mercy Service.

Our dispatcher is a sister of mercy, a young woman, a mother of two children, who has been living in a wheelchair for fifteen years. This is one of my favorite children, God's servant Irina. I will always remember her with such gratitude! Yesterday I watched (they sent me) a documentary called "Liturgy". I highly recommend to everyone. A film about the liturgy and about a priest who talks about the life of his wards. I looked at it and realized what I am missing in my life now. It is clear that a huge organization, responsibility for employees and wards, but when I was a parish priest in the church of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, I had more opportunities for direct contact with poor people: with the sick, with prisoners. Presiding, however, presupposes a slightly different rhythm. But I realized that I really miss it.

Here is Irina - one of those close children, to whom I came, when earlier she was completely bedridden. She lost the ability to walk as a young girl: there was some damage to her spine. She ran and danced, and then once - and ended up in a wheelchair. And when I came to see her, I did not support her, but she consoled me. Because her confessions were, of course, completely different from what we are used to hearing in the church: some kind of depth, honesty, openness, a real need in Christ and an inner strength to overcome illness. Then, little by little, she somehow got stronger. Then she gave birth to a child while in a wheelchair! Doctors simply categorically said: “What are you doing! It's none of your business!" And how much we had to endure, just such resistance in order to give birth! Now this child is seven years old, Dimochka: a normal guy, runs around, an ordinary child.

And now she has served as a dispatcher for many years. She has to call a taxi to take her from home to the temple, where we periodically meet. And just in a taxi, she also fulfilled her obedience. Of course, it is very important that not only the priest, but also every person has contact with such people, because the soul cannot live without caring for poor people; she becomes fat, covered with fat, becomes lifeless and insensible. And this is a problem. Volunteers are wonderful because they fight the “extra weight” of their heart, that is, they drive off this “fat” so that the heart functions properly.

According to statistics, we have millions of people in such poverty that their wages are below the subsistence level. And as it turns out that every such person needs help. So how many volunteers and people with a good heart, with a good soul, who will be ready to help if the situation is terrible ...

I think you don’t have to wait until someone comes to help you, you have to go to people who are a thousand times harder than you. I remember I had an episode in my life. By the way, sincerely grateful to Dale Carnegie for his work; he has several different books, including How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Somewhere around the age of eighteen (this is the time of the search), such anxiety attacked me. Such a haze comes over you (and it often comes over people) when the question "How are you?" I want to answer: "Everything is bad." But in fact, it’s not bad, the soul just got confused, the spirits settled, attacked and begin to suppress it, oppress it. In this state, I read this book, and I was struck by one story. A young man of about my condition (“everything is bad, there is no work, something is not going well somewhere”) was all in himself, sad, it was raining outside. And suddenly someone greeted him affably: "Good afternoon." He passed, then stopped, turned around and was dumbfounded - an invalid who was sitting on the pavement looked at him, he had no legs, had problems with his hands, but he looked at him so friendly, smiled so much that this smile was enough to make him came to himself. He says: “I have arms and legs, I have enough health, but I go and do not know how to live. And here is a person who has real problems, and he smiles, looks at life with wide eyes.” And it changed his life.

I don't think there is any need to wait. You have to go to the volunteers of the Orthodox service of mercy, find something to your liking (either for the elderly or for the homeless). It is very useful for the soul to take care of the homeless: feed them, talk to them like a human being; not haughtily, not with some kind of aplomb, but to find out how, for example, a young man of 35 years old ended up on the street. Listen to this story, give him your mittens. It heals the soul very much, it brings down this confusion when everything is bad. No, everything is fine actually. Or go to a boarding school for children with various injuries, with congenital sores, take a walk with them on Saturday. Volunteers walk with the kids. And life will become easier. Abba Dorotheos said that when we do good to a sick person, he does more good to us than we do to him, because through him the Lord heals our heart. So who hasn't volunteered yet?..

For some reason, I immediately remembered Nick Vuychich, who has no arms and legs and who gathers huge halls. With people, he is open, kind and, most importantly, cheerful, showing that even in such a situation you can find the meaning of your life, you can find what to strive for, what to do. As far as I know, he has a wife and a small child. But, perhaps, this is not the primary goal in general, in principle, to engage in volunteerism and social service in order to somehow cheer yourself up a little, motivate yourself, thinking: “I still don’t feel as bad as the people I help.” It seems to me that this is a little dangerous for a person. But we'll talk about it a little later, take a phone call.

Question of a TV viewer from the Vologda region: “Father, tell me, what is temptation? And another question: in the seventh morning prayer to the Mother of God there are words: yes, don’t show me joy as a demon, who is guilty of many sins. How to understand these words?

It is easy to understand: so that the demons do not rejoice in me - the one who is guilty of many sins. “Do not do this, deliver the demons from such joy. Help me to become better, help me cope with sins so that the demons do not rejoice over my iniquities.

"Temptation" is a Slavic word, in Russian it sounds like "test". That is, these are some circumstances of life in which a person tests his readiness to be faithful to God. The Lord sometimes allows tests of our faith, our honesty so that we, as in school, pass a certain test, an exam, in order to move to another class. A person either passes them, or remains in the second year, that is, he goes through certain tests again. This is how it should be treated.

In the prayer "Our Father" we ask: "do not lead us into temptation." There are trials, temptations that we cannot afford. Several people went through them, for example righteous Job. For example, Abraham, when the Lord tested his faith by sacrificing his son. And we ask the Lord not to give us those trials that exceed our strength. But in the usual order, as the Lord says: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into misfortune. The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak." You need to be on alert: attentive to your words, thoughts, feelings and actions and ready to repel the approaching temptation. More or less like this.

Question of a TV viewer from Yekaterinburg: “I had a goddaughter, she married a Tajik and converted to the Muslim faith. I would like to know if I am now her godmother or not.”

Of course you are, because the gifts of God are inalienable. And you need to pray for her and, probably, grieve before God in some way, because in a sense you did not complete the task that the Church entrusted you with. Because the task of the godmother is to help parents and so participate in the fate of her goddaughter so that she becomes a Christian in life, and not in name. A Christian differs from a non-Christian in that he is faithful: faithful to Christ, he remains faithful despite all sorts of temptations and trials. And this is a huge responsibility of the godmother, who gives God a promise during the sacrament of Baptism that she will bring a small child to Him. And if this happened, it means that your fault is somewhere, this is a serious reason for repentance, for tears before God. And with these tears, maybe your goddaughter's heart will someday be melted, and this seduction will be straightened out. Therefore, pray, but, of course, not in the temple, because a person has fallen away from the Church; inside the Church, we cannot pray for him, but in our prayers at home, in our almsgiving, we must definitely intercede for her before God.

Let's go back to the question we talked about a little earlier. Can the desire to help someone who is worse off than me be the goal? Or is this a slightly distorted approach to the ministry of mercy, to volunteering?

We do not know how the soul reaches God, and we need to try to catch and develop any good impulse. Let it be so, let it be for such a motive. I myself sometimes did this when it was very hard on my soul. I just knew this mechanism, I went to the difficult department of a psychiatric hospital, talked with people, we prayed with them. This is a very effective method of rehabilitating your soul. “Share your smile, and it will return to you more than once.” Therefore, even if a person has such a desire - well, thank God! We'll get further involved - we'll figure it out.

For some reason I remember a story that happened to me personally. In the department of the children's hospital, I happened to spend one evening with a child who has cerebral palsy. He was fed through a tube, he could neither walk nor sit, he could only lie, and he could lie in a certain position. Apparently, there was some kind of birth trauma. Refuse child. His head always kept in only one direction, and this is not a straight direction, but, as it were, obliquely. To be honest, I’m talking about this now and I feel that my pulse has quickened ... Without those people who voluntarily sit and help, are with such children, there is, in fact, no care for them. That is, if there was no one nearby, he would lie, roar, grunt, they would approach him, for example, after three hours, at those moments when it would be required by the norms. We seem to live in a modern society, where it is customary to put a person on an important stage. Why is there such a problem in the healthcare system in our time that even children cannot be assigned some person who can perform the same functions that a volunteer performs, but who by default would be there and do this?

Because there is such a thing as a staffing table, which regulates the staff, the number of patients per employee and the budget of the organization. Because all this is a very large and heavy system, a machine. Expediency is always... That is, when the conversation is about money, then some kind of optimization: whether it is necessary or not; maybe you can do without it somehow. In reality, you can do without it: well, the child is lying, fed, dressed; well, no one will stroke him once again - it's not fatal ...

The state solves vital issues, issues of material support, issues of preserving life - and thank God. And maybe this is good, because there is a huge field for volunteers, for people of good will. Maybe this should be the case: that some elementary necessities of life are met at the expense of the budget, but human, mental, spiritual needs are at the expense of living people, they should not be for money. It's hard to love for money, it's somehow not right. It should be at will, according to the good will of the heart. And just here there should be interaction between state institutions and non-profit charitable organizations, volunteer organizations: people will come and give their hearts to their wards and employees. Because this is also important: both a friendly look and good word. Ambrose Optinsky says (this is my favorite expression): “In this life we ​​need a friendly look, sweet Nothing we need to be loved and believed in, what is needed is that the most precious and rarest treasure is an attentive heart. An attentive heart is the most precious treasure in life!

Such charitable service, of course, is also a kind of missionary work. Here's what I would like to ask. Is it all the same help and missionary work, or in the first place is it only help, only care?

First of all, it is a testimony about Christ and about His Church. And we talk about this with our employees: the value of a person's life lies in the fact that a person comes to God during his life. If a person does not come to God, he lives his life in vain: there is no meaning in life and, by and large, there is no price. Because a man is not an ant, he is not a hippopotamus; it is for them there are no other tasks, except for biological existence. The person has a purpose. St. John Chrysostom says: “Man, I created for you a beautiful body (he seems to be speaking on behalf of God), but I give you the power to create something better for yourself - create yourself a beautiful soul.” Here is the creation, the upbringing of the human soul for God - this is the goal of human life. Therefore, we pay attention to it. Of course, this needs to be witnessed, it needs to be reminded, spoken about. Of course, there is no need to take advantage of the dependence of our patients and wards on us, this should always be both at will and delicately, but we must never lose sight of this. Help invite a priest, help organize a conversation, bring books; if necessary, to help prepare for the sacraments is the first priority. Because otherwise, this is a direct path to burnout: we cannot defeat the disease, we cannot stop sin, we cannot overcome homelessness, and so on. This is all mouse fuss, no matter how much effort you put into it, if there is no result that the soul comes to life and awakens through sorrows and suffering. The Sisters of Mercy are the angels who bring the Good News. So, of course, that's the first thing.

In September, the Mercy Service hosted the Confident Volunteer training program. I would like to know if it is possible to teach to help? In general, I would like to ask you to briefly tell about this project...

Thank God, I always give thanks... In the secret prayer during Unction, there are such words: “Lord, I thank you that You made me enjoy the Divine Liturgy by calling me to this highest degree of priesthood.” Enjoy the Divine Liturgy!.. Sometimes you come, and you don’t have the strength, and you even try not to look at people, because you understand that your look from under your brows conveys your mood, and this immediately somehow extinguishes people, they immediately begin to feel sad. You start the service: "Blessed is the Kingdom... Let us pray to the Lord in peace"... With such a creak, through force. Then the antiphon, the litany; antiphon, litany. By Cherubimskaya, everything somehow straightens out a little - and it becomes easier to breathe. Then the Eucharistic canon, Our Father. Then communion. And often at the physical level, a concrete slab is removed from the shoulders by God. And then for some time you live this life. Although the circumstances do not change (and there are enough mournful circumstances), but you look at them differently, your point of view changes. It seems to me that it is very important to understand this - we must live from liturgy to liturgy, from communion to communion. Somehow we have to grow up to this.

And thank God that we have the opportunity to pray with volunteers, and with sisters and brothers. Night liturgies are amazing: at night there is no fuss, there are no people who accidentally wandered, but the faithful gathered, who with one heart, with one mouth strive for God; and it's a special feeling. Now, if everyone would get even a little closer to this heart, it would pump vitality into it. Remember this. I really want to convey this idea: we have everything we need, what we need for life - the Lord has given everything; you just have to take it and save it.

Thank you for these thoughts. Indeed, with what face, in what form, with what mood we come to the church for the Divine Liturgy, conveys our attitude to the rite itself, and to the main sacrament, and to the people around us, and to the Church in general. Because at the liturgy (as nowhere else), in general, we all meet.

Exactly. Liturgy is a common thing. In a sense, we are used to it: a common cause. It seems that the common cause is that we all got together and did something. But this is not only a common cause between people, it is also our common cause with the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, we call on Him, and He comes, and together with Him we begin to perform this service. This is a common thing with God. And with Him, any business is on the shoulder.

- Yes. And we have something in common here live- the program "Conversations with the priest".

A question from a TV viewer from Voronezh: “I would like to know how the parishioners should behave in the church during censing with the royal gates open. Everyone turns after the censing of the priest, and it turns out that we are turning away from the royal doors. And the second question: I listened to a TV program about angels, that figurines of angels are kind of wrong, because there are good angels, there are bad angels, and it turns out that we can worship idols. But I think these figurines are just for decoration.”

During the censing, when the priest walks around the temple and censes, one must stand with his eyes fixed on the altar, bowing his head. Of course, you should not spin around your axis, because this violates the reverent course. You need to stand still. But, you know, there are different traditions. If we talk, for example, about our parish, it is very good when people stand and reverently pray. When the priest goes and censes, you can turn around halfway, bow, because censing has a special spiritual meaning: honor is paid to the image of God with incense in front of the icon, and the priest turns to another image of God - to a person. That is, the priest censes both icons (images of saints) and those praying (images striving for holiness). Therefore, you need to turn around and bow your head in a reverent bow: he shook, we bowed. But like a spindle, of course, it is ugly to spin - it is irreverent.

As for the figurines... Usually the figurines that are sold in stores are images of cupids. Cupid is a prodigal demon. These are such baby dolls with wings, with onions or with psaltery. Of course, there is nothing Christian in this, it is some kind of incomprehensible symbolism, and such cupids better at home do not hold, it's just indecent and ridiculous. Images of angels are canonical on icons. The guardian angel has a certain appearance, which is imprinted in iconography; here, of course, it would be nice to have it, and not just to have it in the form of an icon, but to have a prayer connection with the guardian angel, so that we turn to him more often. And when in the morning or evening prayer rule we turn to him so that all our hearts and all our attention are tuned to him.

Father Eugene, you expressed an interesting idea, telling that if you suddenly didn’t get a little sleep or if you’re not in the mood, then you try to lower your eyes down before the service so that you don’t meet the eyes of the parishioners and convey this mood. This is what should happen, how should a person change, in principle, so that participation in the liturgy and, in general, going to church is the most desirable, festive for him, so that this is a natural state of mind? Like, for example, we go to a birthday party: dressed up, with a gift, with a smile on our faces...

The recipe is very simple. First, you and I have a law of life, I pay attention to this: the seventh day is for the Lord your God. The seventh day does not belong to us, God has consecrated it, and on this day He expects us to spend it accordingly, consecrate it to God. If we do anything on this day, but not worship, we commit sacrilege, we take away God. This is a grave sin, which, of course, leads to various troubles in the domestic sphere, and to ill health, and to the loss of material well-being. You can’t live against God, go against the pricks and think that everything will be fine with you. That doesn't happen.

The second point: prayer, patience and work will grind everything. It is clear that the absence of a habit is somehow annoying at first, and sometimes the lack of a clue why it is needed. If a person does not have trust in God, trust Holy Scripture, then, of course, it is all mechanically difficult to do. It is assumed that people come to the temple for whom the fulfillment of the commandments of God is important. And if there is such a commandment, then you need to start fulfilling it conscientiously.

Once, an elder (Abba Dorotheos tells about this) had such an embarrassment. A man approached him with a question: “Father, we know that you are humble, righteous. Tell me, please, how did you come to this? He was confused, looked around and could not answer anything. Said, "I don't know how to tell you how to come to humility." And Abba Dorotheos says: “I know how it happens; I think I understand. When a person is engaged in some kind of craft (for example, a carpenter takes a tree, begins to plan it), his fingers are still crooked. A month passes, two, three, he peels off his skin, cuts himself, but then the ability slowly appears, then skill, then professionalism, when this business turns into a skill. That's when the skill appears, it already makes the thing perfect. And he may not be able to tell you how he got to this.” The elder heard this and said: “That’s right!” It is exactly the same with humility: you simply do those deeds that lead you to God, to His humble dispensation, and it comes gradually through patience, prayer and work.

It's the same to love the Sunday service. You just need to fulfill the commandment and at first, by an effort of will, by discipline, bring yourself to the temple, at least for a few minutes, then more, more. And then, all the same, turn on attention: not like a wooden roly-poly doll to stand, not understanding what is happening, but to try to screw your mind into the meaning of what is read and sung in the service. It's like a stereoscopic image: first you look at the picture, then you peer, screw in, change the focus a little - and it opens up in volume. This is how it happens with the Slavic language, with the liturgy: you come, you seem to be working, straining, getting ready, and then suddenly there is an understanding that you are inside the service.

- Father, thank you for this conversation. Unfortunately, the broadcast time is over.

And there was so much more to be said!

Yes, at least I wanted to. Thank you for coming. Congratulations on the sixth anniversary of the Mercy Service, on the legal sixth anniversary since the registration of the legal entity. At the beginning of October, you celebrated the fifth anniversary of your rectorship...

This is generally a separate topic for discussion. Maybe next time we'll talk about it, because it's very interesting.

- Thank you for answering the questions of our viewers and talking about volunteerism.

Once again (packs and packs) I want to congratulate all the employees, brothers, sisters, volunteers, wards, benefactors of the mercy service on our day, on the holiday. And I want to wish that Christ was always in the midst of us, that those works that each one bears in his place, were for the sake of God, with God and with God's blessing. Thank you for being all of us!

Presenter Dmitry Brodovikov

Recorded by Nina Kirsanova

Within the framework of the presidential grant, the second stage of the internship of the sisters of mercy of the Yugra diocese at the Social Department of the Yekaterinburg diocese began.

Priest Dimitry Sorokin, Deacon Kirill Garafutdinov and 11 sisters and brothers of mercy from the Ugra, Beloyarsk, Kondinsky and Uraysky deaneries arrived in Yekaterinburg for training.
Nursing internship in Yekaterinburg is as follows:
October 27-28 - participation of the clergy and sisters of mercy of the Ugra diocese in the First Congress of the sisters of mercy of the Ural region "Elisabeth Days: Continuity of the Ministry of Love", which was organized by the Social Department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis.
October 29 - November 1 - internship for the Sisterhoods of the Ugra diocese - familiarization with the work of the Sisterhoods and Mercy Services of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis.

The congress was held at the pilgrimage center of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers in the Ganina Yama tract.
Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye addressed the participants of the congress with a welcoming speech and blessing, gave parting words to the sisters and stressed that there is always a need for mercy and what the sisters do is the grace of God.
Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, Chairman of the Synodal Department of Church Charity and Social Ministry, also addressed the participants of the congress via video.
The following presentations were made at the congress:
- Archpriest Yevgeny Popichenko, chairman of the social department of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis, confessor of the St. Panteleimon Sisterhood;
- Archpriest Sergiy Vogulkin, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Medical Psychology of the Ural Medical Academy, lecturer at the Sverdlovsk Regional Medical College (Yekaterinburg);
- Priest Vasily Baishev, confessor of the Abode of Mercy, rector of the parish in the name of St. Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Yekaterinburg;
Svetlana Kislova, sister of mercy, leader information department at the Department of Social Service of the Yekaterinburg Diocese;
- Priest Konstantin Korepanov, Senior Lecturer at the Missionary Institute, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary.
The speakers shared valuable information on the organization of nursing ministry, talked about their experience, showed the spiritual side of nursing ministry, and many others. From the speeches of the speakers, the sisters received answers to working questions, support and spiritual joy.

At the end of a busy day, work was organized in sections:
Section 1: Help for palliative and seriously ill people;
Section 2: Assistance to large and low-income families;
Section 3: Helping children;
Section 4: Help for the elderly and the disabled;
Section 5: For priests.

October 28 - the second day was dedicated to pilgrimage in monastery in honor of the New Martyrs of Russia, the city of Alapaevsk. In the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Fedorovskaya" Divine Liturgy. The service was led by Archbishop Michael of Medon, Vicar of the Western European Diocese (ROCOR).
After Liturgy at worship cross on the site of the last spiritual feat of the Alapaevo martyrs, the consecration of 12 sisters of the Yekaterinburg diocese took place.
Participation in the First Congress of the sisters of mercy of the Ural region "Elisabeth Days: Continuity of the Ministry of Love" made it possible to: exchange experience in the nursing social ministry; get an opportunity for cooperation of Orthodox sisterhoods of mercy and determine the prospects further development sisterhoods; conciliarly commemorate the Heavenly Patron of the sisterhoods of mercy - the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna in the year of the 100th anniversary of her martyrdom.
In total, 170 sisters from 10 dioceses of the Ural region took part in the congress of sisterhoods.

In March 2018, the Department of Social Ministry of the Yekaterinburg Diocese conducted training for employees of the Department for Church Charity and Social Service of the Nizhny Tagil Diocese. The Head of the Department, Archpriest Oleg Shabalin, took part in the second social internship in Yekaterinburg from February 5 to 9, 2018, was very inspired by the Yekaterinburg projects and sent five employees for training.

Training participants from Nizhny Tagil:

Assistant to the head of social work - Alexander Andreevich Oshchepkov

Coordinator of charitable and social projects, press service - Anastasia Gennadievna Kazakova

Volunteer coordinator, elder sister of the sisterhood - Ekaterina Alexandrovna Levina

Sister of Mercy - Lyubov Nikolaevna Bastrikova

Specialist in the reception of petitioners, lawyer - Natalya Evgenievna Gileva

First, all the participants of the internship got acquainted with the work of the department for work with petitioners, and then dispersed to their specialized areas.

Galina Lyudina, Coordinator of the Department for Work with Petitioners of the Department of Social Service of the Yekaterinburg Diocese:

– I told how our petitioner department works: who we help, who we don’t help, and why. How does the work with the petitioner begin and how does it end - the whole cycle of the request. She answered questions about the work of the dispatcher for receiving calls, about interaction with petitioners.

Natalya Borisovna Savina, assistant to the head of social work of the Department of social service of the Yekaterinburg diocese:

- I talked with the assistant to the head of social work, Alexander Andreevich Oshchepkov, and the specialist in receiving petitioners and lawyer Natalia Evgenievna Gileva. Alexander was interested in questions of how to establish a relationship with deaneries and parishes, how to organize social service in the field, how to assist in the organization and development of parish social projects. Natalya Evgenievna clarified the issue of distribution of humanitarian aid by parishes, the conditions for issuing and collecting reports. And, of course, my guests were very interested in the issue of grant funding for church social projects. I tried to answer all the questions of our colleagues from the Nizhny Tagil diocese, to show specific examples of the solution of certain issues. She explained the system for writing grant applications using examples of our grant projects. We agreed to work together, to jointly solve the problems of the wards.

Tatyana Ananyina, Senior Sister of the St. Panteleimon Sisterhood of Mercy:

– I told the sisters from Nizhny Tagil in detail about the inner life of our sisterhood: prayer, meetings, trips, work with sisters, communication with the confessor. Sisters from the children's department shared their experience of interaction with children's medical and social institutions - holding spiritual conversations with employees, congratulating them on the holidays, the possibility of providing material assistance. This was important, because in Tagil there is an orphanage with care, with which relationships are built.
Svetlana Kislova, Head of Information Department:

– With a ministry colleague Anastasia Kazakova, who works in the press service of the Social Ministry Department of the Nizhny Tagil diocese, we discussed the priorities of information work: why and why it is necessary to talk about works of mercy and church social service, how interesting informational occasions appear, who can and should become the hero of the publication.

Yevgeny Shatskikh, head of the diocesan Center for Humanitarian Aid:

– We gave the guests a tour of the Center, showed how the work is done in the main hall for the wards, how the used clothes are sorted. Answered questions about document flow and who, how and how often we help.

Assistant to the head of social work Alexander Oshchepkov and specialist in the reception of petitioners, lawyer Natalya Gileva

REVIEWS OF INTERNSHIP PARTICIPANTS

Sister of Mercy Lyubov Bastrikova (Nizhny Tagil):

– Many thanks to all of you for the warm welcome, for your patience, for sharing your experience. I took a lot for myself when organizing my work. Communication in the nursing room with the sisters also helped a lot. My doubts were dispelled. In general, of course, I was struck by the scope of your good deeds, organization, strict reporting and control. I was impressed for a long time. She told everything in our church. I was also impressed by the attitude of the sisters and volunteers towards the works of mercy. And, of course, the Humanitarian Aid Center struck: 600 sq. m, full order and accounting. The entire database has been saved. It was also interesting to find out that if nothing changes in the family of applicants in 9 months: and dad continues to lie on the couch, and mom does not respond, the help stops. It motivates people to take action. You show them how it should be so that they strive to improve their living conditions. I was also inspired by the work with the homeless, which is carried out by an employee of the department in a special trailer in the Cathedral of the Assumption. So to speak, one-time help. The needy can eat and even relax in the trailer. But first, work a little for the good of the temple, and not just stand with an outstretched hand. We need to think about this question ... Low bow to you for your work!

Alexander Oshchepkov, assistant manager for social work (Nizhny Tagil):

- We are still trying to come to our senses and tune in, since there was a lot of useful information for us, there is something to think about. Taking into account the fact that he himself has been in the social service for only 2 years, of which more time was devoted to working with philanthropists and legal issues for non-profit organizations. Therefore, for me, everything that you told and shared can be called parting words in my work. I appreciate your attitude and dedication to your neighbors, the way you communicated with us and shared your emotions can only be envied. It means a lot to me when people are open. I liked everything about the internship, from the well-developed structure of the department to the process of writing grants. It was a great honor for us to be received by the department of social ministry of the Yekaterinburg diocese. Thanks to this meeting, we not only learned something new for ourselves, but also were able to exchange experiences. The staff of the department also shared their personal best practices, experience, talked about possible "pitfalls" that may appear when writing grants, implementing projects. After that, they spoke with great dedication about the various projects being implemented in the department and in the diocese as a whole. I would also like to propose a joint project to create a single database of wards so that we can know and track actions and weed out dishonest ones. God help us all! Guardian Angel to you!

Ekaterina Levina, volunteer coordinator, elder sister of the sisterhood (Nizhny Tagil):

- There are a lot of impressions from the trip, we are now digesting, trying to apply it to our work. We were impressed with the warehouse, and since we ourselves are closely engaged in the repair and arrangement of a new humanitarian warehouse, we use what we have seen now. Thank you very much for your responsiveness!

Anastasia Kazakova, coordinator of charitable and social projects, press service of the social department (Nizhny Tagil):

- I liked everything very much. For example, I'm just delighted! You are all such sunshine, such warm-hearted people. Many thanks for the warm welcome! I received a lot of useful information from Svetlana Kislova, at first it was a mess in my head, now, when everything has calmed down, I want to create, I have ideas, ideas. We will put them into practice. I hope this is not our last meeting. You are all very inspiring. Of course, I would like to wish you love, patience, peace and God's help! God bless you all!

Department of Social Service website
Yekaterinburg diocese:
http://www.soee.ru/