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Norka a German colony in Russia                            Religion

The Norka Reformed Church. Construction began in 1880 and was completed in 1882.

The church was the center of the colonist's intellectual world and sustained their moral standards, language and ethnic character. Religion was deeply ingrained in the Volga Germans.

Practically all of the colonists were religious people.  Based on the 1767 Original Settlers List, the overwhelming majority of the 218 families were of the Reformed faith.  Only 16 families (7 percent) identified themselves as Lutherans and 6 families (3 percent) as Roman Catholics.  Many of the Catholics were craftsmen from non-German countries or provinces such as France, Flanders and Brabant.

In the early years, separate church services were held for the Lutheran and Reformed faith families.  Both services were performed by either a Lutheran or Reformed pastor in the colony.  After years of socialization and intermarriage, religious differences were set aside and they worshipped together.

Many colonists were part of the Pietism Movement that had its origins in 17th century Germany. This was a movement that emphasized the need for a "religion of the heart" instead of the head, and was characterized by ethical purity, inward devotion, charity, and even mysticism.

The colonists first concern after they settled in the colonies was to build a church. The church was built with pride as the centerpiece of the colony.  It was the largest and best building in the village.

Church life was the center of community affairs and as such was located in the middle of the colony with homes surrounding it.  Near the church were the parsonage, schoolhouse and bell tower.

The Parsonage in Norka

A 1912 photograph of the Norka Kirchenvorsteher Hanjörg Schmer (Church Warden Johannes Georg Schmer).

History and Church Leaders

Norka was a parish center for the Bergseite.  Despite the great preponderance of Protestants, few pastors came or stayed with the colonists and due to the meager salaries of the clergy who were faced with ministering to scattered parishes often numbering over 2,000 souls, the lack of pastors became an acute problem.  By 1805, there were only fifteen Protestants pastors in the entire colonial enclave, these living in Messer, Grimm, Beideck, Galka, Dietel, Frank, Norka, Stephan, Jagodnaja Poljana, Saratov, Rosenheim, Warenburg, Bettinger and two in Katharinenstadt. 

The University of Dorpat (now Tartu) in Estonia was the nearest theological school but the great distance and expense virtually prevented enrollment by eligible Volga German men.

The first pastor in Norka, Johannes Georg Herwig, was installed in 1769.  In 1822, a new church was built on the location of the original church.  This building stood until 1882, when the third church (shown below) was dedicated.

By 1906, the parish of Norka, which also included the colonies of Huck and Neu-Messer, numbered 23,179 members.  Only 385 were Lutherans; all others were of the Reformed faith.

1897-1901?

(7) Sibbul, Woldemar Emil Arthur; of Estonian heritage.

b. Dorpat 25.8. 1869, d. Berlin 16.2. 1947. F.: Georg S. merchant; M.: Elisabeth Makkar.  m. Saratov 10.1. 1901 Olga Kindsvater, b. Saratov 26.10. 1878, d. Hamburg 14.12. 1972, daughter of Alexander K. and Natalie Mueller. Gymnasium (high school-college) Dorpat, 1891-96 student of theology Dorpat, 9.2. 1897 ordained in Norka (province of Saratov) as the assistant pastor there, 1901-20 in Irkutsk; 1921-25 religion instructor at the Cathedral School in Reval (now Tallinn, Estonia), 1921-39 Pastor Vicar there, inspector (supervisor?) of the Evening Middle School.

1910-1913

Reverend David Weigum

(8) Weigum, David.

b. Ludwigstal (province of Ekaterinoslav) 24.10. 1874, d. Liestal (Switzerland) 24.10. 1952.  F.: Joseph W.; M.: Christine Weidner. m. Oftringen (Canton of Aargau, Switzerland) 13.5. 1903 Klara Pluess, b. Rothrist (Canton Aargau) 29.11. 1872, d. Riehen (Canton Basel) 31.12. 1965, daughter of Samuel P. and Marie Weber.  1894-97, 1899-1901 student of theology Basel.  1903-05 P. of the separtist congregation Neu-Hoffnung (Tauria or Taurida?). 2.7. 1906 ordained in Neudorf (province of Cherson), 1906-10 P. there, 1910-13 Norka (province of Saratov). He moved to Appenzell, Switzerland, 1913-37 P. of the Reformed diaspora congregation Appenzell-Inner-Rhoden. Retired, lived in Riehen near Basel.

Below is a reduced copy of the official document appointing David Weigum as pastor at Norka. This was the standard form of appointment for all pastors under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Evangelical-Lutheran Consistory, which included those serving in both Lutheran and Reformed parishes in the Volga region.

Document appointing David Weigum as pastor of Norka

The appointment, formally, came "on command" of the Tsar himself, His Imperial Majesty, the Autocrat of all the Russians, etc., etc., but was made through the Moscow Evangelical­Lutheran Consistory. The wording of the document, in translation, is as follows:

Pastor David Weigum, having been called as preacher by the parish of Norka and having been confirmed in office through an order of the governor of Saratov on 12 July of this year, is hereby installed as pastor of the parish of Norka, situated in the Kamyshin district of the province of Saratov, with the duty to serve faithfully the parish entrusted to him, on the basis of Holy Scrip­ture and according to the liturgical books of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, in exact fulfill­ment of church law, with pure doctrine and the administration of the sacraments, and in all other obligations, and to give good example by an irreproachable life, such as is expected of a servant of Christ and such as he can answer for before God, his conscience and the authorities. In return he is assured of all the rights that are his as pastor of the parish of Norka and is granted all the needed protection of the authorities.

Moscow, 29 July 1910.

Seal of the Ev.-Luth. Consistory                   Signatures of Consistory Officials Pastor

David Weigum served in Norka for three years, 1910-1913. Old Pastor Wilhelm Stärkel, who had been pastor in Norka 1878-1908, was then still alive and was living in retirement in the Norka par­sonage. The Weigum children, so Dr. Walter Weigum informs us, were fond of the old man: "he had himself become somewhat childish and was obviously a good playmate."

1913-1925

(9) Wacker, Friedrich Alexander.

b. Kamyshin (province of Saratov) 8.4. 1886, d. after 1938. F.: Georg W. settler; M.: Dorothea Reisich. m. Clara...  Gynasium (high school - college) Astrakhan, 1909-12 student of theology Dorpat, ordained 3.11. 1913, 1913-25 P. Norka, dean of the Volga Hilly Side, 1925 theological director of the pastors seminary Leningrad, expelled 1930 to Martyskino near Oranienbaum, exiled 1930-34 but was not allowed to minister as a pastor, still alive in 1937. Schnurr states that he was still alive in 1938.

1925 (or 1927? as stated in the Bote (Messenger)) -1934

(10) Pfeiffer, Emil.

b. (Norka, province of Saratov) 1891.  Teacher. Until 1924 private theological courses in Leningrad (with Bishop Malmgren).  1925-34 P. Norka (province of Saratov). He served Norka, Huck and Beideck. Married to Anna Frederick Pfeifer. Emil Pfeiffer was arrested in 1935 and resettled near Alma Ata. Later shot. Brother of Pastor Arthur Pfeiffer. His daughter Edith Muethel (October 2002) lives in St. Petersburg and is a member of St. Peter and St. Anne Evangelical Lutheran Church, Nevsky Prospect 22-24, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia. She was born in 1919 in Saint-Petersburg and lived in Norka from 1927-1933. Her memoirs were written in 1994 and were published in Germany as part of an evangelical church calendar for 2001. From the memoirs Edith Muthel: "the village consists of ten lines of houses and five very long streets on which part of the houses are made from from clay, brick or logs, covered with boards or iron sheets… the houses border on an old cemetery. In spite of the fact that the village existed for more than one hundred years, this is still the first cemetery. The paths in the cemetery were well well-groomed. It was planted with lilacs and roses, a white acacia, birches, aspens and elms - a botanical garden. There I could hide with a book and quietly read. In the village of Norka there were five schools, but teachers did not communicate directly with us, as it was forbidden to them. Father gave lessons to us.    

Note: All the localities listed in the extracts are located in Russia or in Germany unless otherwise stated. Dorpat is now called Tartu and Reval is now called Tallinn. Today they are cities located in Estonia.

Excerpt from the Memories of Norka by Conrad Brill

"The preachers we had that I know of from family discussions start with Reverend Bonwetsch, who watched Wilhelm Staerkel as a youth playing the game of that day called Gausa.  A game where you tossed barnockels (chestnuts) taken off the legs of dead horses, and played somewhat like marbles in later years. He took Staerkel and had him schooled to be a preacher, and Staerkel later married Beate Bonwetsch.  When Reverend Staerkel became senile they put in Reverend Weigum and semi‑retired Staerkel.  When Weigum left we got a young Reverend Wacker.  My grandfather used to tell me how good Staerkel was at playing Gausa, and how Reverend Bonwetsch always remarked that Willie would make a good preacher for Norka.  Reverend Staerkel had come to the United States in the 1860's, as well as Jerusalem.  He was instrumental in villagers leaving Russia to come to America, as well as organizing the Brethren of the Versammlung.  While I was in the army, he became lost in a snowstorm between Huck and Norka, when he wandered off toward Huck, rather than go to the church in Norka to assist Reverend Weigum with communion.  He hadn't shown up at the church and when they sent for him, his daughter said he had left hours ago.  They found him and he survived, but died of natural causes before I got home from Turkey."

The Norka Church

In 1880 one of the most outstanding events in the history of Norka was the building of a magnificent new church on 9th street. The tall stately dome of the edifice could be seen miles away, and the white Doric columns and stately doorways, made it by far the most beautiful building in the town. The basement walls which were about three feet thick, were made of mortar and stone. The dimensions of the foundation were 127 feet wide and 175 feet long. The cornerstone was laid on 24 June 1880, and the religious ceremonies were attended by Rev. Bonwetsch, Rev. Jordan of Balzer and Rev. Stärkel who was the pastor of Norka at the time. It took 32 years to complete the building.

The famous pipe organ was said to be the first in any church in the colonies. The organ and the mixed choir of boys and girls could be heard from the rear balcony.

The church had three bells of different sizes which were rung each evening at seven o'clock. They served to call people to worship; to announce a death in the village--often telling the age of the deceased by measured toll; to announce a fire; and it rang for hours at a time to guide persons to the village who might be lost in a storm.

Norka Church bell tower in 1912  - note there are three bells

Courtyard Outside the Norka Reformed Church

Because of the expense of heating such a large structure, all church services were held in the schoolhouse during the winter months.

Parochial certificate from Norka for Georg and Peter Schreiber signed by Rev. Stärkel on 25 April 1907

Click here to see other Volga churches

Yesterday and Today in the Congregation in Saratov

The Brotherhood

In addition to the primary religious denominations, there was an early pietistic movement that evolved into an organized body of considerable strength and influence in the German Russian colonies.  The Brotherhood or Brethren (Bruederschaft) movement might be described as an auxiliary to the Protestant churches.

Many of our ancestors belonged to the Brotherhood. Although they organized private prayer circles and Bible study, they participated at the same time in all the functions of the Church. They put into practice the theory of the priesthood of all believers. Almost without exception, members of the Brotherhood were the nucleus of the individual church organizations and gave direction to their development.

The primary organization in the Brotherhood has been the local prayer meeting.  These meetings, which were instituted in behalf of practical piety, were led and directed by laymen. In Russia these meetings were held four times a week—Wednesday evening, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.  A Christian bond of union arose among those who met four times a week to hear God's Word, to confess their sins, to give their testimonies, and to tell of their spiritual triumphs.  There they rejoiced with those who rejoiced and wept and wept with those who wept.  Bound together by common spiritual aspirations, these circles of pious friends and steadfast companions watched over each other and helped bear one another's burdens.  

At each prayer meeting the elders appointed three Brethren to lead the group.  In their addresses the leaders frequently referred to their own conversion and laid down the fundamental premise that all who wished to be saved must be born again. The listeners were made supremely aware of the danger of a literal hell, and told of the horror of everlasting punishment.  They condemned this world and thought only of the next.  

The Brethren quoted numerous Bible passages in support of their views. The singing of revival hymns was a conspicuous part of the meeting, even before the time of its opening.  Necessity forced the adoption of "lining" the hymns, for the whole group possessed only a few copies of each German hymn book.  The lines, read by one of the leaders and repeated in song by the group, proved of great value because the converts thereby memorized hundreds of sacred songs.  

The prayer meeting was a place where plainness of dress was the rule.  Every individual was met and greeted with heartfelt interest, where the story of trouble was heard with deep sympathy.  No formality could exist where such feeling reigned. No effort was needed to draw people together.  In Russia, private homes generally served as the meeting places.  In some villages modest prayer-meeting halls were erected.  

In the United States the prayer meetings are patterned after those held in Russia, particularly among the Volga Germans.  Nothing new was added to the meetings and it is impossible to overestimate the value of these meetings to the movement here. It is chiefly in the prayer meeting that the Brethren, bound together by close ties of tradition and spiritual kinship, cultivate their religious nature. There they sing songs of praise, witness for Christ, exchange their religious experiences, and renew their consecration. The spontaneity of the occasion, the opportunity for general participation, the custom of extemporaneous prayer, create an atmosphere in which the Brethren experience a faith in God and find satisfaction of soul.  

Women after a church service

The women, Sisters, occupied separate pews and were generally silent during the meetings.  Generally upon entering the prayer meeting hall one would see all the men seated in the pews on the left and all the women seated in the pews on the right with their heads "covered."  The meetings among the Volga converts are conducted by three Brethren, adhering to the custom followed in Russia.  About 15 minutes before the appointed time for the official opening, songs are sung.  Thereafter the elders ask the Brethren to "go forward."  The first named person takes his place on the center chair and takes charge of the meeting.  He opens the meeting by announcing a hymn from the Wolgagesangbuch, the church hymnal used in the Lutheran Church among the Volga colonists in Russia.  This hymn he "lines" for the audience.  Following the hymn he leads in prayer with the converts kneeling.  Thereupon, without any announcement, someone in the audience starts a song, which is taken up by the assembled group, and while a few verses are being sung, the center leader chooses the text, usually from eight to twelve verses in length.  Following the Scripture reading, chosen on the spot, a song is sung, appropriate to the ideas of the text, he makes timely applications from it.  

At the close of his address an appropriate song is sung, after which either the Brother to the right or left of the main leader brings his message.  He uses the same text and devotes from eight to ten minutes to his remarks.  He frequently begins by saying that what has been said is in harmony with God's Holy Word. His speech is followed by a few stanzas of a hymn and that in turn by the discourse of  the other Brother. The meetings, which last an hour and a half, or even longer, are closed officially with the Lord's Prayer recited by all.

Religion in America

According to Emma Schwabenland Haynes, Protestant Germans from the Volga area of Russia had formerly belonged to either the Lutheran or the Reformed churches. After their arrival in the United States they were bewildered by the variety of denominations which they found.

The majority of the first immigrants were men and women converted in revival meetings. They were willing to join almost any Protestant denomination which was not antagonistic toward revivals and which granted them the freedom to hold prayer meetings and to worship in the German language. This freedom they found in the Congregational church.

Learn More....

Read a fascinating article on The Current Church Situation Among the Protestant (Lutheran and Reformed) German People in the Former Volga German Region compiled by Horst W. Gutsche in June 2001.

Read German Congregationalism on the American frontier by William G. Chrystal

Read Die Pastoren der evangelischen Kirchen Russlands, 1998, by Erik Amburger, published by Institut Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk - Martin Luther Verlag 

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