Kyrgyzstan is vast and proud and situated in Central Asia. For many years, Bishop Udo Knispel has been active there. It is not easy to work there, he says in an interview with nac.today.
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Our church in Bishkek …
Photo: NAK Berlin-Brandenburg
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… offers seating for thirty people.
Photo: NAK Berlin-Brandenburg
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Our church in Kara-Balta is the same size.
Photo: NAK Berlin-Brandenburg
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A simple and functional building, in which our members gather every second Sunday.
Photo: NAK Berlin-Brandenburg
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Bishop Udo Knispel from Berlin (Germany) travels to Kyrgyzstan three times a year …
Photo: NAK Berlin-Brandenburg
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… to celebrate divine services with the members and meet with the ministers.
Photo: NAK Berlin-Brandenburg
Kyrgyzstan is bounded by China in the east, Tajikistan in the south, Uzbekistan in the west, and Kazakhstan in the north. With the dissolving of the Soviet Union in 1991 Kyrgyzstan became an independent state. Its capital is Bishkek. The population density is 28 people per square kilometre. The people are few and far between. It is very mountainous, and only about 20 per cent of the land can be used for agriculture. The climate is continental, which means cold winters and hot summers. Most people profess Islam. Christians are a minority.
nac.today: What do you do in Kyrgyzstan?
Knispel: I go there three times a year to visit the members, to celebrate divine services, and to be together with our ministers and give them guidance. I also look after administrative and legal matters. State laws and various implementing provisions pose a challenge for the Church.
How is the New Apostolic Church positioned there?
There are two congregations, which both were opened in the mid 1990s. One congregation is in Bishkek, the national capital. The other one is in a town called Kara-Balta, about 80 kilometres west of Bishkek. Most Kyrgyz are Muslims, and therefore do not attend our services. Both congregations have about 20 active members, mostly Russians. At least, we celebrate divine services regularly. They take place every other Sunday and alternate between the two congregations. We have small churches in both places, houses that have been remodelled. There is room for thirty people.
Are there any local ministers?
There are five ministers who look after the congregations: two Priests and three Deacons. Two of the ministers are from South Africa. They work in Kyrgyzstan and are living here for the time being. One Priest and two Deacons are Russian.
How is the relationship to other churches?
There are not many Christian denominations in Kyrgyzstan. Some Churches have discontinued their work, others were declared as unwelcome. We are only a small denomination and look after two small congregations. We are doing everything we can to maintain good contacts with the religious authorities and to have a good relationship with people of other faiths.
What are your hopes for our congregations there?
I hope that the small but firm core in both congregations will continue to stick together and develop. And I hope that there will always be ministers there who can look after our brothers and sisters. And finally we hope and rely on the authorities that our Church can continue to officially exist.
About the author: Udo Knispel is 53 years old, is married, and the father of two children. He is a civil engineer. In addition to districts in Berlin-Brandenburg in Germany he also looks after congregations in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. His first trip abroad goes back 25 years. He has been carrying the Bishop ministry since 2006.