On January 30, 2021, St. Mary’s Lutheran Cathedral in St. Petersburg hosted a seminar for married couples on the topic “Forgiveness.”
The seminar was attended by ten couples. The men and wives prayed together, had conversations, and participated in contests. Also, the men and the women were given an opportunity to spend some time apart in their respective companies.
Talking about forgiveness in family life, everyone agreed we need to give up egocentricity and seek to be Christ-centered. For even the best spouse can never meet all of our needs, especially the need for love, which only Christ is able to meet. As there are no perfect people, we all need forgiveness. The Lord gives it to us. Only God loves us unconditionally, and the realization that He has forgiven us EVERYTHING enables us to forgive others.
Thanks be to God for all the participants! Special thanks to St. Mary’s Congregation for their hospitality! The seminar was facilitated by Valeri and Natalia Antipov from Rzhev and Bishop Ivan Laptev.
Information provided by Natalia Antipova, ELCIR family work coordinator.