State committee comments on prayer issue raised by Lutheran’s Baku Religious Community

Baku. 17 November. REPORT.AZ/ State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations commented on the issue raised by Savior Evangelical Lutheran’s Baku Religious Community.

Lutheran church located in Baku at present operates as chamber and organ music hall of Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society: “But each Sunday necessary conditions are provided for Lutheran religious community to hold prayers and religious rites in the church. The community pays rent for this. But fee is kept very small, taking into account that they are community. Generally, government allocates some funds to religious organizations, including Lutheran community. The community was using part of that money to pay rent fee”.

Chairwoman of Savior Evangelical Lutheran’s Baku Religious Community Vera Viktorovna Nesterova confirmed that government allocated funds for them several times: “Previous year government allocated AZN 10 thousand; in earlier years we got twice AZN 5 thousand and once AZN 7 thousand. We pay total amount for 53 prayers annually. We have recently paid AZN 1060 for this year. This year we haven’t yet received any money from government. As we also rent our office, each month we pay about AZN 600, including taxes. That’s why we have difficulty to pay this sum.

Notably, Nesterova recently told Report that they have difficulty to pay AZN 20 each time for prayer. She told that most of community members are aged people, and she herself is retired mathematics teacher.