Father sings rap father maxim in contact. Rap sermon

More than five thousand views and listens, hundreds of "likes" and reposts - this is the reaction of listeners to the Orthodox rap artist Nastoyatel. Under this nickname is the priest Maxim Kurlenko, a cleric of the Chuvash Metropolitanate. Before taking office, he was a rapper and DJ. After nine years of musical silence, he returned - to clothe in the rap form of preaching and meditating on life in Christ.

Non-classical priest

“Vladyka knows about my activities. If there are any objections on his part, I will stop my music lessons. But he hasn't scolded yet. Our Vladyka is kind, he trusts, "Priest Maxim Kurlenko heads the diocesan department for work with youth, and he is also the rector of the church in the village of Sosnovka near Cheboksary.

Father Maxim communicates with young people a lot and willingly. He conducts the program "God with Us" on local radio, gives lectures, publishes in newspapers, arranges round tables. And also - goes to those who are not churched. And, perhaps, it is they - as marketers say - the target audience of rap performed by Cheboksary father. “Lectures are good. But they are not for everyone, - explains Father Maxim. - And - this is the same sermon, clothed in a language understandable to many.

The key song in Father Maxim's album is called “Without grace”. Her refrain: “Without grace, we can't get off our knees” - the priest's confident recitative accompanies the measured beat and the plucking of guitar strings. The video for the song contains the story of a teenager, a young man. Every day he walks near the temple: he walks by - to a tinted car, through the window of which drugs are sold to him. Then he decides and one day goes to the temple. The bundle of drugs flies into the trash can.

Father Maxim knows what words and images are clear to young people. Ten years ago he was a member of the rap group EK Players from Yekaterinburg, worked as a DJ, was immersed in what is now called street culture. His rap group was known in youth circles: they performed on the metropolitan stage, their albums were released on cassettes and discs. But even then, says Father Maxim, the spiritual search did not stop inside him. And the street culture was small to answer spiritual inquiries. So a musician from Yekaterinburg ended up as a student in Moscow. During his studies he was ordained and left for Cheboksary to serve in a small church outside the city.

“For the parishioners, I am a priest in the classical sense of the word,” he says. “There, in the village, mostly elderly people, grandparents, go to church. They don't have the Internet. They don't know that I write rap. "

Hip hop ministry

The music for the compositions - the so-called "beats" - was presented by former friends-musicians. At home, Father Maxim did mixing and mastering - these skills have remained with him since the days of DJing. The video was shot with the help of friends. As the priest himself says, he did not spend a penny on recording and promoting the album. Nevertheless, the resonance from the compositions posted on the Internet was serious. Word of mouth worked: the songs of Maxim's father, who hid under the stage name "Abbot", began to spread over the network. Hundreds of people wrote and thanked for the creativity. Unexpectedly, fame came.

The story from the clip of Father Maxim is sometimes repeated in life. “Some guys write that they have listened to the album and now, allegedly, have given up bad habits and go to Church. To be honest, such stories do not seem entirely true to me, ”says Father Maxim. But he admits: if his work really makes a person think and reconsider something, the goal will be achieved. “The obstacles that supposedly exist between the young man and the Church are cardboard fences. You need to get rid of them. "

The priest plans to continue writing rap - as long as it does not interfere with his service. His experience of turning to hip-hop as a form of preaching is not isolated. There is a rapper, where a young seminarian named Anton Panchenko also writes rap texts on Orthodox themes. Two years ago, he even received a blessing from Vladyka for missionary concerts. Then the diocese commented on this undertaking in the following way: serving the Lord is possible in different ways, and rap is one of them.

Mikhail Bokov

More than six thousand views and listens, hundreds of "likes" and reposts - this is the reaction of listeners to the Orthodox rap artist Nastoyatel. Under this nickname is the priest Maxim Kurlenko, a cleric of the Chuvash Metropolitanate. Before taking office, he was a rapper and a DJ. After nine years of musical silence, he returned - to clothe in the rap form of preaching and meditating on life in Christ.

“Vladyka knows about my activities. If there are any objections on his part, I will stop my music lessons. But he hasn't scolded yet. Our Vladyka is kind, he trusts, "Priest Maxim Kurlenko heads the diocesan department for work with youth, and he is also the rector of the church in the village of Sosnovka near Cheboksary.

Father Maxim communicates with young people a lot and willingly. He conducts the program "God with Us" on local radio, gives lectures, publishes in newspapers, arranges round tables. And also - goes to those who are not churched. And, perhaps, it is they - as marketers say - the target audience of rap performed by Cheboksary father. “Lectures are good. But they are not for everyone, - explains Father Maxim. "And rap is the same sermon, clothed in a language understandable to many."

The key song in Father Maxim's album is called “Without grace”. Her refrain: “Without grace, we can't get off our knees” - the priest's confident recitative accompanies the measured beat and the plucking of guitar strings. The video for the song contains the story of a teenager, a young man. Every day he walks near the temple: he walks by - to a tinted car, through the window of which drugs are sold to him. Then he decides and one day goes to the temple. The bundle of drugs flies into the trash can.

Father Maxim knows what words and images are clear to young people. Ten years ago he was a member of the rap group EK Players from Yekaterinburg, worked as a DJ, was immersed in what is now called street culture. His rap group was known in youth circles: they performed on the metropolitan stage, their albums were released on cassettes and discs. But even then, says Father Maxim, the spiritual search did not stop inside him. And street culture was small to answer spiritual requests. So the musician from Yekaterinburg turned out to be a student at the Orthodox St. Tikhon University in Moscow. During his studies he was ordained and left for Cheboksary to serve in a small church outside the city.

“For the parishioners, I am a priest in the classical sense of the word,” he says. “There, in the village, mostly elderly people, grandparents, go to church. They don't have the Internet. They don't know that I write rap. "

Hip hop ministry

The music for the compositions - the so-called "beats" - was presented by former friends-musicians. At home, Father Maxim did mixing and mastering - these skills have remained with him since the days of DJing. The video was shot with the help of friends. As the priest himself says, he did not spend a penny on recording and promoting the album. Nevertheless, the resonance from the compositions posted on the Internet was serious. Word of mouth worked: the songs of Maxim's father, who hid under the stage name "Abbot", began to spread over the network. Hundreds of people wrote and thanked for the creativity. Unexpectedly, fame came.

The story from the clip of Father Maxim is sometimes repeated in life. “Some guys write that they have listened to the album and now, allegedly, have given up bad habits and go to Church. To be honest, such stories do not seem entirely true to me, ”says Father Maxim. But he admits: if his work really makes a person think and reconsider something, the goal will be achieved. “The obstacles that supposedly exist between the young man and the Church are cardboard fences. You need to get rid of them. "

The priest plans to continue writing rap - as long as it does not interfere with his service. His experience of turning to hip-hop as a form of preaching is not isolated. There is a rapper in Tula diocese, where a young seminarian named Anton Panchenko also writes rap texts on Orthodox themes. Two years ago, he even received a blessing from Vladyka for missionary concerts. Then the diocese commented on this undertaking as follows: serving the Lord is possible in different ways, and rap is one of them.

A priest from Chuvashia Maxim Kurlenko came up with an effective and original way to lead young people to orthodox faith... In the Internet he posts his songs about life and faith in the language of rap. Father Maxim already has his own fans - his compositions have thousands of views, likes and reposts.

Fr.Maxim, in general, is no different from other priests. Most of his parishioners don't even know that he writes rap. The temple of the village of Sosnovka near Cheboksary, which is headed by the priest, is visited mainly by elderly people. The priest also has another audience - young people who freely use the Internet. Those who are in a huge sea of \u200b\u200btemptations can hardly find themselves and their way.

My songs are just building blocks. As well as those lectures, lessons that I teach with the guys. These are the bricks that, I hope, in the future will be able to help them build the temple of their soul. I try to be sincere in my songs. Sincerity and honesty are the most important.

However, Father Maxim communicates a lot with young people and personally. He heads the department for work with youth of the Cheboksary diocese. The priest conducts lectures and talks with teenagers. He conducts a program on local television and radio, publishes in newspapers, has page in the social network. But it is with the help of rap that it is possible to reach some teenagers. Because it is close and understandable to them.

Not so long ago I read in the newspaper that the father, like in the Tver region, plays in a rock band. And this does not bother me in the least. What's the difference - rock, rap? After all, the main thing is the words, this is the meaning of the song. These compositions are filled with goodness and light. They do not call for violence, crimes, which sometimes distinguish some modern pop pseudo-hits. Orthodox rap teaches good and, in my opinion, is the main thing. And it does not matter at all who performs the compositions - it is a priest or not.

The professionalism in the songs of the clergyman is felt immediately. Long before he was ordained, one can say in past life, Maxim Kurlenko worked as a DJ on the radio. He also participated in the Yekaterinburg rap group EK Playaz.

The collective was popular among young people: the musicians released CDs and cassettes, were guests on the metropolitan stage.

The priest reads and mixes tracks in his home studio. The hand is full since the days of the rap group.

Father Maxim shot the last video for the song "Without Grace" with the help of friends. Video tells how a teenager, buying drugs in a tinted foreign car, enters the temple. Light images of icons, candles ... Going out into the street, the guy throws out a bag of potions. And it is believed that he will never return to the ill-fated tinted foreign car. Father Maxim says: no money was spent on the shooting. Nevertheless, the response was broad.

I support this idea. More than once I have heard songs in Arabic in which Allah is glorified. Protestants have such compositions. We, in the Orthodox religion, have few such songs. And it's good that this is a rap performance. Because various lectures, sermons for young people are far away and incomprehensible. And rap is something that is simple and clear. It is important that young people are spoken to in their language.

A small village of Chemursha near Cheboksary, a bumpy road and a little more than 400 residents, for whom a new wooden church was built a few years ago and a young priest was invited. 42-year-old father Maxim serves in the church, leads sunday school, makes an Orthodox program on the local radio ... And in his spare time he recalls his stellar Ural youth and reads rap. Rather, "rap sermons." It is recorded under the nickname MC Nastoyatel and released it just a couple of weeks ago. For the sake of this news, we resumed the special project and drove to Chuvashia to find out how the former DJ came to faith and what the church authorities think about the rector's recitatives.

I studied at UPI, at the Faculty of Economics and Management, at the same time worked on the radio and then became interested in rap. I liked his energy, such a man's, fighting. Few people listened to this music, but there were like-minded people, the same white crows: Dima Dry Ice and Sasha T-Bass, with whom we made the EK-Playaz project. And around this time, thoughts began to appear in me that this was not what I would devote my life to. Somewhere in the depths of my soul there was a search for something most important. We then signed a contract with a production studio, started going to festivals. This is the beginning of the 2000s, Moscow clubs, large venues ...

Everything connected with Orthodoxy became very interesting to me. I didn't grow up in an Orthodox family, I didn't go to church. I was baptized as an adult, in the army. I served in a security company, there were guards there every other day, we guarded chemical weapons and ammunition depots. And so I stood at night on the tower, completely alone, and thought about something so important. Starry sky, trains are knocking in the distance, city lights are somewhere there. And suddenly I feel that the stars are too close. That God is too close than I thought before.And then my inner search ended with a meeting with God in my soul. I felt His presence, the presence of grace. I was completely turned over. This moment is difficult to describe. Not a single believer can recall in his memory exactly in seconds: yesterday I was an unbeliever - and today I am a believer. There is a certain mysticism in this. I remember an internal dead end, contradictions that suddenly became exposed. At one fine moment, I, probably, somehow sincerely and deeply turned to God - and he answered me. And this blessed presence changed me.

But after the army, I was still stormy, I was far from the church. I guess I had the prayers of a confused guy who wanted to find his place in life. It's like that joke when a millionaire is asked how he got rich. And he tells for a long time how he came to America with two dollars in his pocket, bought two lemons with them, squeezed juice, sold lemonade, then bought four lemons ... And then my grandmother died and left a huge inheritance. Here it is with me - a miracle just happened.

For my parents, all this, of course, was a great surprise that I so abruptly went into faith. But they never tried to impose anything on me. At that time, with my friends, I also got lost all the time on theological topics - this is called “neophyte syndrome”. Now I am on good terms with many people, but somehow everything is being rebuilt over time, people who are closer to faith have become closer to me.

It was very fast, from ship to ball. I answered the call that caught fire in my heart, and decided to enroll in absentia at the Moscow St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, I was just interested.

It was very difficult to study, I read from morning to evening, and so on for three and a half years in a row. He met Father Jerome - a famous elder in Chuvashia was the governor of the Holy Trinity Monastery. At that time I did not imagine myself as a priest, I was thinking whether to take monasticism or get married.And Father Jerome said at once: "You must be a priest." And it went into my soul. I went to the monastery in Alatyr, which he helped to restore, where I met my future wife, Father Jerome married us and offered to stay in Chuvashia. I petitioned to be allowed to become a priest.

The Lord calls: "Leave everything and follow me." Somehow it happened to me. I moved to Chuvashia, became a priest. It was very difficult at first. Life has changed completely.There are certain qualities that are needed for such a life. Humility comes first. But I'm not the kind of person to drop everything halfway. I have no seditious thoughts to run somewhere, to change something abruptly. Yes, and I have four children - now I cannot decide only for myself.

The Abbot project is pure missionary work, an attempt to church rap, as Christians once churchified paganism, leaving in many respects the form, but changing the essence. This is an attempt to show guys who are interested in both faith and hip-hop that you can combine it and do something like that. Show that the priest is much closer than it seems, that he is good at rap and can read you even more abruptly. In the video, I drive an old one, I took it from a friend, and in an Adidas tracksuit, I go to training in it. This is a special provocation to show that the priest is also a person.

Few people work with young people, there are various Orthodox movements at large churches, where everyone walks in the same T-shirts, does something - this is great, but those who are already close to faith come there. And those who sit in the yards are also great guys, they are fond of rap, and no one turns to them.American rap has had this for a long time: Gospel Rap, Holy Hip-Hop. And we have such a need.

Another goal of this project is some foolishness. I myself am a little shocking person, and I would like to approach you from the other side. A person is used to being told: the gospel, commandments, all that ... And he has already grown armor against it. And if someone comes up to him from the back and knocks - hey, I'm here! - maybe he hasn’t had time to build these concrete fences there yet. The Apostle Paul said: "For when the world [by its] wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, then it was pleasing to God for the foolishness of preaching to save believers."

I suspect that the Metropolitan knows about this, but for now he is giving me carte blanche - either to change my mind, or to do something good. The older parishioners do not dare to say something like that to the priest - well, the priest is odd, let him. My parishioners have come to see me the same way. Sometimes reviews come - they say, this is impossible. But I have my own relationship with God, and I try to trust Him my steps, if I did something, it means that I have such a need and intention, why I did it.

The most difficult thing for a priest is to be a truly sacrificial and responsive person to everyone. I understand what a priest should be, but real life shows that sometimes the guts are thin. There are too many people and little time. But then you see where you should strive and what is wrong with you now.

I found the answer to the question, what is the point. I felt the presence of God in my life, I realized that the path in life that was given to me was the one to follow. In my youth, I kept jumping, trying to find what was mine, what was not mine - this is no longer there. Now I feel myself in my mainstream and feel that it is I who live, and not someone who lives for me.

The Lord does not pressurize your hobbies - only this should all be for the glory of God. Just be honest with yourself, and if there are any contradictions, resolve them, do not postpone it until Monday. Yes, and maybe everything is still ahead of me, I don't know how else the storm will be. The most important thing is not to spill the faith.