Hegumen Vianor (Ivanov), Dean of the Zharken deanery in the Kazakhstan Metropolia, served the funeral of Galina Merkulova, the "starosta" of St. Nicholas Church in Kuldzha (Yining) of the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region of China. Galina Pavlovna Merkulova for many years bore the responsibility of serving as "starosta". Because of her efforts the authorities of Kuldzha decided to build the St. Nicholas Church in 2000. With permission from the Bureau of Religious Affairs, Fr. Vianor performed the rite of burial for Galina Pavlovna Merkulova in the Russian cemetery in Kuldzha.