Professor Pless arrives in Pretoria

 

Yesterday Prof. John Pless from the Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne [Indiana, USA] arrived safe and sound at the Seminary after a 15 hour flight via Atlanta. Lee and Pat Hoffmeier picked him up at the airport and after he had to pay an extra R500 plus duty on the theological books he was carrying for the course, he was glad to be back on South African soil. 

At the Seminary he took a quick shower, sorted things out in his room in Segoe-House and then came to our place to have supper and share the latest information back home and here. 

He is scheduled to teach daily from 8:00 - 12:00 on Catechesis before the lunch break. In the afternoon his colleague and our friend Prof. Detlev Schulz is to teach Lutheran Mission Theology from 14:00 - 17:00. 

Together they are an great team of Lutheran theologians and we at the LTS are very proud and happy to have them with us teaching the advanced course for two weeks starting tomorrow. 

May God bless their teaching and our learning to His honour and glory+

Gauteng Diocesan synod in Katlehong

Yesterday - Saturday the 27th February - the Gauteng diocesan synod met in Katlehong for day-long deliberations. Dean Siphiwe Danisa, who is the local pastor there, hosted the meeting for the first time as dean of the diocese and I feel he did a good job together with his team of chairman and secretary.
After giving his synodical report all other congregations also delivered a report so that a good overview and insight were given into the workings of the diocese. It really gave me a lot of confidence to see what progress is being made in the various congregations and how the challenges are being spelt out. It takes a lot of hard work and I am sure that it remains an uphill battle. However there are good signs of improvement and also a general motivation to work hard on delivery at all levels.
I feel we need to support each other in this and to seek for means of constructive engagement and partnership to promote the good work being done and also moving forward together and ahead in the Lutheran church.

We need to not only feel proudly Lutheran, but also show why we are proudly Lutheran.

Teaching men and women in the Church

Last week Grace Rao and Cori Wierenga taught our advanced course about the role of women in the church, about the role of deaconesses in this world and specifically in the church and also about peace related issues. Members of the LCSA Women's League were present, but also deans of the Church, pastors, vicars and a number of advanced students from Kenya and Nigeria together with some young women, who are eager to join the deaconess course. 

Ms. Grace Rao from LCMS World Relief and Human Care was here all along and gave a good overview into both subjects she offered. The lively discussion that ensued was well handled by her and I have the impression that it served the Church well, that this vital discussion between the women's league, members of the Church Council and also pastors and vicars took place. There were a number of burning issues, which needed the imput from all sides and sitting around the table for eight hours every day really gave ample time to touch most of these in a constructive and meaningful way.

Meeting Mpumalanga pastors

On Thursday morning before daybreak Bishop David Tswaedi DD picked me up at my house and took me along to the Mpumalanga Co-workers meeting in Thandakukanya near Mkonda [previously Piet Retief]. Driving for four hours in one direction gives ample time to touch on a variety of things. That was very necessary, because there are many issues, which are still outstanding and need clarification.
The meeting was under the leadership of Dean Victor Vilakazi, who is based in Thandakukanya. He lead the morning devotion, confession and absolution and also the celebration of the Lord's Supper. His sermon theme was: Jesus on the road with expectations ... He used the story of Jesus cursing the fig-tree. As a final feature of the meeting he presented a paper on successful ministry with 10 sections. Pastor Jacob Nkambule added some relevant theological criticism.
I think the future bishop of the LCSA will really have to visit his pastors, deans, congregations and dioceses regularly to establish good communication and constant interaction on relevant themes and topics so that the pastors are well informed and that a relation of trust can develop. I hope and pray that this will be possible and that the Lord of the Church will provide the necessary means, joy and competency to do his work faithfully!
Most of the pastors are familiar to me and I feel very much at home in this diocese: Pastor Mntambo, Mathebula, Nkambule, Kuhmalo, Mthimkuhlu, Nkabinde, Biyela, Lushaba and Mtshali.
Going back to Pretoria we drove over Amsterdam. However that road has also seen beter days and it also took us more than four hours to get back. Obviously the Bishop was on the road for another hour at least after dropping me off in Murrayfield before he could put up his legs in Mofolo N - if he went straight home that is. 

Ashwednesday

On Ashwednesday Pastor Joe Burnham [LCMS Rocky Mountain District] together with our longstanding colleague Rev. Musawenkosi Mntambo and the student of theology Mr. Skosana Thokane from St.Peters in Middleburg conducted the confessional service with propers for Ashwednesday introducing us to the lenten tide with the reminder: You come from dust and will return to dust!
Doing this together with my eldest son, who is attending introductory courses at LTS in New Testament studies and also in Lutheran Symbolics was a special experience.
In the sight of God there is no reason for either superiority or inferiority complexes. We are all sinners, who are justified by the grace of Christ alone, who forgives us our sins and restores us to divine kinship. Thankfully this gospel message came out loud and clear in the absolution, which was meted out with the individual address: By the command of our Lord Jesus Christ I as a properly called and ordained servant of the Church forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit+ Depart in peace.

Grace Rao has arrived at LTS

The Seminary is priviledged to have Mrs. Grace Rao from LCMS World Relief and Human Care [WR+HC] visiting for nearly 2 weeks. She is not only going to work with the local representatives of the Women’s League, but also give an insight about the workings of a deaconess program. She has first hand experience in this from Africa, India, Malaysia and also the USA.  We are very grateful to WR&HC for having Mrs. Rao with us in this precious time. 

Mrs. Rao is staying on campus and is making the most of her time. On her first day here she drove to Boksburg with the rector and shared precious information about the deaconess work in Kenya, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Hopefully the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa can link up more and more with the Lutheran Churches  sharing this third of the globe.

Yesterday she visited Bishop David Tswaedi in Mofolo North together with Pastor Dirang Bojane and the volunteer Kianga Rehr. They also had time to drive to the Hector Pieterse memorial, the Nelson Mandela museum in Vilakazi Street and finally the Apartheid museum. 

What am I praying for in the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa?

Some of the issues which are on my mind and need special prayer besides the issues of faithful pastors preaching the gospel truthfully and administering the sacraments according to the institution of Jesus Christ to promote faith when and wherever it so pleases the triune God Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

1. Good cooperation, communication, planning and leadership in the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa at all levels and also with all its partners to go forward with faithful vision for God's mission for the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa - especially with 2017 in mind [500 years Reformation and 50 years LCSA]
1.1  Support of and good cooperation and effective communication in the Church at all levels, but especially with the Church office by the various dioceses and congregations of LCSA.
1.2 Unity amongst the confessional Lutherans in Southern Africa - especially for LCSA, FELSiSA and MLC - and concentrated cooperation in working for a unified strategy to move forward over the next years [short/long term]
1.3 Visions of hope for the Church, faithful stewardship and effectual planning/partnership [koinonia] amongst the confessional Lutherans to move forward united under the promise and help of the triune God.
1.4 Joint Project planning and strategy
1.5 Building team-ministries - like in the Arcadia Lutheran Ministry - where various language groups can function together under one name/roof.
1.6 Joint meetings of church councils, pastors fraternals, congregational councils and the various ministries/services in the congregation: Brass bands, choirs, Youth, Bible study, women's league, Sunday School, works of mercy etc.
1.7 Cooperation in the identification, development, support and maintenance of diaconic projects and programs in all dioceses of the Church [Works of mercy]:
1.7.1 Education and teachers for schooling from pre-school to tertiary levels making use of the previously Lutheran schools especially in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu - like Salem/Wittenberg/Wetterau or Lueneburg/Bergen/Titane/

Bilanyoni or Kirchdorf/Pella
1.7.2 Bursaries/scholarships for children in need to go to school, college and university.
1.7.3 Hospice and frail care plus mortuary and funeral services.
1.7.4 Retirement village e.g. Enhlanhleni
1.7.5 Deaconess program at Seminary and its implementation in the congregations.
1.7.6 Preferential support and development of single women and orphaned children in the Church
1.7.7 Alleviation of  poverty and suffering in the congregations
1.7.8 Health, diet and lifestyle practices
1.7.9 HIV/Aids
1.7.10 Orphanages and buildings projects - like Shongweni
1.7.11 Men's groups and cattle projects - like Ohlangeni

2. Manpower and support
2.1 Enough qualified pastors to serve the congregations of LCSA and raise the means to support them effectively on the long term [Medical Aid, pension besides a regular income] and their continual spiritual guidance and ongoing education/training/development.

3. Outreach and development: Enough qualified Lutheran missionaries and evangelists to reach out to establish new congregations in Southern Africa, so that besides the average 10 congregations per diocese the LCSA can move forward to start, build and sustain new congregations [2?] in the next 5 years. The Church needs to finance these mission projects reaching out beyond its borders to grow substantially.

4. Seminary support with staff, students, finances and cooperation on a regular and sustainable basis.

4.1 Cooperation with the Seminary at congregational, diocesan and church levels
4.1.1 by involving staff at LTS in the Church leadership
4.1.2 and also making room in the LCSA, FELSiSA and MLC for the positive involvement of students at congregational level.

5. Pastoral and devotional literature, sermons, catechetical and confessional helps/means for pastors and congregations. [Language issues]

6. Issues of Church Administration:
6.1 Effective and sustainable public relations: Registration of the Church, maintenance of reliable statistics, establishment of a Church office and center with competent staff.
6.2 Efficient administration at all levels of the Church, dioceses and congregations: Uniform forms, rules & regulations, structures and procedures, visitations.
6.3 Competency training and development of professional service and delivery at all levels of the Church.
6.4 Building and sustaining best practices in fund raising, accounting and stewardship
6.5 Best-fit of personal in the Church. Cooperation of Church, congregation and the candidate in the call process, but also ongoing evaluation, progress and options of change and correction.