Rev. James Fandrey from LHF visiting LTS

On Friday the Rev. James Fandrey from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation [LHF] visited the Seminary. The LHF has supported publications of confessional Lutheran Theology taught by Seminary teachers in isiZulu  by Schulz, Weber and Stallmann over years plus the various books of the Lutheran Confessions and the Lutheran Hymnal in Setswana, Luther's Small Catechism in Afrikaans. Now they are planning to publish the entire Book of Concord in Setswana too.
The support has not only been in publications, but also in enabling Dr. Anssi Simojoki to teach annually at the Seminary over years and also in helping to finance the purchase of additional facility. That is why we now have the LHF hall on campus.

President Randy Golter arrives at the Seminary with his wife Elisabeth

On Friday evening, when Professors Schulz and Pless left for the USA via Germany and Dakar respectively, President Randy Golter from the LCMS Rocky Mountain District arrived with Delta Airlines. His wife Elisabeth is accompanying him. They are both thrilled to visit the LTS in Tshwane and catch up on old acquintances and friendships made over the years of RMD's partnership with the LTS initiated by LCMS World Relief & Human Care.
Yesterday the Golters visited the Farmers market, had a look around Pretoria and visited the LCMS World Missions Area director for Africa Dr. Mike Rodewald, who had invited the Seminary teachers over to his place to meet the Golters and also Rev. James Fandrey from the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. 
The Golters are going to stay for nearly two weeks visiting at the Seminary, but also travelling to four of the five dioceses of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa to meet with the various deans and to hear from them about the ongoing work and mission of the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa.
They are joined tonight by President Herb Mueller from the LCMS South Illinois District, who is travelling with the student of theology Mark Theiss.  Bishop David Tswaedi DD is going to pick them up at the airport and take them to the guesthouse Meintjieskop near the Union buildings .

Advanced Course 2010,I is finished

Last Friday Professors Schulz and Pless gave the final grades for the participants of the Advanced Course. Class attendance, tests and written assignments were used to get these results. Just before they left both Professors had completed their grading and Salome van Niekerk now has the grade sheets for the LTS records.
Due to other committments a number of participants did not attend all classes and therefore do not have the benefit of getting credit for this course. However other students were very conscientious and attained excellent results. Here is a photo of the participants of Prof. Pless class on Catechesis.

We are hopeful that both Professors Schulz and Pless can come again to teach missiology and pastoral theology courses respectively.Here Professor Schulz is seen grading papers in the Segoe House, where the visiting staff members are housed.

Arcadia 800: Offer to purchase/sell is signed

Finally the last piece of the Seminary facility puzzle falls into place. Thanks to the help from LCMS World Relief and Human Care [Rev. Matthew C. Harrison] together with the LCMS Rocky Mountain District [President Randy Golter] the Seminary is in a position to acquire the fourth house in Farenden Street adjoining the original Seminary property in Arcadia 790 and 794.
About five years ago the LTS Board of Directors drew up a strategic plan. According to this plan the Seminary was to prioritize the purchasing of the adjoining properties to consolidate the facility. Finally this first week of March the owner of the corner property Arcadia 800 accepted our final offer and now it is just a question of time before the registration/transfer of the property will take place and the LTS will be the legal owner of the approximately 10, 000 square meters on the corner of Arcadia/Farenden with the eight plus houses - not counting garages and storage places.

Staff meeting

As every month the LTS staff met on Wednesday for a regular staff meeting to discuss classes, timetables, students progress and issues on the calender. Besides Pastors Mntambo, Fluegge, Burnham and Weber the LTS Secretary Salome van Niekerk was part of the deliberations. The next meeting is scheduled for the 23rd March. Time flies and a lot of things need more regular attention. So we are planning to have a meeting every fortnight. This is to assist the new-comers to get accoustomed to the LTS procedures. Here they are visible with a number of other Seminarians of the various courses: Beginners, Main and Advanced!
Thanks to Prof. John Pless for the Photo.

New Student arrives from Liberia

Mr. Dennis Borbor from the Lutheran Church in Liberia arrived safely to the 1st year of theology studies this week. Although he will not be able to join the Grammar courses of Greek and Hebrew, he is to join the introductory classes of New Testament [Rev. Glenn Fluegge] and Augsburg Confession [Rev. Joe Burnham] plus the Academic Skills class [Anita Burnham]. Flying from Monrovia [Liberia] he had to go via Accra [Ghana], where the South African High Commission gave him considerable difficulties before he was given the final visa and go-ahead to come to this part of the continent.  

Advanced Course 2010,1 enters third and final week

Professors Detlev Schulz and John Pless started the final phase of the Advanced Course on the 1st March. After a week with Grace Rao from LCMS World Relief & Human Care [WR&HC] and Cori Wierenga the course started with Catechesis [Pless] and Theology of Missions [Schulz]. Besides the contingent from the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa: Dean Mandla Thwala [KwaZulu/Natal], several pastors, deacons and vicars plus a delegation from the Women's League two pastors from the FELSiSA also joined the study group: Rev. Kurt Boehmer [Uelzen] and Rev. Klaus Damaske [Pretoria] plus Mr. Kurt Paul [Panbult].
This week this course will continue. The reception from the side of the students has been great. The teachers from CTS Ft.Wayne have done a marvellous job and we are looking forward to the next and final week of the 3 week course.
Over the weekend the teachers visited Soweto: The Apartheid museum plus the Hector Pieterse memorial. Today Prof. Pless preached on the Epistle from Ephesians in the Lutheran Church of Mabopane. The local pastor Rev. Dirang Bojane had invited Prof. Pless to join in the mammoth service of 31/2 hours with Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper.