Our Mission Partnership with Africa

As many of you know, our Southern Illinois District enjoys a mission partnership in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus with the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (LCSA) through LCMS World Mission. The purpose of this partnership is to build relationships in Christ and to strengthen both the LCSA and the SID in our common witness to Christ.

Our partnership supports several important projects in the LCSA – church planting efforts, lay leadership training, HIV/AIDS workshops and scholarships for their seminary students at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa (LTS). We also seek to send theological books for pastors.

Relationships cannot be maintained without face to face visits. Therefore, we were pleased when the SID was invited to send representatives to a special meeting that was held May 7, 2008 to discuss the future (both funding and direction) of the seminary (LTS). Our mission task force decided to send myself (President Mueller) and Pastor Timothy Scharr of Trinity, Nashville (our District’s Second Vice President), to this meeting. Funding for this trip (we were away May 5-17) was raised through private sources, NOT the district budget.

Sitting around the table May 7th were representatives of the major supporters of LTS – LCSA Bishop David Tswaedi and other representatives of the LCSA, President Peter Ahlers of the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa (both LCSA and FELSiSA are partner churches of the LCMS), representatives of the “Lutheran Churches in Mission” (the mission arm of the SELK, our partner church in Germany), as well as members of the board of LTS and representatives from LCMS World Mission.

God blessed this meeting so that several important steps were taken to give direction for the board of LTS and its Rector, Dr. Wilhelm Weber. “This was a fruitful meeting!” Bishop Tswaedi told us. God be praised!

Southern Illinois has important connections with this seminary in Pretoria. Pastors from SID have taught at LTS in the past. Lee and Pat Hoffmeier, members of Good Shepherd, Collinsville, recently spent 6 months volunteering at the seminary. Jacob Mueller, son of Pastor Tim Mueller at New Minden, is presently completing six months of study at LTS before he matriculates at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in Fall 2008.

As important as this meeting was, it was not the only reason we traveled 9000 miles! Pastor Scharr and I met also with the Church Council of the LCSA on May 9 to discuss progress with our projects. They are very appreciative of the work we are doing together because it is being used by God to strengthen their capacity for bringing the Gospel to their people.

We met extensively with Bishop Tswaedi to discuss the future of the partnership and how we might best help one another in the coming years. More than likely the LCSA will be represented at our SID Convention in February 2009 and the SID will be represented at the LCSA Convention in December 2009.

Both Pastor Scharr and President Mueller were invited to preach on Sunday, May 11 (Pentecost) at churches in the LCSA. Pastor Scharr preached at a congregation in Neladi (a part of Soweto not far from Bishop Tswaedi’s congregation in Mofolo North) and I preached at Katlehong.

In my case, the whole service (except for my sermon) was in isiZulu, the language of the Zulu nation. Though I know only a handful of words in isiZulu, I just about always knew what was happening in the service. We share a common service and a common Savior. The Lord’s Prayer is the Lord’s Prayer, whatever the language. The Creed is the Creed, whatever the language. Confession and Absolution, the Scripture Lessons, the Lord’s Supper, are all the same.

Therefore the greatest blessing for us was to see fellow Lutheran Christians helping each other to be faithful in their confession in very challenging circumstances. We were both honored and humbled to be a part of this fellowship.

Please pray for the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa. Pray especially that God will lead and guide them during times of transition. Pray for their seminary and its leadership. Pray that our partnership projects will continue to be helpful in spreading the Gospel. Pray for South Africa, that despite upheaval and great changes in society, there will be room for the Church to grow and spread.

Please also support our partnership. Plan an event or special offering in your church to support this mission of our district over and above regular mission offerings. Ask a member of the Mission Task Force to come and talk about Southern Africa. Watch for other events to participate in and support. Most of all, pray, because God has promised to hear!