Sing to the Lord New (Old) Songs

Sing to the Lord a new song…for great is the Lord and most worthy of praise (Psalm 96:1,4)

In the closing days of August, Rev. Dr. Terry Schultz from WELS Multi-Language Productions and Rev. Ben Foxen of the One Africa Team traveled to Uganda.

The goal? Fulfill a request made by our brothers and sisters in the Obadiah Lutheran Synod (OLS) to help them sing new songs with Christ-centered lyrics.



sing

A Workshop for Creativity

Thanks to funding provided by MLP, we gathered about 20 musicians from the various districts of the OLS in one place for 5 days of training, encouragement, and hands-on work to compose and sing new songs. MLP also provided funds to purchase equipment that the OLS will use to train future musicians in their church body.

During this workshop, the assembled musical talent and creativity continually amazed us. In a short time, these men and women composed and recorded 68 new songs which showed incredible diversity. Since the composers came from different parts of the country, they composed songs in no less than 7 different languages. The musical styles differed, ranging from traditional Ugandan beats to more of a hip-hop style, to chant and chorales. It was eye-opening to witness how the people of OLS sought to incorporate all these different styles, showing that all of these musical styles are part of their cultural heritage.

sing

The content of these songs also differed, some focusing on themes of praise and thanksgiving (among them my personally favorite melody, “Nebaza Musumba Wange,” or “I thank you, my Shepherd”); others focusing on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; others on sin and repentance; and others a recasting of the timeless songs of the liturgy.

Nebaza Musumba Wange (I thank you, my Shepherd)

Let All the People Sing

One of the goals of this workshop was to preserve any music that the musicians produced. So, a handheld recording device was used to capture the compositions as they were performed for the group, and handwritten lyrics were transcribed into a Microsoft Word document. Both were then transferred to microSD cards that church leaders could share with all the congregations of the OLS. In this way, the entire church will benefit from this workshop.

sing

OLS leaders have plans to take this project further. They want these composers to continue producing new melodies and lyrics, focusing their talents on the various seasons of the church year. In time musicians might produce and record an entire OLS hymnbook. It’s an ambitious project, but they have the talent to accomplish it.

Through it all, we rejoice in the amazing gifts that God has given to his people. God’s people have always created new songs to praise and glorify our God and teach people about his amazing deeds and love. The OLS may be singing some new songs to the Lord now, but they’re also singing the same old song that God’s people have always sung—Christ for us, and Christ in us. All glory and praise be to his name, with whatever melody or language you sing!

Missionary Ben Foxen lives in Zambia

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa




We Have a Better Story

Here is a story I hope you will enjoy: These men are all pastors in our sister church in Uganda, Obadiah Lutheran Synod.

better story

At the request of OLS, I led them in learning from September 2–13. We met in the Bugiri District of southeastern Uganda, just north of the Equator.



better story

The brothers came from various tribes, including Acholi, Bagwere, Banyora, Basoga, Luo, and Nuer. Isn’t that a good story, all on its own?

They are from various Ugandan regions. One of the youngest men came from a refugee camp. Some of the pastors are inexperienced. Some have had lots of formal training. But they are united in faith and purpose. They love God’s Word.

They all speak English too. That helped me a lot.

For eleven mornings and afternoons, we met in this tent. We also broke into various groups near the tent for discussions and projects.

These visitors to our learning tent do not speak English, but they were also welcome.

story

One great part of the course story: This was the first taught by an American missionary like me. The July course OLS leaders taught. The same will happen in December, God willing.

Here is Pastor Nick, the dean of students. The acronym behind him is a sermon outline. ISLAGOR, he told us, stands for “Introduction, story, law, gospel, response.”

story

We began each day with worship. Here is an example. Philip, an Acholi pastor with his back to the camera, is leading.

The pastors especially learned about Jesus as true God and as true man. They practiced witnessing God’s grace in Christ to non-Christian neighbors and family members, especially Muslims. As the group kept saying, “We have a better story.”

That was the theme of our course, as we discussed the whole Gospel according to John. “We have a better story.”

story

Here is Pastor Joseph telling the rest of the group his story. He and his wife have eight children. He loves to laugh.

That is not the best part of the story. He used to be a Muslim. Now he is not only a Christian, he is a Lutheran pastor.

story

All of the pastors made plans to preach and teach from John in the future.

On the last day of the course, all recited a section of John in his heart language. Some told the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11:17–45. (We have a better story!)

Some of us shared from memory the story of Jesus rising from the dead in John 20.

To check out the same Gospel according to John videos from the Lumo Project which we watched over the two weeks we were together, go to this YouTube playlist (It’s the New International Version. Lumo has Luganda too.)

It was emotional for me on the last day to recite to all the other pastors John 20. “Jesus did many other miraculous signs which are not recorded in this book,” John concludes.

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30–31).

We have the best story to share.

Missionary Dan Witte and his wife Debbie live in Lusaka, Zambia.

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa




We are Different

“We Are Different.” It was a saying often repeated during our time together. For two weeks, Gambela Evangelical Lutheran Church leaders studied God’s Word with Missionaries Dan Kroll and Joel Hoff. Time spent in Scripture helped the leaders become more confident in their beliefs. It also helped them better understand what made their church different from all the others in Gambela, Ethiopia.



We believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus. We are different. We believe that we do not decide to believe in Jesus or accept him as our Lord and Savior. We are different. We believe that sin is serious and that there are serious consequences because of our sin. We are different. We believe that God’s big love was revealed to us in Jesus through whom we have forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. We are different. We believe that baptism is God’s work and intended for all sinners no matter their age. We are different. 

The members of the GELC were able to demonstrate this difference in confession as well as in practice. Over two days, 74 souls were baptized into God’s family. Many of those precious souls were little children. This is significant because baptizing children is unheard of in many churches throughout Africa. 

From conception, the Bible describes our condition. Sinful… hostile to God… dead in sin… lost… blind… hopeless. But God makes us different through baptism. Through water and Word we are forgiven… children of God… alive in Christ… found… seeing with the eyes of faith… and clinging to the everlasting hope that is ours through our Savior Jesus Christ. 

The leaders and families of the GELC believe the Word of God spoken through Peter on Pentecost when he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38,39) 

By God’s grace, the GELC church leaders will continue to study God’s Word and teach what they have learned to their members. By God’s grace, the families will continue to gather around God’s Word and impress the truths of Scripture on their children. By God’s grace, the leaders, the families, those 74 souls and we are different.

Joel Hoff lives in Lusaka, Zambia and coordinates TELL outreach. For more information visit www.tellnetwork.org

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news, and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa