We’ve been killing a lot of our flying friends in Malawi lately.

But don’t worry dear bird lovers and ornithologists!  The Crowned Cranes, Fish Eagles and Bee Eaters are safe.  And so are all the other species.  (At least from us!)  Our targets are two birds of a different feather.  We want to 1) sharpen our computer skills and 2) submit timely statistical reports.  Both “birds” seemed to have eluded us in the past – but now they are in our sights.

Sharpen our computer skills.

Most every LCCA Called Worker now has a laptop computer.  WELS has been generous with such gifts.  Some have received computers upon graduation from the Seminary and others received them at different times when requests were considered and granted by the WELS.

Not only did the Malawian Called Workers receive computers, but also an entire library of books and resources from various sources such as the Northwestern Publishing House, Multi-Language Publications and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

What resources are now at the pastors’ fingertips?

Just to name a few…

• The People’s Bible
• The People’s Bible Teaching Books
• Sermon Studies
• Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Essays
• The Chichewa Bible
• Greek resources
• Videos such as The Story of Jesus for Children and the Jesus Film

And so much more!

This amazing library causes no sagging bookshelves. These books have no yellowing pages. No packing and lifting heavy boxes if the pastors are called to another congregation. Needed?  Just a power source and a little “know how” to literally “tap” into a gold mine of Bible information!  But not every pastor had received training how to use the computers. So why not now? And so they are. Computer skills are being sharpened.

One bird down.  And the other?

Submit Statistical (HCC) Reports.

Each year the WELS Board for World Missions (BWM) wants to receive statistical reports from its world mission fields.  Malawi included.  But keeping and submitting statistics hasn’t been a top priority for many in Malawi.

It’s time to start.

The WELS BWM would like each world mission field to look at the “statistical report” in a new light: as Healthy Church Characteristicsor HCC.  The new name speaks for itself and it speaks volumes!  In a paper about the HCC, the WELS Board for World Missions writes:

The Core Mission of the WELS World Missions (WM) is to “Spread the Gospel in a way that empowers others to develop healthy and growing churches.” The mission involves not only the proclamation of the Good News but also the development of a culturally appropriate Word and Sacrament ministry by working with local Christians.  The local Church will become equipped to make the next disciples.” 

“The vision of WM is to develop local churches or church bodies that are healthy…development of such a healthy church takes time, planning, effort and above all the Lord’s blessings.  As the work is being planned and implemented, good stewardship compels us to develop tools to evaluate progress and direction of the work….the complementary tool for evaluation is the statistical report WM refers to as the HCC report.”

So that’s the second bird in our sights: submitting, in a timely way, the statistical, or now known as the HCC report.  Here in Malawi, that also means keeping an accurate membership list and monthly reports from the congregations.

But what is this all about really?

WELS President Mark Schroeder answers that question well in his article in the January 2018 issue of the Forward in Christ: A Lutheran Voicemagazine.  He entitled his article, Souls, not Statistics.  He begins the article this way:

“It’s January, and that means WELS congregations have tabulated and submitted their statistics for 2017.  Those statistics track membership, worship attendance, baptisms, confirmations, members joining and leaving as well as congregational finances.” 

He goes on to talk about what those statistics revealed:  the slow but steady decline of total membership in WELS; but he also describes a way forward.  He then closes the article in this way:

“In the end, it’s not demographics and statistics that should be our focus and interest.  Out interest should be in the souls that have been bought by the blood of Christ and in remaining faithful to holding onto and proclaiming the message of the gospel. As we address the challenges together, we look to God for the blessings that only he can give.”

Well said!  It’s really all about souls bought by Christ! The whole article is excellently written and worthy of a read.  We used it in Malawi to help us understand what place statistics and HCCs really do have in the big picture.  Though important, they are not the most important.

So the LCCA Called Workers in Malawi are looking at the HCCs now as a tool for their ministry in caring for Jesus’ sheep.  After all, each one is an “under shepherd” of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Another bird down.

And it all happened—and is happening—with one stone:  The Professional Development Program.

The Professional Development Program in Malawi has been set up to address the ministerial needs of the national Called Workers in Malawi.  The Called Workers are given an opportunity to consider and suggest what courses could serve them well.  Past courses included the Psalms, Inductive Preaching, a Marriage Seminar, Cultural Awareness and the Reformation.

Each Professional Development Course is presented to each group of Called Workers. (There are currently 34 Active Pastors. Presently John Holtz is the one serving as the presenter.) Currently there are 5 main groups.  These groups are formed on the basis of geographical location.

There are three regions in the country of Malawi: the northern region, the central region and the southern region.  Currently there is one group of Called Workers in the north, one in the central and three in the south.

So with a lesson and a truck, the Professional Development course hits the road two times a year. The courses are usually one or two day sessions with a follow-up a month or two later.

The Called Workers are now working hard to gather membership lists, teach their own congregation elders to properly fill out monthly reports and eventually submit the HCCs.  At the same time, most of the Called Workers are sharpening their computer skills in doing so!

Two birds. One stone.

Your Malawi Mission Partner,

Missionary John Holtz

I’ve been running for a whole year. One trip around the sun and my life is not the same as it was before. I left behind my children, my congregation, and my country. I have spent hundreds of hours repeating tongue twisters and I still get lost in translation. I cope with a shortage of power and an oversupply of insects, and I am taking lessons on patience. Yet the Lord’s steady promises have kept me moving forward in the race I am running as a missionary to Malawi.

It is a relay race that started fifty-five years ago. The first WELS missionaries in Malawi, Ray Cox and Richard Mueller, arrived in 1963. Their initial contacts led them to the village of Khanyepa, where last week I attended the funeral of Evangelist Austin Chataika. Ev. Chataika eventually enrolled at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lusaka, Zambia and graduated in 1971. Under the direction of missionaries, he served at three different parishes, feeding the souls of people with God’s Word and Sacraments.

But the missionaries’ arrival in Kanyepa touched not only Ev. Chataika and the members of his parishes. Three of his relatives who attended his funeral are also pastors in the LCCA, and they have touched countless others through the course of their ministries. It is hard to overstate the significance of this. Until the early 1990’s there were only two Malawian pastors, Deverson Ntambo and Daison Mabedi serving alongside a dozen or so WELS missionaries. By the end of the decade however there were 20 national pastors serving about half of the congregations of the LCCA – Malawi Synod.

As of 2018, all of the 130+ congregations of the LCCA in Malawi are served by national pastors. I am one of four WELS missionaries who provide administrative support and training to the LCCA. Although I do not stand in a pulpit on any given Sunday, I am working with the Publications Committee to produce sermon books and other tools for use in local congregations. Most LCCA pastors serve parish unions made up of 3-6 congregations, and travel by motorcycle or bicycle to serve people living in remote locations. Thus, the church body relies heavily on sanctified lay leaders to conduct services and to prepare people for baptism and confirmation. Two missionaries serve as professors at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe, preparing the future pastors of the LCCA. The fourth missionary serves as the liaison between WELS and the LCCA as field coordinator, and provides ongoing training and support to pastors who are in the field.

As far as I have travelled during the last year, I realize that I am only the latest in a long line of WELS mission workers who have served in Central Africa. I am blessed and humbled to see the fruits of their labor, as evidenced at the funeral of Ev. Chataika. Several hundred people, including local village chiefs were present to hear a powerful sermon based on Job’s testimony, “I know that my Redeemer lives…and after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-26). As we have received the gift of faith from our forefathers, so the baton has been passed to the LCCA and is being carried forward. May their example of faithfulness in the face of adversity, and the great blessings that God has poured out on the LCCA over the last half-century encourage all of us to keep running strong until we cross the finish line.

Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi

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

If you need medical help, you want a care provider that not only understands what’s wrong with your body, but who can also relate to you as a human being. In the modern era of corporate hospitals and medical specialization, it’s a godsend to find a nurse with good “bedside manner” and the ability to connect with their patients. One of the goals of the School of Nursing at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) is to instill in the hearts of nursing students Christian love and respect for patients regardless of their background. A vital step towards reaching that goal is two weeks of clinical work in Zambia, where the Wisconsin Synod has a well-established connection with the Lutheran Church of Central Africa (LCCA).

Since 2011, WLC nursing students have been travelling to Zambia as a part of their formal studies. Dr. Rebekah Carey, the first Chair of the School of Nursing at WLC, had served the Lutheran Medical Mission at Mwembezhi, so her familiarity with Zambia was beneficial when setting up the nursing trip. Most nursing programs in the United States offer some sort of cultural immersion experience, but at WLC the Zambia trip is a required part of the curriculum. Because of the longstanding relationship between the Wisconsin Synod and the LCCA, Zambia is a logical destination for these trips. The nursing students take advantage of housing at the Lusaka Seminary, and local WELS missionaries are available to provide invaluable logistical support as needed.

The majority of WLC’s students come from the Upper Midwest. For many of these future nurses, this trip is their first international experience. During their stay in Zambia, the students visit various health care sites in Lusaka run by both government and private agencies like the Special Hope Network, which provides services for children with disabilities. They also visited two primary schools, where the students taught on various health topics and conducted vision screening. The WLC Student Nurses Association collected over 2000 toothbrushes this past spring, which the nursing students distributed at the clinical sites during the trip.

Dr. Sheryl Scott is the current Chair of the School of Nursing at Wisconsin Lutheran College and has now made a total of four trips to Zambia with her students. Dr. Scott sees a clear connection between the nursing profession and Christian vocation. Christian Nurses are able to see physical symptoms, yet they also recognize the importance of ministering to the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient and the patient’s family. Observing health care professionals in the developing world exposes the students to people from a greatly different background than their own. Additionally, this experience helps students understand that even with limited resources, it is possible to provide patients with excellent care for their body and soul.

Read more about this summer’s trip to Zambia at http://magazine.wlc.edu/category/academics/nursing/2018-zambia/

In 2012, Wisconsin Lutheran College graduated its first class of ten nurses. At this writing there are 80 students pursuing a major in nursing. During the first year of the nursing program, students are required to take prerequisite classes including chemistry, biology, psychology, English composition, speech and theology. Admission requirements for the nursing program include:

• A cumulative GPA of 2.75
• Criminal background check and drug screen
• Minimum grade of C on prerequisite courses
• Personal essay
• Pre-admission exam
• Faculty interview

The School of Nursing is served by four full-time called faculty, one part-time called faculty, adjunct clinical instructors, and a program coordinator. The nursing program is housed in Generac Hall, a state of the art facility that includes two nursing labs, two simulated patient care rooms and a simulation control center. WLC nursing students also have patient care experiences in a wide variety of clinical sites throughout the Milwaukee area during the junior and senior years of the program.

The Lutheran Church of Central Africa and the Wisconsin Synod Board for World Missions is thankful to play a small part in preparing these students for a lifetime of serving people’s physical and spiritual needs, whatever their background may be.

For more information about the nursing program at Wisconsin Lutheran College visit http://www.wlc.edu/Nursing/

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