According to a recent report by Hootsuite, 9 out of 10 individuals living in North America enjoy access to the Internet. By contrast, only 1 out of 4 people living in sub-Saharan Africa are internet users. Nearly 1.3 billion people live on the continent of Africa currently, and the estimated population by the end of this century will be over 2 billion. That is a huge opportunity, both for telecom companies as well as Gospel missionaries!

While most people living in developed countries can view Christian materials digitally, a very small percentage of African living in remote areas have smartphones or tablets. The printed word still has legs in Africa and books carry the message of Christ’s Gospel effectively. In collaboration with WELS Multi-Language Productions, the following printed materials have recently been produced by our Gospel partners in the following countries.

Nigeria

All Saints Lutheran Church is made up of 1,700 Christians who are served by pastors, evangelists and preaching elders in 23 congregations. Rev. Edward Obi, the President of their church body, approached One Africa Team with a request for materials to teach adult Bible class.

WELS Multi-Language Productions has an extensive catalog of publications that they have made available to all of our mission partners around the world. These Gospel-centered publications include both tracts and books in 56 different languages. All Saints chose four books from the “Living in Faith Discipleship Series”: The Origin of Life, How to Talk with God, How to Read Your Bible, and Life After Death. These books were originally produced by the WELS Commission on Special Ministries for use in prison ministry, and have been adapted by WELS Multi-Language Publications for use in the general population.

All Saints requested permission to reprint the English language version of the books, since English is widely understood in Nigeria. Forty copies of each book were printed locally in the town of Ogoja and will be distributed among the pastors, evangelists and preaching elders. We ask for God’s blessing on this sowing of the seed!

Christ the King Lutheran Church is made up of 2,478 members who are served by pastors, evangelists and preaching elders in 34 congregations. This church body was once a part of the Nigerian Lutheran Church, a mission that was jointly served by the WELS and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod when the two church bodies were in fellowship in the Synodical Conference. Christ the King requested assistance in reprinting the text of Luther’s Small Catechism, which was originally published by the Synodical Conference in 1942.

Malawi

The Lutheran Church of Central Africa – Malawi Synod (LCCA-MS) has over 44,000 members. In August of 2019 the LCCA’s Education and Publication Committee identified the need for a book of devotions that Christian families could use in their homes. Over the years, publications in Central Africa have been primarily targeted at pastors or people desiring to become pastors. Other than the Small Catechism and some Adult instruction manuals, there really wasn’t any publication targeted at enriching the devotional life of laypeople.

Northwestern Publishing House granted the LCCA permission to translate The Word Speaks: 365 Devotions Based on the Sayings of Jesus into both the Chichewa and Chitumbuka languages. Twelve pastors from the LCCA worked on the translation project for over a year. WELS Multi-Language Productions Layout Designer Michele Pfeifer designed the cover and layout of the publication. The book will be offered for sale in each of the five regional bookstores located throughout the country.

Ethiopia

The Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE) has 421 members who meet in five different locations and are served by one pastor and four national evangelists. Recently, the LCE offered a day long workshop for its leaders, ministers and members in the town of Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa. The workshop’s topic was on Christian vocation. The LCE chose to use a WELS Bible study called My Vocation in Christ by Rev. Kenneth Cherney and translated the text into the Amharic language.

Once again, MLP Layout Designer Michele Pfeifer assisted with the design of the publication, which had to be produced in a bi-lingual format. Ms. Pfeifer worked closely with LCE President Rev. Kebede to ensure the correct placement and layout of the texts.

The seminar, the first of its kind that the LCE has ever offered, was attended by 23 people. They will continue to offer this seminar and others like it in the future as a part of their outreach to their fellow Ethiopians.

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. 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

And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days (Rev. 11:3)

When you hear a foreign language that you don’t speak, you hear sounds that don’t mean anything to you. But what is meaningless noise to you conveys a concrete, intelligent message to a someone who understands that language.

The Gospel message of salvation by grace alone has the power to free enslaved hearts. The Gospel transforms irascible scoundrels into servants of God. And yet to a skeptic, this message of free forgiveness is utter foolishness. Only God’s Spirit can raise the spiritually dead to belief through the “foolishness of what is preached” (1 Cor 1:21).

There are many barriers to belief today. Satan’s “fake news” permeates the thinking of people everywhere. His lies throw their eternal fate into doubt and create fear of impending doom and destruction. Only the Gospel of Jesus can clear away the lies and pave the road for living life in the Spirit.

The Bible exists in over 1,300 languages today. But even when someone hears the Gospel in his mother tongue, the multiplicity of Satan’s deceptions obscure its meaning. Two new books have been recently published in the Chichewa language. These two “witnesses” will further clarify the Gospel message.

Chilangizo

The Chichewa word “chilangizo” means “advice.” This book’s purpose is to offer a Christian response to customs about puberty. People engage in these traditional practices because they don’t understand they contradict the teachings of the Bible.

The author of this book is Pastor Patrick Magombo. He is currently serving at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Salima which is located in the Central Region of Malawi. Pastor Magombo grew up in the Southern Region. There he observed customs that are similar to those in the Central Region. He spent about a decade researching and writing this book. It contains both Biblical admonitions and basic health information about the way that young people should treat their bodies.

This book gives local church leaders Bible-based teaching for adolescents about their future family responsibilities. It offers an alternative to the non-Biblical initiation of the tribal secret society Gule Wamkulu. The book contains talking points to discuss sensitive topics like sexual purity and relationships with members of the opposite sex. There is also guidance for local leaders to help young married couples deal with issues like infertility and in-laws.

Rates of STD’s, broken marriages and teen pregnancies in Malawi have increased since the introduction of multi-party government in 1993. Secular health organizations only address the physiological aspect of these issues. They pass over what the Bible says about the body being the “temple of the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Pastor Magombo encourages LCCA congregations to appoint mature “advisors” who will offer Christian guidance to local teens and young adults.

Basic Doctrines of the Bible

WELS Pastor Armin Schuetze wrote the book Basic Doctrines of the Bible in 1969. He also authored the Pastoral Theology textbook Shepherd Under Christ and the official statement of WELS doctrine This We Believe. Translations of Basic Doctrines of the Bible are available in Spanish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, and now Chichewa.

This book is an invaluable tool for pastors. It allows them to offer further instruction to their adult members in the teachings of Lutheranism. It follows the outline of doctrinal textbooks used to teach Seminarians but presents the material at layperson’s level of understanding. Each of the 16 chapters contains further questions for discussion.

Rev. Mitengo discovered the book in the library of the congregation he is currently serving. He translated it for members of his adult Bible class orally. The printed edition will give people direct access to this valuable resource. WELS Multi-Language Productions financed this publication. To learn more about this ministry visit https://wels.net/serving-others/multilanguageproductions/ 

May God use these “two witnesses” to bring Gospel light and joy to the people of Malawi.

Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi and serves as the Communications Director of One Africa Team

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