The Apostle Paul once wrote to Timothy, “This is a faithful saying: if a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” (1 Timothy 3:1, NKJV). In other translations, the word “bishop” is rendered “overseer.” Regardless of the term used, the role carries the same weight: to care for Christ’s church, to faithfully teach God’s Word, and to lead with humility—much like a father guiding his family. Paul’s words remind us that this is indeed a noble calling.

A Historic Day in Arusha

On Sunday, June 29, 2025, just outside Arusha, Tanzania, a significant milestone was reached. After 17 years of faithful service, Bishop Baltazari Kaaya of the Africa Mission Evangelism Church (AMEC) consecrated Pastor Judah Pallangyo as the newly elected bishop. Bishop Pallangyo has long been a dedicated servant within AMEC, having served both as a pastor and as Secretary of Theological Training.

AMEC and WELS: A Growing Relationship

In recognition of the growing relationship between Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and AMEC, Missionary Howard Mohlke was invited to attend the consecration. The relationship between AMEC and the WELS began in 2020 through online conversations with Pastor Makundi Davis, leader of the Kilimanjaro District. The following year, WELS Missionary John Hartmann visited Tanzania, marking the beginning of a deeper partnership.

Over the past four years, WELS missionaries and members of the Commission on Inter-Church Relations (CICR) have met regularly with AMEC leaders, pastors, and elders. These meetings have focused on studying Scripture together and exploring whether a shared confession of faith exists—one that could be publicly affirmed through a declaration of fellowship.

A Pause for Reflection

Originally, it was hoped that a formal declaration of fellowship could be made at the 2025 WELS Synod Convention. However, as is often the case in ministry, plans can shift. Bishop Pallangyo has requested more time to revisit the statements of faith with AMEC’s pastors and elders before moving forward.

While this delay may be disappointing to some, it is also understandable. A new bishop stepping into such a pivotal moment naturally wants to ensure unity and clarity among his church leaders.

Looking Ahead with Hope

Even now as of this writing, further meetings for study among the pastors and elders of AMEC are scheduled, as well as meetings to discuss the future work of the WELS Mission Team with AMEC. We pray for God’s guidance and blessing on these discussions and on the future of AMEC’s relationship with WELS. May this new chapter under Bishop Pallangyo’s leadership be marked by wisdom, faith, and fruitful collaboration.

Missionary Howard Mohlke lives in Zambia and is the One Africa Team Leader

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

WELS Multi-Language Publications sponsors the TELL Network which offers online Bible courses to students around the world. One Africa Team missionaries are involved in teaching some of the courses, as well as pastors living in the United States. This week’s post features testimonials from two WELS pastors who are volunteering their time to teach students, due to a large number of new students.

Awakened Interest

Rev. Paul Spaude serves St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Niles, IL.

Recently Elizabeth joined my Zoom TELL class and asked for a prayer request: sleep. For whatever reason, it had evaded her. We prayed and God quickly answered.  I asked Elizabeth a question; we heard deafening silence. Hours later WhatsApp dinged, “Pastor! I’m so sorry! I fell asleep in class!” Sleep may have found Elizabeth because she had been awake for over thirty hours – or her teacher was a bit boring. I  am not going to seek out an answer. Regardless, Elizabeth has been back for more lessons because she loves studying the Bible with TELL.

Each class that I teach with TELL follows a logical pattern. To study the Bible, we Think about an interesting topic or question. We Evaluate a Bible story to bring more meaning and context to the lesson. Then we Learn that sin is the problem and only God has the answer. We Lead our brothers and sisters in Christ by telling what we have studied.

Elizabeth (from Trinidad) attempted to fight sleep to study the Bible with TELL. Enno (from South Africa) found time while driving to study the Bible with TELL.  Farooq (from Pakistan) postponed an anniversary date with his wife to study the Bible with TELL. Benard (from Kenya) fought a poor network connection to study the Bible with TELL.  They keep coming back because they love studying the Bible with TELL.

Despite obstacles, these students gather with me to study the TELL course, “The Work of the Savior.” In eight lessons, we are learning about Jesus’ work around the sea of Galilee and in Jerusalem. This is the beginning of their TELL instruction. God willing, they will enroll in more TELL courses. They might even go to their own communities to think, evaluate, learn, and lead their way through a Bible story with friends and neighbors. I hope they do; they are energizing people. I doubt they will put anyone to sleep.

TELL-ing Legacy

Rev. Paul Kolander serves The Springs Lutheran Church in Sparks, Nevada.

When I was young, I wanted to be an African Missionary. My great-grandfather was one. I remember watching slideshows narrated with exciting stories. There were pictures and tales about driving a caravan throughout Africa to tell Africans about the Love of Jesus. Bumpy roads, exotic wildlife, and adventure around every turn gripped my attention. Then, the awesomeness of God’s power and blessings held it for years. The commission to go and make disciples by baptizing and teaching in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit stuck with me. 

I serve as a missionary in my own community by baptizing and teaching Nevadans. I have never been to Africa. But now through a WELS program called TELL, I get to share the message of the one true God to the same countries that my great grandfather did. I don’t have to travel by barge for weeks on end, nor do I have to navigate across hippo-infested rivers. I just need to connect online with people in Africa and worldwide who want to learn more about the God of the Bible. 

God asks his prophet Jeremiah, “ ‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord. “

I am truly blessed to have this opportunity to share God’s love with those who are both near and far away. I get to serve as a missionary. There is one God and one way to heaven. Thanks belong to Him alone for these and all other blessings. 

Visit www.tellnetwork.org or download the TELL app to enroll in free online courses and share on your favorite social media channel! If you are interested in teaching courses use this form to submit information about yourself.

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

Oh, the hills. How striking they were as Howie Mohlke, his wife Leslie, and I drove east from Lilongwe, Malawi down toward Lake Malawi.

So were the sloping tea fields and the hills and valleys in the Sondu area of western Kenya when I saw them a few weeks later with Anariko Onunda: stunning.

Why tell you about hills?

From Flatlander to Hill Runner

For years I was a flatlander. I had not lived among hills since I was a vicar in Marrietta, Georgia (1990–1991), whether our family was in Illinois (1992–2001), Florida (2001–2015), or Minnesota (2015–2019).

Since December 2019, though, my wife and I have lived in Lusaka, Zambia, 4,200 feet above sea level. For exercise, I run hills.

I recently picked up my new U.S. passport from the U.S. embassy here in Lusaka. The complex sits atop one of Lusaka’s tallest hills. On many runs I look for it, gleaming in the morning sun.

Lusaka’s hilltop embassy makes me think of friends and family I miss in the States, as much as I enjoy serving the Lord and you here in Africa.

True Stories, Well Told

September 20–29 I had the privilege of traveling from Lusaka to Malawi. There I met with six pastors of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa – Malawi Synod. Pastors Chumba, Macharenga, Mandevu, Mitengo, Mukhweya, Mulinga, and I studied African church history biography together as part of their formal continuing education.

Since that week, each Malawian pastor in the course has sent me a story suitable for a 7–12-year-old, a story about a figure in Malawian church history.

In part, those projects are to help that pastor’s own family and congregation. In part, they are to help pastors in other countries in our Bachelor of Divinity (BDiv) cohort—pastors in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. And in part, all the pastors’ efforts to research and communicate “true stories, well told” (our motto for the week) about fascinating figures in their country’s church history are to help me.

Receiving the Crown of Life

It is not just that I am new to African, as well as African church history. More importantly, stories about important believers from different parts of Africa, once we collect and distribute them all to all our BDiv brothers, will allow them to teach each other about real-life faith and love. 

Due to Covid-19 related issues, the twenty pastors in our cohort have not been able to meet yet face to face, though we began classes over a year ago. Pray with me that face-to-face classes for us all begin in 2022.

Back then to true stories, well told. Such stories not only have the potential to build up brotherhood, by God the Spirit’s power. They can break down super-tall hills, hills which so easily divide those whom God wants united: hills like time, distance, and cultural misunderstandings. These are stories where brothers can see trials our Father has sent in the past. These stories can connect us to believers in distant places and times.

 Be faithful, even to the point of death,” good stories remind us—stories like those of some of Africa’s first martyrs for Christ, Perpetua, and Felicity, remind us. In our classes, we watched a video about them. “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Jesus promises this to persecuted believers in ancient Smyrna and to us too.

Across the Rift

October 8-18 I traveled to Kenya to teach my BDiv level course. In both Malawi and Kenya, the pastors and I did not just talk history. We also discussed being faithful today, even to the point of death. We conferred about the confirmation classes which the pastors supervise and teach, and the steep hills young people climb as they learn to follow Christ.

One difference between the church history biography course in Malawi and the one in Kenya was that on October 10, before the class in Kenya started, I had the honor of preaching in Kenya for the consecration of the new building of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Ramba parish, served by Pastor Samwel Omondi. He translated my sermon from English into Luo. It was a joyful Christ-centered service, complete with the Lord’s Supper.

It was my first trip to Kenya, so I had much to learn. The pastors and I met in the shade of the center brick-and-grass open-air hut.

After the week’s class, Pastor Onunda drove me back up to Nairobi, a city even higher in elevation than Lusaka, and three times bigger.           

On October 17 Pastor Onunda introduced me to part of his city congregation, a much smaller group than the rural congregation the previous Sunday. In Nairobi some Christians Pastor Onunda serves are starting to meet separately as a daughter congregation. Elders were leading the service of that new congregation the morning I visited.

The King of the Hill

Such outreach efforts, even for an experienced pastor, get bumpy. Make that hilly. Sometimes we all feel as if we are barely able to put one foot in front of another, trudging uphill. Demons, this dying world, even our own deadly flesh whisper “give up” when hilly slopes get steeper.

But our Lord said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). That’s true of both Nairobi and wherever you gather with other believers for word and sacrament.  Someday even the mightiest mountains will fall. But not God’s promises of mercy to us in Christ crucified.

 Jesus lives. We have been baptized into him.

 “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10).

Missionary Dan Witte lives in Lusaka

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