# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S18 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 15 MISSIONS to return to Calabar in the Southeast State. Work was resumed in the Ogoja area in August 1968, when missionaries returned to the four language areas they had served prior to the outbreak of the war. As of March 1969 there were 12 missionary families in Ogoja— 10 evangelistic missionaries, one nurse, One missionary serving in the area of maintenance and logistics. The main thrust of the work in Ogoja is the development of literacy materials, literature programs, Bible translation, and the training of evangelists so that the impact of the Gospel can be brought to bear on the lives of the more than 200,000 people in the area. Dr. Robert Stade, having completed his work in Edin- burgh for a doctorate in Islamics, returned to Nigeria in early 1968 to take up his position as director of the Pierre Benignus Study Center of the Islam in Africa project in Ibadan. e. And the Future. War brings about changes in the lives of people, changes in the life of a nation. Nigeria can never be the same country it was before its civil conflict. The church is faced with a great challenge to be an agent of reconciliation in a time of bitterness and suspicion. The lives of millions of people have been affected by this war, and the church especially must be sensitive to the needs of these people. The ministry of the church must be flexible to meet changing needs. The ELCN, “‘on its own” after the expatriate mission- aries had been evacuated, has achieved greater maturity. This new self-reliance and initiative must be recognized and allowed to blossom now as missionaries return. Ex- patriate personnel need to give particular emphasis to the redevelopment of theological and teachers training programs as well as to lay institutes to further equip national church leaders. Work in Bible translation, Chris- tian literacy, and adult education must also be speeded up to enable the church to be more effective in its out- reach among people of many tongues. 10. Middle East: Each in His Own Tongue A crisis situation continues to exist in the Middle East as well as in Nigeria. Arab-Israeli tensions remain at fever pitch with both sides maintaining a war-alert status and engaging in retaliatory measures. Yet even in crisis the Word is being proclaimed and heard. a. Disruption and Continuation. War broke out inthe Middle East on June 5, 1967. Upon the advice of the U. S. embassy the two Missouri Synod missionary families and other Americans in the area were evacuated to Geneva. Mr. Moris Jahshan (an Arab national who serves as director of the Middle East Lutheran Ministry’s radio studio) was also out of the Middle East at the outbreak of the war, attending the Lutheran Hour branch office managers’ conference in the U.S. The Christian church in general was looked upon with great suspicion during these first days (because of the church’s identification with the West, which in turn was identified as pro-Israeli). However, there was no disrup- tion in the MELM’s communication of the Gospel. The competent MELM Arab office staff continued the Bible correspondence courses and the monthly devotional program over radio Beirut. On July 20, missionaries Stell- ing and Hilgendorf were able to return to Beirut, Lebanon, with their families. Soon it beeame apparent how God in His wisdom uses a climate of crisis to prepare the ground for the sowing of His Word: hundreds of new people enrolled in the correspondence courses in the months after the war, as Arabs, Christian and non-Christian alike, began seeking answers in their insecurity to the deeper meaning of life, seeking more information about Christianity. b. Mass-Media Outreach. The total enrollment of the Bible correspondence course now exceeds 50,000 with approximately 12,000 active students. An attractive new course for children, based on stories dealing with animals in the Bible, has been well received. Another course geared mainly to Muslims is being developed, based on parables in the Bible. A quarterly newsletter, to which correspondence students contribute, has been inaugu- rated as a means of exchange between students. This publication has been very enthusiastically received. Because of the war the MELM has not been able to open the Lutheran Hour production studio in Jerusalem. Construction has been completed, but the equipment has not been installed. Discussions regarding the possible use of the studio have been held, but no conclusions have as yet been reached. In the meantime Mr. Jahshan heads up the MELM’s radio ministry in Beirut. It is hoped that in the early part of 1969, Christian programing will appear on the Amman, Jordan, televi- sion station. An agreement has been reached with the station for the use of a 13-week series of “This Is the Life” films. Discussions are also under way for the pos- sibility of using French sound track on “This Is the Life” films in Beirut. c. New Personnel. In September 1968 a young Lu- theran couple went as Prince of Peace Volunteers to work as teachers at the Schneller School outside Beirut. Schneller vocational schools have been operating in the Middle East for many years, providing Christian training for Arab children. In September 1968 the Lutheran Church in America seconded one of its seminary graduates to the MELM for a 2-year assignment. After full-time language study the young man will work with the MELM staff in its approach to the Muslim. The MELM carries on a ministry supportive to the existing churches in the Middle East. Rather than estab- lish another church or organization, the MELM seeks to help the ancient churches of the Middle East in their outreach to the Muslim. From its office in Beirut the MELM witnesses to nominal Christians and non-Chris- tians alike through its radio ministry and Bible corre- spondence courses. The staff makes periodic trips to countries in the Middle East and meets with church leaders in order to determine the church’s needs and how the MELM can help to meet them.