# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S18 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 18 MISSIONS Major Problem Five new stations projected by the Evangelism Committee and a youth center had to be postponed for lack of funds. Reasons to Rejoice and Give Thanks 1) There have been problems in the church, but there is a growing maturity on the part of the membership to deal with them. 2) A Cantonese program of religious music with comment is being broadcast from Macao. 3) Two congregations have dedicated permanent chapel facilities. 4) A 1971 Bethel Offering for Church Extension brought gifts of love of about US$15,000. 5) Our Kuntong Primary School paid off its government loan. 6) The international LWML designated US$75,000 for our local Sharon congregation’s future chapel. 7) He still lives, and shepherds His own! Martin Chiang, Acting Chairman. LC-MS Hong Kong Mission 8. The Lutheran Church in The Philippines Major Developments The Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP) was born because The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod was dedicated to carry out the mission objective by proclaiming the Gospel, preaching the Word in season and out of season. For this the Lutheran Church in the Philippines is grateful to God. The members of this young church appreciate the efforts and sacri- fices of the LCMS to carry out through her missionaries the mission mandate among the people of the Philippines, resulting in the birth of the young church in this developing country of 40 million. The young church is conscious of its mission in the Philippine situation. It tried to continue, during 1971 and 1972, its work of proclamation and witness, sharing its spiritual blessings and gifts with those who have no commitments to Christ as Savior and Lord, those who are still inarticulate in the knowledge of Christ and His love, strengthening the weak in faith and promoting the unity which believers have and need to express here and now in this life. A number of significant events took place in the history of the young church during the year 1971. The young church ob- served its 25th anniversary early in July. At the biennial conven- tion of the LCMS held in Milwaukee in the summer the young church was declared a “sister” of the “mother” church. Other highlights in the history of LCP in the year 1971 was the signing of the Baptism Agreement between the young church and the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines and her growing wholesome influence as she witnesses and promotes unity in Christ among those who confess commitments to the church of Christ. The LCP President was chosen to head a five million member conciliar body in 1971 in spite of his efforts to refuse the leadership with its awesome responsibilities. The young church is assuming a new role in the new rela- tionship with the LCMS. It has become a partner in mission with the former ‘mother’ church and with sister churches. This means that the LCP has awakened to her responsibilities as God's mission in her situation and to the world. Thus, while the LCP is not able, from her material resources, to send workers beyond her geographical confines, she may be able to share her manpower resources with others as she has done by “sharing” with the sister church in Nigeria a team of medical ‘‘mission- aries” who are members of the LCP. In partnership with the LCMS there is no reason why both churches cannot carry on together a mission project in the Pacific basin where many hundreds of thousands in archipelagos in the ocean basin are still without the Gospel of Christ. Plans and Hopes for the Future The young church is faced with great challenges that are beyond her capabilities at the present time. She has to nurture her members while at the same time she tries to carry out her witness to the nation of 40 million people. She has to improve the lot of her own members while helping along in a program of nation building. She has a grave responsibility to promote unity in Christ in her churches while at the same time carrying out a role of bringing the fragmented “body” of Christ into the unity that the Lord of the church has prayed for so fervently. The young church, however, is very much concerned over the large missionary casualty in the Philippine field. During the last 2 years and this year (1972) 15 missionaries will have left the field for good. The LCMS and LCP stand to lose much as four or five missionaries each year leave the field never to return. The missionaries, then, are in need of the church's en- couragement and prayers. For missionaries from the sister church in America as partners in mission are needed in the Philippines to help train the young church and enable her to carry out the church’s mission. As this reporter who has been with the young church since its ‘‘birth” over 25 years ago approaches the age of retirement shortly, he is optimistic that guided in the right direction as a wit- nessing church, faithful to the Word of God and to its confes- sional commitment, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines will become a great blessing to evangelical Christianity in this nation and in this region of the world. Alvaro A. Carino, D. D., President, LCP (Missionary David Schneider is the new president of the LCP, elected in October 1972) 9. The Lutheran Church of Nigeria (Inc.) Major Developments Special greetings from your sister church in Nigeria. May the Lord guide and bless your deliberations while in convention. We would like you to rejoice with us as we review a few of the many blessings the Lord of the church has showered down on us during the past 2 years. His Spirit richly blessed the mission zeal of the people of Ikot Ekpene parish where the two congre- gations have multiplied to 11. With the assistance of Lutheran World Relief, 40 landless families were aided to clear and settle a large tract of virgin land. We thank God that the Nigerian government granted recognition to our church by incorporating it. The Spirit is beginning to bring in the harvest of souls from the planting the literacy and Bible translation teams have done in Ogoja. Our women have organized themselves on a Synod- wide basis in order to reach out and assist in areas that are un- evangelized. We thank God that the medical work is shifting its emphasis from its hospitals to establishing mobile child welfare clinics. With the assistance of Wheat Ridge Foundation, we have established mobile TB clinics to help break the curse of TB. Breaking this curse opens many hearts for Jesus. The South- Eastern State government continues to work closely with us in running our schools by paying salaries and assisting with capital needs, while we take care of the day-to-day operations and the spiritual needs of our students. In 1972 the Nigerian Lutheran Hour became completely Nigerian except for our technical officer. Major Problems Our church was saddened when the Lord called our dear president, Rev. A. J. U. Essien, to heaven in 1972. We did much soul searching when a number of congregations split from our Synod because of material and tribal differences. We pray that they remain faithful to Lutheran doctrine, however. Plans and Hopes for the Future Our greatest needs are to develop more mission awareness among our members, to increase our financial contributions so that we can assume a larger share of the work in Nigeria, and to recruit and train more personnel for our medical work. We are planning to fully reactivate our seminary in 1973 with a training program that will prepare a broad spectrum of church workers. The final plans for opening a commercial secondary school are almost ready. We are asking the blessings of God’s Spirit on the plans for reaching out to an unevangelized tribe with one of our own pastors in 1973. We want to stress that the developments which our church has witnessed today would have been almost impossible without your assistance. The church in Nigeria is greatly indebted to you. We thank you, too, for having honored Rev. J. U. Ekong and Mr. E. W. Amamkpa with the award of honorary doctorate degrees. O. A. U. Idiong, President. LCN