LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 8

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i) MISSIONS, EVANGELISM, AND SOCIAL MINISTRY

work. The GLC is the outgrowth of Missouri Synod mission
work which was begun in 1948 among the Enga people in the
highlands of Papua New Guinea.

The Gutnius Lutheran Church at its 1982 convention
elected a new bishop. The GLC desires to strengthen its
outreach through nurture and upbuilding of its pastors,
evangelists and other church workers, as well as the congre-
gations they serve to equip them for the task of evangelizing
those not vet won for Christ. For this purpose, the GLC is
planning to ask for more missionaries to be sent by its partner,
the LCMS.

A negative factor which has helped to cause the GLC to
realize its need to strengthen its workers and programs in their
church is the intrusion into their very midst of Pentecostal and
charismatic agitators who have disturbed the church and
created confusion and some division. The GLC is taking steps
to revitalize and strengthen its vernacular seminary at Birip
with more national staff.

Positively speaking, the Gutnius Lutheran Church this past
biennium has opened new work in the Hewa language territory
and is strengthening its work among the Ipili-speaking people.

Philippines

The Lutheran Church in The Philippines (LCP) continues
to show steady growth, especially in the mountain areas of
northern Luzon and on the island of Mindanao among the
tribal peoples.

The LCP has reassessed its theological education program
which emphasizes the training of evangelists and pastors
outside the structure of the formal seminary located in Baguio.
The LCP uses theological education by extension (TEE) type of
materials for training workers. Training is designed in gradu-
ated steps which could lead to resident seminary training.

The Lutheran Hour continues to serve as an important
outreach arm of the church. The present missionary staff are
being used primarily to establish new work in outlying areas.

The church enjoys a good reputation in Northern Luzon
through the work of the hospital at Abatan and for its rural
health program in its surrounding areas. This work is
self-supporting.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the beautiful “tear drop” island southeast of the
southern tip of India, is predominantly Buddhist. There are
also many Muslims among the population of more than 14.8
million. The LCMS. in connection with its work in India, has
worked off and on in Sri Lanka since 1927.

In recent years the effort to establish work among Tamil-
speaking Muslims did not succeed. Health problems of the
missionary personnel and the problem of how to relate to the
cultural and social obstacles in working among Muslims
finally necessitated a different strategy and approach in Sri
Lanka.

Today we can say God has reopened the door to this island.
Forward in Remembrance has enabled the BFMS to call two
experienced LCMS pastors to work among the Sinhalese-
speaking Buddhists. In addition one of the two is to provide
spiritual nurture and guidance for training of workers for the
Lanka Lutheran Church (not vet recognized as a partner
church). This small but lively group of congregations has
grown as a result of LCMS mission work among Tamil-
speaking Indians on the tea estates in the mountainous area of
Sn Lanka, some 100 miles out of Colombo.

The BFMS plans to call a third missionary for Sri Lanka.

Taiwan

The China Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) is the
outgrowth of the mission work begun by the LCMS in Taiwan
in 1951. This church also elected a new administration at its
1982 convention.

The CELC desires to revitalize its programs and endeavors
for stepping up evangelism and establishing new work. New
missionaries from the LCMS will be needed for implementing
their plans.

The church has in the past several years begun to empha-
size reaching the youth of their country. As the younger
generations mature. there is a noticeable ‘‘Taiwanization”™

(indigenization) developing in these people. One of the CELC
national pastors is helping the church to focus on youth. The
Volunteer Youth Ministry (VYM) program has also been of
help.

The church is again giving more attention to the need of
training pastors and other church workers. The CELC is
investigating ways by which resources can be shared through
a joint theological training program. The church is active in
mass communications through the Lutheran Hour and “Joint
Lutheran Television Taiwan.”

A highlight of this past biennium has been the celebration
of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Concordia
Middle School in Chia Yi, which offers a Christian education to
1,500 students.

One cannot conclude a report on Asia without alluding to
the unfinished nature of our task. The census for mainland
China indicates a population of more than 1 billion; the
projection for India’s population is also over 1 billion. Our
current plans for evangelistic outreach do not even match the
rate of population growth, let alone the teeming population it-
self. With reference to mainland China, the BFMS is keeping
abreast of what is going on through our partner church in
Hong Kong and through the reports of the China Coordi-
nating Committee, representing various church groups who
share information.

We need to pray more earnestly for workers and for the
resources to support their work so that we live up to our
convention theme: ‘“‘Him We Proclaim.”

Latin America

“Cristo para Todas las Nactones.” That is Spanish for
“Christ for All Nations,” and also serves as the motto for the
Spanish Lutheran Hour. Yes, “Him We Proclaim” is certainly
a proper theme for what needs to be done more and more for the
growing populations of Spanish-speaking people in Latin
America.

Argentina

Although the nation recently suffered the distressing expe-
rience of war and continues to struggle politically and eco-
nomically, the Argentine District of the LCMS is determined to
move ahead in expanding and strengthening its mission
outreach.

As an example, Concordia Seminary, Buenos Aires, is
showing new signs of life. The number of ministerial students
has increased to 30 and the faculty to four professors. The
single large building which houses seminary operations has
been in a poor state of repairs, as have been the faculty homes.
The BFMS, to help this part of the Church’s program of
training pastors, voted $50,000 of FIR monies to put these
facilities back in operational condition.

In Campana. a section of Buenos Aires, the District has a
mission among the working class. An estimated $34,000 was
needed for a multipurpose parish hall which could function as
a base also for mission outreach to the youth of this area. The
local people agreed to provide 50% of the total cost by paying for
planning costs and donating labor and materials. The BFMS
agreed to provide the other 50% from FIR’s Matching Grant
category.

The Argentine District also does work in Uruguay. St. Paul
Lutheran Church in Montevideo planned to build a school.
Because of high inflation the origina] $15,000 requested in 1978
has risen to $120,000. Again, through consultation as partners
and sharing of responsibility, the following arrangements are
making St. Paul Lutheran School (a three-classroom building)
a reality: (1) FIR Major Gift, $15,000; (2) local participation in
Montevideo, $30,000; (3) FIR Matching Grant, $75,000.

The Argentine District over the years has reached out into
the northern urban areas of Argentina and into neighboring
countries: Paraguay, 1935: Uruguay, 1936; and Chile, 1960.

Brazil

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil, since 1980 a
full partner of the LCMS, continues to experience the blessing
of God upon its energetic efforts to expand and strengthen all
areas of its work. Because of its long relationship as a District