LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 34

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34

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
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Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa
Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK)

The area includes the following theologically compatible church
bodies currently pursuing fellowship talks with the LCMS:
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Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sudan/South Sudan
Lutheran Church of Sudan
Lutheran Church of East Africa (Tanzania and Kenya)
Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Confessional Lutheran Church—Malawi Synod

The area includes the following theologically compatible church
bodies not currently pursuing fellowship talks with the LCMS:
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Fiangonana Loterana Malagasy
Lutheran Church of Uganda
Igreja Luterana da Concórdia em Moçambique

The area includes the following church bodies with whom the
LCMS has a current relationship but which are not yet known to fit
into one of the above categories:
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Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT)
Lutheran Church of Rwanda
Reformed Lutheran Church of Rwanda
St. Peter’s Confessional Lutheran Church (South Africa)
Lutheran Evangelical Church in Africa (Zambia)

Following is an analysis of current key activities and goals over the
next triennium in Eastern and Southern Africa area, arranged according to the Synod’s current six mission priorities:
1. Plant, sustain, and revitalize Lutheran churches.
Through OIM, the LCMS currently provides funding, missionaries, or other material support for the following:
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The Mission Training Center program in the South East of Lake
Victoria Diocese of the ELCT, which includes the expectation that
program participants plant a new congregation before graduation from
the program (funding)
A local missionary from the ELCK to minister on periodic visits to
Kakuma Refugee Camp (funding)
Motorcycle projects in a number of countries to provide local pastors
the means to visit congregations and mission areas (funding)
Guest preaching, administration of Holy Communion, confirmation,
and Baptism in the course of visits (missionaries)

In the next triennium, OIM hopes to additionally recruit new missionaries or provide material support to the following:
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Plant one EECMY-LCMS English-speaking congregation in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia (missionary)
Plant one ELCK English-speaking congregation in Karen, Kenya
(missionary)
Plant churches and preaching stations in Lodwar, Kenya (funding and
missionary)
Start Mission Training Centers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and
Malawi (missionary and funding)

2. Support and expand theological education.
Through OIM, the LCMS currently provides funding, missionaries, or other material support for the following:
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Mekane Yesus Seminary in Ethiopia (missionaries)
Matongo Lutheran Theological College in Kenya (missionaries and
funding)
Lutheran Theological Seminary in South Africa (funding)
Tabor Evangelical College in Hawassa, Ethiopia (funding)
Nekemte Christian Education College in Ethiopia (funding)
St. Peter Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tanzania (funding)

In the next triennium, OIM hopes to continue and expand upon
the work above and additionally recruit missionaries or provide new
funding to the following:
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The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Uganda (missionaries and
funding)

2016 Convention Workbook

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St. Peter Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tanzania (addition of
missionaries)
One regional seminary in Ethiopia (addition of missionaries)

3. Perform human care in close proximity to Word and Sacrament
ministries.
Through OIM, the LCMS currently provides funding, missionaries, or other material support for the following:
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Mercy Medical Teams in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Madagascar
(missionary)
An area nurse educator (missionary)
Church construction matching grants including tin roofs in Madagascar,
Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, and Ethiopia (funding)
Water projects in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Malawi (funding)
Agricultural Consultancy in Malawi and Kenya (volunteer missionary)
Scholarships to professional governance-training organizations
(funding)

In the next triennium, OIM hopes to additionally recruit missionaries or provide funding to do the following:
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Support church bodies developing their office of deaconess
(missionary).
Work in church-sponsored medical clinics, centers, and hospitals in
Madagascar, Tanzania, and Kenya (missionary).

4. Collaborate with the Synod’s members and partners to enhance
mission effectiveness.
Through OIM, the LCMS currently provides the following:
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Newly deploying missionaries to participate in online missionary
training provided by Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
(funding)
On-field missionaries to participate in a continuing education program
provided by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (funding)
Participate in partner meetings in Ethiopia and Uganda (missionary)
Referrals to Orphan Grain Train in Ethiopia and Tanzania

In the next triennium, OIM hopes to additionally:
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Encourage and participate in partner meetings in additional countries
(missionary)

5. Promote and nurture the spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing of pastors and professional church workers.
Through OIM, the LCMS currently provides the following:
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An area visitor (pastoral counselor) to provide individual spiritual care
and counseling to each called missionary family unit with a minimum
of contact every two weeks and in-person visits to deployed staff three
days per quarter
Team placement of all missionaries with language-proficiency
requirements
Access to the Sacraments for teams not placed into contexts where
there is a fellowship partner
Annual goal-setting and reviews
All-area continuing education weekend twice per year (three-day,
four-night)
Annual four-day, five-night retreat focused on fellowship, rejuvenation,
worship, counseling, and spiritual care (country, all-area, or all-Africa)
Six-month sabbaticals to missionaries in their seventh year of service
Facilitation of Luther Academy, Pastoral Leadership Institute
International, short-term teams, volunteers, and grants to local church
bodies for the ongoing care and development of their workers

In the next triennium, OIM hopes to additionally provide the
following:
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A council of elders formed from retired missionaries to provide feedback, guidance, and historical background

6. Enhance early childhood, elementary and secondary education,
and youth ministry.
Through OIM, the LCMS currently provides funding, missionaries, or other material support for the following:
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Christ’s Care for Children sponsoring 150 children in four sites in
Kenya (missionary and funding)
Project24 building school boarding sites in Kenya (funding)