LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 18

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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