Joint Asian Pastoral Conference
The last event I attended in India was this conference in Chennai, India. I think Pastor Koenig will share some statistics in his newsletter. The conference was conducted in English as common to all groups. The Church of the Lutheran Confession Nepal, Church of the Lutheran Confession Myanmar, Church of the Lutheran Confession India and Berean Evengalical Church from India had representatives attending. Each presented reports on their work and shared a visual report also. The CLC representatives presented essays.
The conference was small, plain and simple in appearance. But Pastor Koenig frequently asks questions and this opens windows that shows the depth of the Holy Spirit’s work in these churches.
Pastor Deepak (BELC) was asked how a request for him to go Orissa state came about. He told us he was raised there; over 15 years ago his family gave him a choice: Christianity or family. He left and did not look back. About 1 year ago, working in the Adaman Islands, one of his districts, a pastor there gave him a phone number from the state of Kerala; someone there wanted to talk to him. That man told him his family had become Christian and were looking for him. On a visit to Orissa state, he learned his father was burned to death in a wave of anti-Christian violence 3 years earlier. He is translating materials into the Ori language hoping to return and help the scattered Christians there.
Pastor Kham reported on the work in Myanmar. They are ministering in different places such as in prison. One inmate came to faith in Jesus. When he was released he began to study and talk to other people. His former friends brutally murdered him. The photograph is not easy to view. But the churches here are having success in many ways.
In Andhra Pradesh the CLCI has had success reaching out to Muslims. A few have converted and gone on to become pastors. The CLCI and BELC each have well over 500 churches and preaching stations. Pastor Koenig will go to Goa state at the end of the month to meet with 15 pastors who have met a few times with Pastor Victor of the BELC. Pastor Raju from Nepal showed information from the Mission Helper trip. This was a big success and by God’s grace will strengthen the churches there and increase out reach opportunities. All of the groups have programs to reach out beyond the the current members. One successful program is to have evangelism meetings on 2 or 3 days and in that time present health information and basic help in the villages.
Pastor Ude’s essay discussed Jesus’ parables on the Kingdom of God; that is what this work is about, not boundaries of countries and states, but God’s Kingdom. Pastor Koenig gave an over view of how God preserved His Word in the Bible and how we now use translations. The pastors will take the rest of the series of articles with them to study. I presented an introduction and sample of Pastor Noltings paper, Preach Like Jesus. All of the groups intend to translate it and use it for pastoral education.
Our God is an awsome God!