Prof. Dr. habil. Werner Klaen from the LTH in Oberursel i.T.

Last night the Germans still sat up until midnight working out more details of the “Lutheran Chair” at the University of Pretoria. Bishop Voigt and Prof. Klaen were trying to help me fill in the gaps in the long list of issues that need to be thought about, when such a big step of moving from Oberursel to Pretoria is planned – and time is pressing. That move is scheduled for October. The refurbishing of Dube House are going on, the office at UP is ready and now Prof. Klaen just needs to come and fill the vacancy. Still there are issues to be taken care of and Rome was not built in a single day.

Earlier on Prof. Klaen had given a report on the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue going on in Germany and the resolution that this be authorized and carried on officially at ILC level was tabled and discussed. Fascinating prospects! May God give fruitful course to his truth and holy will +

Archbishop Walter Obare from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya

In the afternoon we had our area discussion with Bishops Obare, Ekong, Reinstorf and myself working in the Africa group. Dr. Ralph Mayan joined us later and we addressed issues of confessional Lutheran dialog with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and also the Roman Catholic Church at regional and national levels, but also the budget and plans for a full time executive secretary for the ILC.   Bishop Christian Ekong then presented the regional report to the assembly in session and asked me to add on my report on the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane and its attempts to provide confessional training to students from Lutheran Churches that can not afford to own a Seminary of their own. Due to the help and support of its friends and supporters world-wide the LTS in Tshwane provides this opportunity to students from more than 10 such Lutheran Churches across the continent. The plea was made to see this more and more of a global effort of the ILC – and not so much one of our Churches down in Southern Africa. Hopefully this plea will bear good fruit and bring about more and more support – and not in the too distant future.

We heard two further reports from the Lutheran Church in Chile and the Philippines – and we thank God for the ongoing mission of his holy word throughout the world.