News from the Circuit Conferences and Congregations
Circuit Conference East

  1. Inland Parish. Vicar Martha Weich has served for a year in the Strand Street congregation. We thank her for the diligent service rendered to the community. She starts with her service in the Parish in October. She lives in Stutterheim. We wish her and the congregations a blessed journey together.
  2. St. Crucis Lutheran Church has celebrated their 150th Anniversary on 4th September. May they continue to be ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’.
  3. Luther Brakfontein and St Andrews congregations were visited in August. They face many challenges due to vast demographic changes around them, but they continue to serve faithfully as the body of Christ.

Circuit Conference West

  1. Pastor Wolf von Killian-Philipp was inducted as Pastor of the Southern Cape congregation, on 21st August. He will be inducted in the Oudtshoorn Parish of the ELCSA-COD on 23. October. We wish him and his wife much joy and a fruitful service in these communities.
  2. The congregation Stellenbosch / Somerset Wes was visited from 9-11 September. They are engaged in a Listening Process to discern how God is calling them to be Church. It is wonderful to see how the Student Ministry is growing.

Discussions between ELCSA(N-T) and ELCSA(Cape Church)

At the Workshop held from 22-24 July in Strand the following decision was taken regarding the motions taken at Synod 2015:

  1. “After following up on the task assigned by the respective synods
    councils came to the following conclusion. We respect and appreciate each other’s uniqueness. After intensive discussions we concluded that the merger discussions will not be continued at this stage.
  2. The Cape Church is busy working at the ecclesiology, to spell out their identity. This is a deep discernment process of listening to God’s Word and each other; this must also happen on congregational level.
    – Who or whose are we?
    – What are we called to do?
    – How are we going to do it?
  3. We affirm that we will continue to engage in close cooperation (let’s do together whatever we can do together) and also learn from and cel-ebrate each other’s differences thereby enriching each other.”

An opportunity was given to the congregations to discuss the above on 27th August for the CCW at Strand Street and for the CCE on 3rd Sep-tember in Macleantown. The above decision will be tabled at the Synod in 2017.
Pastors’ Conference
The Combined General Pastors’ Convention of ELCSA(N-T) and ELCSA (Cape Church) took place from 19-23 September 2016 in Red Acres, Pietermaritzburg.

The following topics were discussed:

a relevant structure for UELCSA (member churches are ELCSA(N-T), ELCiN(GELC) and ELCSA(Cape Church)); the challenges and contents of Theological Training; possibilities of better co-operation.
UELCSA (United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa)

The Synod of the UELCSA will take place from 22-23 October in Bonearo Park. The member churches are ELCSA(NT); ELCiN(GELC) and ELCSA(CapeChurch).
On the Agenda are the following topics for discussion:
the needs and future of the Theological Training; Function of UELCSA – a way forward; finances.
Theological Training: Are you called to become a pastor? Are you interested in studying theology? Please speak to your pastor about it. The Church is offering bursaries to assist prospective full time students. The preferred place of study for UELCSA students is the Stellenbosch University.

LUCSA – Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa

15 Lutheran churches from Southern Africa gathered in Gauteng from 1-4 September. It was very encouraging to hear what is happening in and through the Lutheran Church in the region. Bishop H Müller was elected as President of LUCSA. Bishop G Filter and Mrs L Burger from Stutterheim, where elected as officers.