Life of theWorld Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne April 2008, Volume Twelve, Number Two Fo r th e Out of Africa Rev. Dr Arthur Just There and Back Again Rev. Prof. Robert Roethemeyer Starving for the Gospel Rev. James May For The LIFE of the World F E A T U R E S PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER EDITOR Rev. Steven Cholak Rev. John Pless MANAGING EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Adriane Dorr Steve Blakey EDITORIAL ASSOCIATES Rev. James Bushur Dr. Charles Gieschen Dr. Naomichi Masaki For the Life of theWorld is published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For the Life of the World. Copyright 2008. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Huntington, Indiana. For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. CONTENTS 6 Out of Africa By The Reverend Dr. Arthur Just The Concordia Theological Seminary deaconess program has been privileged to learn and receive mercy from the deaconesses in the ELCK. One of their leaders, Lorna Meeker, studied to be a deaconess at our seminary and now serves alongside her husband Dennis at a church in the Kibera slums of Nairobi that suffered much from the post-election violence. 12 There and Back Again: A Librarian’s Tale By The Reverend Prof. Robert Roethemeyer Dr. Weber wanted this to be an investigative visit. “Come, Robert, and tell me what your eyes see and your mind thinks,” he said. During what was the last two weeks of their summer holiday, I did just that. I sought to understand and then to provide options and models and solutions for a wide range of library, technology, accreditation, and utilization of space issues. 15 Starving for the Gospel By The Reverend James May In the capital of an African country, a white person stands out. Very frequently, people come up and say, “My friend, how are you?” The questions nearly always lead to, “Who are you, and why are you here?” I respond, “I am a Lutheran pastor, and I have been sent to teach the Word of God.” 20 God Is Right There in Our Midst By Adriane Dorr In a country where poverty and deadly diseases are rampant, “what speaks the loudest to the people of Kenya is love. . . acts of love and mercy speak loudly and clearly,” states Meeker. “It becomes an opportunity to proclaim Law and Gospel, to introduce them to Baptism, and confirm them in the gifts of the Eternal Feast of Victory.” For your free subscription, please send your name, address,city, state, and zip code to: For the Life of the World,6600 N. Clinton St., Fort Wayne, IN 46825. If you would like to see For the Life of the World on the World Wide Web, go to web site: www.LifeOfTheWorld.com. The current issue, as well as previous issues, can be found at this interactive portal. Want more? Go to www.ctsfw.edu Like to blog? Read www.seminaryblog.com Questions about financial aid? E-mail finaid@ctsfw.edu Questions about wellness? E-mail al.wingfield@ctsfw.edu Questions about donating? E-mail development@ctsfw.edu Questions for the registrar? E-mail registrar@ctsfw.edu For the Life of the World How to subscribe to and find . . . For the Life of the World 2 Volume Twelve, Number Two For the Life of the World6 “I had a farm in Africa.” So begins Karen Blixen’s memories of her life on the outskirts of Nairobi in Kenya. Many who visit Africa become intoxicated by its landscape and its people. Africa is haunting, so real and primal in its simplicity, its humanity, its mystery. Karen Blixen’s story turns tragic, for Africa reflects what is in all our natures—both mercy and violence, life and death. Kenya’s recent political unrest shows how tenuous life is for them and for us. The human impulse to react in anger and aggression marks all the children of Adam. President Bush described his recent visit to Africa as a “mission of mercy.” Many of us might also see ourselves on such a mission. But it was the Lutheran saints of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK) who showed us the true meaning of Christ’s mercy. The Concordia Theological Seminary deaconess program has been privileged to learn and receive mercy from the deaconesses in the ELCK. One of their leaders, Lorna Meeker, studied to be a deaconess at our seminary and now serves alongside her husband Dennis at a church in the Kibera slums of Nairobi that suffered much from the post-election violence. Dennis and Lorna’s church was partially burned. Unlike other missionaries, they stayed in Kenya7 as Dennis continues to teach and baptize and celebrate the Lord’s Supper while Lorna reaches out in mercy by attending to the physical needs of her people. Widows and orphans are not just a category but a reality in the Kenyan culture. Most deaconesses in Kenya receive little or no compensation, yet in their home visits to people broken by sin and sickness and death, they always bring a bag of maize as a tangible expression of their love in Christ. Pastor David Chuchu, a former student of our seminary, directs “Diakonia Compassionate Ministries” (DCM) for the ELCK. The motto of DCM is “Bringing Hope to the Hopeless,” a reality we saw embodied in the deaconesses in the ELCK. Perhaps what struck us the most was the singing of the deaconesses. The rhythm of the music and the emotion in their voices proclaimed their joy in the midst of the suffering in which they work and live. At Ogongo Deaconess College, the final song they sang for us was about Jerusalem, their heavenly home. They knew that in Christ they are already now in Jerusalem, for all around them Christ is present in the suffering of the saints they serve. Dr.Arthur Just is a Professor of Exegetical Theology and Director of Deaconess Studies at Concordia Theological Seminary. By The Reverend Dr. Arthur A. Just OutofAfrica L-R Persilla (an ELCK Othoro Rescue Center Worker), and deaconesses Lorna Meeker, Monica, Elizabeth, and Eunita