| Dear partners in mission,
Greetings from Brasov, Romania! I wish you all a blessed Epiphany!
This newsletter is long overdue. I want to begin by thanking you for all of your generous support and prayers over the last months and years of our missionary service. Thank you!
I have much to tell about the past year. As many of you may already know, I have taken on the role of regional director of LCMS Eurasia since April, 2024. You might ask: “What is “Eurasia?” This geographical area extends from Iceland to Pakistan and from Spain to the eastern regions of Russia and Mongolia. Of course, distance, geopolitics, and other uncontrollable factors restrict our physical mobility in some of these areas, but we are eager, as much as God gives the opportunity, to spread the gospel, plant churches, and show the mercy He has shown us.
My primary functions in this new position are to oversee LCMS mission efforts in the region and collaborate with churches in fellowship with the LCMS to ensure that we are sowing together and laboring with united hearts in various aspects of mission. The opportunities and challenges our missionaries face are immense, and our work would not be possible were it not for the precious harmony and common heritage we possess in the Holy Scriptures and our Lutheran confessions. From recruiting missionaries and church planters to planning and directing projects (theological education, translation of resources and literature, new church plants, etc.) to building relationships with existing churches and missionary organizations to exploring opportunities for expansion in new fields, the only thing that can hold it all together is confessional unity. That is how we missionaries are able to focus on the few things we do well—and with limited resources. To this end, I have spent much of my energy over the past months to building an efficient regional team “for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:12-13).
My new role has taken me to many places already, including Israel, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, and even Taiwan. I also maintain a fair amount of contact with mission communities in other countries, including Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Norway, Ireland, France, and more. Next month, God willing, I will visit our missionaries and church partners in four sensitive countries, places where Christianity faces adversity or oppression.
This may appear to be too much travel, especially when you consider that I attend meetings in the United States several times per year, coordinate a regular meeting schedule with our regional team, serve in our Romanian church, and, most importantly, devote myself to Jenny and our children at home. Yet, I consider these visits essential during this initial phase of my directorship. I want to know our missions and churches at the grassroots, where the real work is being done, where the Holy Spirit generates faith in those who hear the word proclaimed by those on the ground. Meanwhile, my heart continues to beat for our local Romanian church and the health and growth of my Christian family at home.
Our missionaries are engaged in many exciting projects, including outreach to Persian immigrants in Germany, where thousands of Iranian and Afghani refugees are converting to the Christian religion and joining our Lutheran churches through baptism and instruction in the Christian faith; new mission plants in Romania, Italy, Germany (among American expats), and Spain, even as we look at possibilities in Switzerland, Luxemburg (among Ukrainians), Ireland and Poland; our seminary in Riga, which has achieved accreditation and continues to draw students and future pastors from many nations; and our theological conferences, which we sponsor in more than seven countries each year for the encouragement of hundreds of Lutherans and others interested in learning about our faith. I look forward to sharing information about our upcoming “Foros” (or “Forums” in English) which would offer YOU and others in your congregation opportunities to “plug in” to our various church plants and partner with us on essential aspects of our mission. Please stay tuned for more details!
I could tell you much more about many other initiatives and ongoing labors in this plentiful harvest. We hope to have the opportunity to share more in coming newsletters, which I plan to send you on a more regular basis. For now, I am content to offer you this update and summary of our mission work in Eurasia. Thank you so much for following the progress of our mission and for all your prayers and generosity! I never stop remembering you and thanking God for moving your hearts and hands to support our mission!
Though the world in 2025 is quaking at wars and rumors of war, economic decline, and geopolitical turmoil, we are not flinching because the word of the Lord endures forever! What is every crisis, anyway, but another reason to spread the gospel that saves people from their misery? What is this whole world, which Christ has redeemed with his blood, and every new day, but a God-given opportunity to spread the light of His gospel from age to age?
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guard while troubles last
And our eternal home.
|
