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By Rev. Tiews on 24/05/25
For all pastors, the Lenten and Easter seasons are quite busy. For me as a missionary pastor, it is no different. However, one additional—and very joyful—task of mine in recent months was to prepare over a dozen Persians for Holy Baptism. In fact, we have had so many people signing up for baptismal classes recently that classes have been overlapping. We had a cohort left over from the winter which was baptized on Easter and then we have an additional group that will be baptized on Pentecost, God willing.
Lula and I thank you so much for your prayers and generous gifts, which allow us to do the Lord’s work here in Germany and across Eurasia—especially as we conduct so many Baptisms.
At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to consider taking the next step in supporting our work:
From September 24-30, 2025, we invite you to experience first-hand God’s work in missions. How about meeting the people involved in church planting in Germany? This will be our first gathering (also referred to as a “FORO”) in the LCMS Eurasia region—an exciting opportunity to interact with LCMS missionaries, Iranian and Afghan Lutherans, and local church partners on-site in Hamburg, Berlin, and (Lutherstadt) Wittenberg.
“Why Germany? Isn’t it already Christian?” It used to be… But the homeland of Martin Luther has become decidedly post-Christian. In fact, it is estimated that less than five percent of Germans have an active Christian faith. Protestant and Catholic churches alike are largely empty on Sundays.
But that isn’t the only reason Germany is one of the hottest mission fields on the planet. Because in the past 10+ years over five million refugees—largely from Muslim countries—have sought asylum in the Land of Luther. Thanks be to God, some of these newcomers are responding to Christ’s call, and Iranians and Afghans are especially receptive to the Gospel.
Also, LCMS missionaries in southwestern Germany are providing Word and Sacrament ministry to American expats and U.S. soldiers and their dependents stationed here, all of whom are hungry for the historic faith and rich liturgy that is uniquely Lutheran. Thanks to the efforts of our missionaries, Lutheran Christianity is now growing in this region.
Finally, Germany is also home to over one million Ukrainian refugees, some of whom are Lutheran and live in (Lutherstadt) Wittenberg, where they receive material support and Word and Sacrament from our local Ukrainian alliance missionary. This work is done in the LCMS-supported Old Latin School, a renovated 16th-century building right across the square from Luther’s Church of St. Mary’s (aka the “City Church”).
Experience a different kind of Germany, participate in church services in Farsi and German, speak to the people impacted by the Good News, meet the people doing the work, visit Wittenberg—the city of Luther, and become aware of the needs and possibilities of mission work in Germany and how you can become a significant supporter.
We invite you to prayerfully consider this exciting opportunity. Kindly get back to me by May 30 if you are interested in attending and I will send you the agenda.
Thank you again for all your support and may the Lord continue to bless you and keep you!
Pastor Chris and Lula Tiews
By Rev. Tiews on 23/05/25
Lula, our daughter Mimi, and I are now back in Hamburg after driving from Michigan (where Mimi graduated from Hope College in Holland), to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we managed to clear out our house in only one week. Thank you, Lord! Traveling through the central U.S. on our vacation, what struck me particularly, though, was that so many people came to our aid when we told them that we are missionaries. In fact, quite a few of them regarded themselves as missionaries—regularly taking time off from their day jobs to carry out their “real” vocation of testifying about Jesus around the globe. One man, who owns a siding company, told me that he has been to Africa 25 times to tell people about Jesus. Another man, a professional auto mechanic, donated over $1,000 of labor and materials to service the truck of another daughter of ours. With a smile he showed me a picture on his phone, which you can see here. He tries to do everything for the glory of God, he explained. In a third case, yet another business owner will do some work on our house for free because he wants to share out of the Lord’s abundance. How did we run into so many faithful Christians? For one thing, God sent them. At the same time, it is quite apparent that a living faith in Jesus Christ is very much alive in many corners of the United States, and this is so encouraging. You can see it across many denominations—with some Christians financing their own short-term mission trips; with the LCMS—due to the generosity of its donors—acting as the de facto organizational and financial backbone of conservative Lutheranism around the globe; and now, on a different note, with the Roman Catholic Church in the United States about to play a major role in worldwide Catholicism through Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV. We sometimes decry that Christianity in America has retreated in the past fifty years and in some ways that is true. But, especially living abroad and able to occasionally compare America with other regions that used to be Christian, at least from my point of view, Christianity in the U.S. is still quite robust. Thank God!
By Lula Tiews on 23/05/25
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Lula and I and several of our adult kids are currently on vacation in our old home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have only one week to clear out our house, which we wish to rent out. A tall order but the Lord is blessing us with fantastic people who are assisting us mightily. Yesterday we hired some men from a local foundation to help us get a grip on our yard. This organization provides structure for those who have been “around the block” and helps them get back into the workforce. Their supervisor “Bob” was a tough looking guy in his late 20s. I struck up a conversation. “Bob, you probably hear this a lot,” I said, “but do you know Jesus?” Breaking into a wide grin, he replied, “Yes, sir, I do. I came to Christ a few years ago. This is not a Christian organization as such. It’s more like the military. But a preacher comes to us on Sundays, and we have a Bible study every Monday night.” “That’s so good to hear,” I replied. Bob went on: “I’ve had a rough life. I was on opioids from the age of 8 and I’ve broken 33 bones. Rodeos, motorbikes, and fights… But Jesus drew me up out of the pit.” That sounded a lot like Psalm 40… “Do you read your Bible?” “Yes, sir, I do. I need it for my soul.” “Absolutely,” I said and added: “But your body is important too. It’s the temple of the Holy Spirit. To recklessly damage your body or put it at risk was actually an insult to God. He made your body. But He also gave his Son to die for you and forgive you all your sins so that you would believe in him and have eternal life.” “Yes, sir. I do believe that.” “What about your men? Are they Christians too?” “I don’t really know,” he answered. “But I try to be a good role model and lead a clean life and help other people. I want to give back for all that God has given me.” “Keep up the great work, Bob, and God bless you and your men.” He grinned, looked me in the eyes, and gave me a firm handshake. And thank God for such organizations that put men back on track and allow many of them to realize that our body—made and redeemed by Jesus—is indeed the temple of the Holy Spirit.
By Rev. Tiews on 09/05/25
Just over eighty years ago, American troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Flossenbürg in northern Bavaria. Over the years of its existence, this camp held more than 100,000 people under horrific conditions. Many of its prisoners were literally worked to death, forced to provide slave labor for Germany’s war machine. But many inmates were executed. One of the most famous to be murdered was Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Protestant theologian who resisted the Nazi government and was hanged only weeks before the war ended. Among the other some 30,000 to perish in Flossenbürg was a man by the name of Erwin Tiews. My last name is very rare and even after years of genealogical research, I have yet to determine how I am related to this man. The original record you see here states his date of birth and date of death, along with a cryptic abbreviation: “BV.” This stands for “Berufsverbrecher”—“professional criminal” in German. But in the Third Reich, what exactly was a “criminal”? Our oldest daughter, Dr. Alina Just (née Tiews), who holds a PhD in post-World War II German history, shed some light on this question: “The term ‘BV’ was fluid. It did, in fact, often refer to common criminals,” she explained. “But sometimes resistance fighters, that is, people who secretly fought the Nazi government, were lumped into this category as well.” As Christians, we should always put the best construction on everything. So, I’m going to assume that dear “Onkel” Erwin was someone who fought the evil Nazi system, was caught and then interned in Flossenbürg, where he perished after three years of hard labor. That would mean that he chose to obey God rather than men. We must obey even the laws of even the most wicked governments, but if they try to force us to break any of the Ten Commandments, then we have to resist. As a German-American dual national and pastor, I say, “Rest in peace, Onkel Erwin” and thank you, dear G.I.s, for unlocking the gates of a man-made hell called Flossenbürg and rescuing thousands of poor souls from the jaws of death.
By Rev. Tiews on 01/05/25
“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8).
If you had told Martin Luther that one day the Gospel would echo through his homeland—not in Latin or even German, but in Persian and Dari—would he have believed you?
And yet, here we are.
Over the last decade, more than five million refugees—many from Iran and Afghanistan—have found shelter in Germany. And by God’s grace, many are also finding something greater: Christ. Through the quiet, faithful work of LCMS missionaries and local partners, more than 2,000 Persians have been baptized into saving faith. Some are now studying to become pastors.
We cannot preach in Tehran or Kabul. But the converts can—and do. They share Christ with family back home. They lead underground Bible studies. Some estimate that one in three Iranians now claim Christ. It’s not just mission work—it’s a wildfire of grace, spreading across borders we cannot cross.
And it’s not only the Persian world that meets Christ in Germany.
In southwestern Germany, we serve American soldiers and their families stationed far from home—bringing them Word and Sacrament in their heart language. And in the historic town of Wittenberg, Ukrainian refugees—some already Lutheran—gather for worship just steps away from the very pulpit where Luther once thundered grace alone.
Much of this takes place in the Old Latin School—a 16th-century building, lovingly restored, and now pulsing with new life. A Lutheran heartbeat in the heart of Europe.
We thank God for those who have stood with us in prayer and support. But we sense the time has come to go further—to dig deeper. There is more to do, and the harvest is ready.
Would you pray? Would you give? Would you come?
If your heart is stirred… if you sense the Spirit whispering… please contact me. You may be called to become more than a supporter. You may be called to stand with us—a stakeholder in the Kingdom.
And who knows? Perhaps, one day, from some dusty rooftop in Iran or a battered village in Afghanistan, the Gospel will be proclaimed… because of a seed planted in Germany… because you said yes.
Again, please contact me if you wish to take the next step.
God bless you!
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