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LTS Rector Dr. C. Walter Winterle is currently representing the LTS at the 2019 World Seminaries Conference of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) in Baguio City, the Philippines. The conference is being held from the 15th to the 18th of October. Leaders of ILC churches and representatives from ILC seminaries around the world have gathered under the theme “Confessional Lutheranism: Doctrinal Identity in Cultural Contexts.”

Keynote speakers at the conference include Prof. em. Dr. Werner Klän, Prof. Dr. Roland Ziegler from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, USA, Rev. Dr. Samuel Thompson of Concordia Theological Seminary in Nagercoil, India, and Prof. Dr. Christoph Barnbrock of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Oberursel, Germany.

More information on the conference is available here.

The pictures posted above were taken by Prof. Dr. Thomas Winger of the Lutheran Church-Canada. We are grateful for his permission to publish them.

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The library building extension and refurbishment was part of a multifaceted construction project which was accomplished over the space of more than three months in mid-2019. The groundbreaking for the extension took place in early June. The main project was the extension of the library building towards the north and south, with much-needed space being added to accommodate the seminary’s holdings of books and for a librarian’s desk for administrative purposes. In addition, the existing roof was sealed and painted, as were the exterior and interior walls, providing a serviceable and uniform appearance. Carpeting was laid and new shelves installed, with study desks being added to provide students with opportunity to research and write. The LTS library was recently equipped with new computers and electronic infrastructure to enable access to electronic books and journals as well.

All of this is in line with and in aid of the overall accreditation project at the LTS, with the academic program at the LTS being streamlined to comply with the standards administered by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Council on Higher Education (CHE). Such accreditation requires not only that the academic curriculum conform to the set standards, but that the library provides sufficient learning and assessment opportunities.

As it is, the infrastructure of the entire campus needs to comply with SAQA and CHE policies. As mentioned, the library expansion was part of a multifaceted project improving the LTS infrastructure. Improvements include the paving of large parts of the campus, revamping the main entryway, providing adequate seating on campus, upgrading electric wiring in the houses, and landscaping the areas around trees and flower beds. Future projects include the installation of additional signage, upgrading the interior of the LTS chapel, and purchasing needed books. We are grateful for the ongoing support the LTS receives and pray that it may continue to be a blessing to the Lutheran churches of Southern Africa through the training of confessional Lutheran pastors and church workers.

LTS Rector Dr. C. Walter Winterle observed the dedication of the revamped library and campus areas. Prof. em. Dr. Dr. Werner Klän, having presented a two-week set of intensive lectures on the Theology of the Book of Concord, officially represented our German sister church, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (SELK) at the dedication. Deaconess Grace Rao, hosting a women’s seminar at the LTS, was an official representative of the LCMS, our American sister church. In addition to the rector, Dr. Klän, Rev. Mbongeni John Nkambule, Mrs. Karin Niebuhr of the LTS Preschool/DayCare, Deaconess Rao, and LTS student representative Dumisani Mokobedi addressed the attendees at the dedication, giving thanks to the Lord God and speaking words of greeting and encouragement. After the dedication was performed, the new library was entrusted to the competent administration and oversight of LTS librarian Mintesinot Birru, originally of the Mekane Yesous Church in Ethiopia. Also in attendance at the dedication were numerous friends and supporters of the LTS.

Here follows a photo collage of the day’s events – in the knowledge that photos cannot do justice to the revamped campus. We invite all our friends and supporters to come to the LTS and to see the improvements for themselves! Thank you for your ongoing support! Please also continue to keep the LTS in your prayers.

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The Commission finalized the content of a reader documenting the available recorded history of the churches in question and the mission. At the same time, it is clear that the documentation is sorely incomplete due to the lack of oral history reflecting statements by eyewitnesses. The process of recording the oral history by means of interviews is turning out to be more difficult and protracted than expected.

The Commission agreed that this project needs to be completed as soon as possible, and so the chairman was requested to direct a written request to the participating churches highlighting the urgency of and need for ongoing cooperation, even after the publication of the reader.

All members are convinced that the events of the past continue to define in some ways and to burden the relationships between the sister churches. This makes it all the more imperative to continue with such multilateral dialogues, in order to promote reciprocal understanding in the congregations.

(Translated from SELK News)

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Once again, the LTS is very privileged to have two renowned and very capable lecturers from the German Lutheran scene teach intensive classes for two weeks. Both are well-known to the LTS community and very welcome among us. Prof. Dr. Werner Klän, recently retired from his long-time post as chair of systematics at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule of the SELK in Oberursel, Germany, is teaching on the Formula of Concord.  Rev. Dr. Daniel Schmidt, long-time missionary to Botswana and now pastor of the SELK congregation in Groß Oesingen, Germany, is teaching on stewardship. We are very grateful for these two men for their faithful service.

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