Rev Nkambule was a highly respected and dedicated member of our faculty who touched the lives of many students throughout his time at the Seminary. His commitment to the Lutheran Church and its Confessions was evident in all of his classes, and he will be deeply missed by all who knew them.

Rev Nkambule had served on the faculty of LTS since 2011. He was appointed seminary registrar in 2021.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. May they find comfort in the in the promise of the resurrection of the body and life everlasting for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Rest in peace, John. Your contributions to our Seminary and the Lutheran community will never be forgotten.

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On Monday, October 25, the last week of classes before the final examinations of 2021 had started. After class, Rev. Nkambule and Rector Hiestermann started calling in the students one by one to give them the opportunity to reflect on the past year at seminary, and share the positive and negative experienced they had.

On Tuesday, October 26, it was the birthday of our Greek lecturer Robert van Niekerk. To celebrate his birthday, Rev. van Niekerk brought cupcakes to seminary – with Greek written on them, of course…

In the afternoon, the last LTS Board and Member meeting of 2021 took place via Zoom.

On Wednesday, October 27, in the afternoon, brass band practice took place with Dr. Manfred Johannes. Students are very keen and classes are going well.

On Thursday, October 28, one of the younger students, Mongezi Mabaso, helped some of the older students to prepare for a computer literacy test on Friday. He showed them how to work with spreadsheets. For us lecturers, it is good to see that students are helping each other this way.

On Friday, October 29, at Matins, we remembered the Reformation started by Martin Luther in 1517. Rector Hiestermann preached on Galatians 5,1-6.

On Sunday, October 31, LTS lecturers Birru, Nkambule, and Hiestermann along with five students attended the farewell ceremony of LCSA bishop emeritus David Tswaedi in Soweto. Rev. Nkambule spoke a word of thanksgiving on behalf of the LTS.

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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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LTS faculty members Rev. Mbongeni John Nkambule was able to attend the symposium recently held on the campus of our American sister seminary, Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. Rev. Nkambule is also currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program at CTS. Having completed his required courses, this trip enabled Rev. Nkambule to take and pass his comprehensive examinations. He is now busy putting together his dissertation proposal. Once accepted, he will embark on the final stage of his studies – writing the doctoral dissertation.

In addition, the trip made it possible for Rev. Nkambule to receive books generously donated for LTS students by LCMS Disaster Relief and by the Office of President Matthew Harrison. Rev. Nkambule was willing to transport the books to the LTS in his personal luggage. He will be teaching the class on Diakonia (mercy work) to LTS students this semester for which the books were needed.

Thank you to all donors and to Rev. Nkambule for his gallant transportation efforts!

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The rector also called the children from the daycare forward to teach them about the significance and meaning behind the Luther Rose, which has come to serve as a symbol for Lutherans around the world.

Following the divine service, church history lecturer Rev. Dr. Karl Böhmer provided a festival address on the origins of the Reformation and on Lutheran identity today, highlighting the astonishing workload and prayer schedule of the Reformer Dr. Luther – astonishing because Luther so prominently accentuated the free gift of grace – and encouraging the students to pray as if all their work was of no avail, and to work as if all their prayers were of no avail, all the while receiving the Lord’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation where He gives them.

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Every year on the first Saturday in September, the LTS hosts its annual Open Day, welcoming guests, prospective students, members from the local community, representatives from church partners, and interested persons from near and far. This year was no different. Visitors were presented with a fascinating report on the genesis of the Kalanga Bible Translation which was presented in Francistown, Botswana at the end of August. Rev. Dr. Daniel Schmidt, a pastor of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (SELK) and former missionary to Botswana (LKM, Lutherische Kirchenmission, or Bleckmar Mission) was one of the masters of ceremony presenting the new translation there. The LTS currently has the privilege of Dr. Schmidt teaching a two-week intensive class to students on stewardship at the moment, along with Dr. Werner Klän, also from the SELK, who is teaching on the Formula of Concord. Fortunately for the LTS, Dr. Schmidt was willing to present at the Open Day on the work of the Botswana Bible Society and the presentation of the new Kalanga Bible translation. More information on the Kalanga Bible may be found here, here, and here.

Dr. Schmidt kindly and generously brought along dried Mopani worms from Botswana for the seminary community to sample. These are a primary food source in parts of southern Africa and seen as a local delicacy.

Serving as MC for the day was LTS lecturer Rev. Mbongeni John Nkambule. The seminary choir sang for the occasion and can be heard doing so on the LTS facebook page here and here. In addition, the Rector provided his report to the seminary and answered questions from attendees.

The Open Day was also graced by Mrs. Karin Niebuhr, long-time friend and co-worker at the LTS, who heads up the work of the LTS preschool / daycare along with her sister, Mrs. Imke Beier. Mrs. Niebuhr presented on the terrific work of the LTS and its achievements in a remarkably short space of time. Having begun with three children in 2014, the LTS preschool now is filled to capacity with 30 children from students and the local community.

Unfortunately, no picture of student representative Safari Chomachoma presenting on the LTS from the student perspective is available.

The Open Day concluded with a joint lunch, generously sponsored by FELSISA representative Mr. Hugo Meyer.

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It might seem somewhat redundant to say this, but a tertiary education institution without textbooks is a little like a fish without water. For much of this year, the LTS has had to get by without textbooks, due to financial constraints. Staff and students at LTS are all the more grateful to the Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society for their wonderful generosity in procuring textbooks for the second semester at LTS. Students are shown here receiving with open hands and hearts “Prepare the Way of the Lord” by Steinmann and Lessing, “Church and Office” by CFW Walther, “Christian Dogmatics III” by F Pieper, “Ethics of Sex” ed. by G. Grobien, “Pastoral Care under the Cross” by R. Eyer, and “Lutheran Catechesis” by P. Bender. Words do not suffice to express the full extent of our gratitude. A word of thanks also to the heavy lifters who brought the books back from the USA in their luggage (Rector Winterle, Rev. Nkambule, Bishop Maragelo).

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On Thursday, our visiting professors and two of our LTS faculty took a quick break from teaching for lunch and went over to Eastwood Café to take advantage of their lunch special. We are grateful for the unity in confession and teaching given by our Lord and through His Word.

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