Ten graduate from seminary in Nigeria
Filed Under: Africa, BWM, graduates, Missions, nigeria, World Missions
Ten students graduated from Christ the King Lutheran Seminary in the village of Uruk Uso, Nigeria, on April 5. Seven were ordained April 20 and will begin work in the parishes of All Saints Lutheran Church, a synod of about 5,000 souls that is in fellowship with Christ the King Lutheran Church and WELS. The other three will vicar until they are ordained in December.
"This will have the greatest impact on All Saints Lutheran Church," says Rev. Doug Weiser, WELS' liaison to Nigeria. "They have only had two pastors up to now. Adding seven pastors will greatly increase their outreach capacity."
Weiser is currently in Nigeria and celebrated with WELS' sister synods at the graduation. "It was a big service, staged on the school's soccer field," he said. "For me, the highlight was to preach the sermon and urge these new pastors to serve the Lord for love's sake."
The new graduates were trained through a joint worker training effort between Christ the King Lutheran Seminary and WELS. Seminary instruction is provided by the Nigerian national pastors, and traveling teams of WELS pastors supplement the curriculum with classes in the original biblical languages. The latest three-man team finished teaching in February.
"This is an example of how the churches in confessional fellowship can work together to accomplish common goals like worker training," says Dan Koelpin, administrator for WELS Board for World Missions. "We plan to continue this level of support in the future. It is a blessing to be able to accomplish these worthwhile goals without the presence of a resident missionary. There appears to be enough money in the Nigeria Special Fund to complete this round of training and then some."
Currently there are no more students studying at the seminary level—but according to Weiser, about twelve men will begin a new pre-seminary class in July of this year. "I hope and believe that both [Christ the King and All Saints Lutheran Churches] will continue to reach out and grow," says Weiser. "Everything has been going so well. Keep up the prayers."
Read more about Weiser's visit to Nigeria on the World Mission blog: http://missions.wels.net/wpmu/category/africa/nigeria/
