From: Rev. Robert L. Rahn
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 1:42 PM
To: Confessional Lutherans in Missionary Boldness
Subject: CLIMB: FW: Cedar Crest

Greetings,

The Cat Mom asked a few days ago why he hadn't seen something from me on the
Climb recently. His question coincided with some good news I received the
same day indicating that the Sudan government had permitted a visa to be
granted to travel there next week. I will be visiting the Christians in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan and will be ushering a sizeable group
into the fold through the Holy washing of Baptism that will include Rev.
Andrew Mbugo Elisa's son born in December. He had indicated to me that his
family wanted me to have the honor. I recommended against it and even
proposed he have a private Baptism and then a ratification. I guess my
advice was not taken.

I'll report on that visit after my return on May 8.

I hope you don't mind listening in on my message to Rev. Wargo and Cedar
Crest Lutheran Church thereby saving me some time about one of our latest
ventures reaching out to the Muslims.

The booklet is in its final stages and will probably be printed in Minsk,
Belarus and shipped back here.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rev. Robert L. Rahn [mailto:rrahn@lhfmissions.org]
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2002 1:05 PM
To: 'Wargo, Rev. Paul (home)'
Subject: Cedar Crest


Paul,

Here is a proposed article for the newsletter that encourages support for an
interesting approach to Muslims not just here in America but all over the
world. By reaching those settling in our own backyard, we can also use the
material in the countries from which they come. I believe there are among
them the hard core believers in the Koran who believe they can Muslimize the
"infidels of America."  It behooves us to preserve what Christianity is left
in America. I believe this is a crucial hour for the Gospel and the help we
can receive from Cedar Crest Lutheran will assist us in countering with the
message of genuine love as found in the Christ of Calvary.

R.R.


Lutheran Heritage Continues Expansion

The Lutheran Heritage Foundation continues to expand its mission efforts
around the world. In my last visit with you we were talking about the 68
different languages in which we were working. The number has now increased
to 80 and by the time of my next visit it could even be higher.

You met the Rev. Charles Wokoma of Nigeria. We encouraged him to return from
there and take a Call with the African Immigration Ministry of the Synod.
Things were just becoming too corrupt and dangerous in Port Harcourt. He
will continue the Kalabari project as time is available. He is serving in
the Houston area.

With the September 11 events, the LHF has been asked to put forth an effort
to reach out to Muslim population in the U.S. by translating, publishing and
distributing materials in the Arabic language. The first booklet of 40
pages, THE BIBLE: GOD'S HANDBOOK FOR LIVING is being prepared and 100,000
copies of this English/Arabic volume will be made available through the
partnership we have arranged with POBLO (People of the Open Book Lutheran
Outreach).

We believe it is important that the message of the Gospel, which is clearly
presented in the above booklet,  be shared with this growing population. We
are told that within the next year there will be 17,000 people from
Afghanistan settling between Grand Rapids and Lansing. There are other
languages represented in this group besides Arabic and we will be trying to
assist pastors and missionaries in reaching this group.

The Arabic materials published here will also be made available for our
missionaries in the Middle East, in Sudan and other areas represented by
these languages. This will be a massive effort in a situation where the
"nations are coming to us."

By helping to meet the challenge in our own backyard, we will also be
reaching out to "make disciples in all the nations."

The help from Cedar Crest Lutheran will be noted on the sponsorship page of
the next Arabic volume published.  Thank you for your partnership in making
the message of Jesus known.

Dr. Robert L. Rahn
LHF Executive Director

OTHER MATTERS

This past Thursday I joined the 25th anniversary celebration of Dr. Schulz
as Lutheran Hour Speaker. I combined the event with a stop at CPH to
register another milestone in LHF history when I presented to Jonathan
Schultz the first foreign copy of the Concordia Commentary Series, the first
volume of Luke in the Latvian language. This production is comparable, if
not superior, to the English volume and represents our intent to publish the
28 volume set in Latvian, Russian, Ukrainian and other languages "when they
find out" we are doing it in these languages.

The Rev. Ted NaThalang, LHF Branch Director, Thailand, accompanied me and we
also presented copies of Luther's SMALL CATECHISM, Sauer's STUDENT WORKBOOK,
and TEACHER'S GUIDE in the Thai language. The NaThalang's are moving to St.
Louis where Mrs. NaThalang will continue her position as Thailand Lutheran
Hour Supervisor. Ted will continue translation work and supervision of
Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar efforts.

It was my intent to give a report on my trip to Panama and Brazil, but when
I returned we were faced with many pressing decisions pertaining to the
speedy progress on the construction of the LHF World Mission Center. First
we had to plough through two years of permits and papers and were becoming
frustrated with all the delays and now we are thinking of ways to slow the
process or establish a new target for dedication. Our plan was to have a
double event- dedication and tenth anniversary on Nov. 10. We are now told
that everything could be completed, landscaping and all, by the first part
of August. Our Board meets in May to determine our plan, which now may be
two celebrations.

Panama plans, after our visit, include working on the publishing of a
Spanish Bible with the full Catechism as an addendum. We are currently
surveying some of the other Spanish missionaries to determine if they are
ready to go with us on our proposal to use a new translation based on the
NASB. The Panama Bible Society has been very cooperative and is willing to
negotiate the copyright with their parent body. Some like to stay with the
old and our question is whether or not it is time to make the transition.
This would be a rather significant approach and we want to make sure
everyone is favorable inclined. Our Panama missionary team is ready for
this.

By the way, I was and am impressed with the three-member team I met in
Panama City. They are to the man committed to a Word and Sacrament ministry
and the need to restore Lutheranism after the "soldiers moved out" at the
sale of the Panama Canal. I believe these men have taken the remnant
Lutheran group to the point where this field could see some significant
growth in the near future. It is a kairos time.

I hope this is not taken in a negative way, but it underscores the
importance of what the LHF does. When in Panama I heard it reported that
copies of the Catechism are currently being hid because they are in such
short supply. The missionaries want to use them where it is fairly certain a
person is going to become Lutheran. It is time (kairos) that we provide the
opportunity for a more generous use of this "little blue book that could."

By the way, that's going to be the title of a children's video we are going
to produce on the Catechism as we feature the various places where it has
significantly impacted Lutheran mission work. That's pretty much all over
the world. I believe the LHF is bringing back to the church an appreciation
for a volume that has been recently neglected in our circles.

We will be helping with some other things in Panama as we help in a field
that is served by genuine Lutherans. Does that mean that there are fields
where Lutherans aren't so genuine?? I'll not comment further but try to
produce the books that will help.

Moving over to Brazil and keeping in mind that the LHF has only gone to one
area of the world where it invited itself, that being Russia, we came here
at the invitation of the Rev. Carlos Winterle, Pres. of the Brazil Lutheran
Church. It was only four weeks ago but already off the press is CHRISTIAN
DOCTRINE by Koehler. It was actually a reprint in Portuguese that is being
put to the test at the Brazil Pastor's Conference.

Winterle came to our booth at the synod convention and said he was sent by
someone who said we might be able to help. He had a number of books
translated but no money to publish. He was stunned when our response was:
"when do you want to publish them?"

You may know that the Brazil Lutheran Church has been around for a while and
just recently all subsidy was stopped by LCMS. They are trying their best to
continue but do have some problems. One of their main problems is that they
have two seminaries, one in Sao Paulo and one in Sao Leopoldo. It is tough
to keep both operating and on one campus they have a grade/high school to
help with income but it won't be sufficient to maintain a rather elaborate
campus build by the LCMS. For this reason there isn't money for publishing
even though they have their own Concordia Publishing.

Of course the LHF can't continue its broad free publishing so we are looking
for alternate routes. That's the test for Brazil. Koehler will be published
free and the agreement is that they are to find out if their pastors will
purchase these for say $2.00 a copy and that they use the funds to establish
a "publishing fund." We will published the second book free with the same
stipulation. The third book will enter a 60-40 arrangement. We pay 60% and
they pay 40%. They are eager to test this concept and think it will be
feasible.

Our main work here will be to publish a hymnal and agenda to be presented at
their 100th anniversary convention in 2004.

You all know about Valpo, the school with which we were so impressed as we
started our ministry in 1961, all the hoopla and advertising and bigness and
everything. All of that was totally eclipsed when I visited what they call
ULBRA, the Lutheran University of Brazil. With 52,000 students it equals any
big university in the U.S. I visited with Pres. Becker and some of the staff
and I am amazed. If you invite me as a speaker I'll probably show some
slides of this school with a chapel in the center of the campus just being
completed. All sounds very familiar doesn't it? But they are closely
attached to the church, even are funding some of the seminary education. I
had some long conversations with Winterle about the history of Valpo and the
LCMS. I even raised the question whether the Univ is really running the
church because of its financial strength. The new campus Pastor called is
very Lutheran and I look for even greater things from that campus.

We went to one of the poorest sections of the city and found a clinic run by
ULBRA. We talked to a Vicar who did nothing but station himself in the
waiting room to speak to the hurting. He conducts Bible studies in the area
to which he invites these people. He also has devotions for the doctors and
nurses. I was impressed. All over the city there are signs advertising
ULBRA. I am told it is the third best known term in the area. Some survey
taken where people were supposed to state the first name that came to mind
when thinking of education.

The other problem they have is manpower. The reverse... too many pastors,
not enough congregations, at least ones that could support a Pastor.

I'm sorry that this is becoming a book.

Speaking of books, sorry to have to continue.  WE are preparing a book to be
released a short time before 9/11/02. This book will contain the Dean
Kavouras reports from NY. Now that he is going again we may include any
report he makes from this latest trip.

We are going to feature the messages as those that speak in times of
disasters and in "once in a lifetime situations,"  messages that maintain
the integrity of Lutheranism and faithfulness to the Scriptures, messages
that help, and heal and give hope without pandering to pantheism and other
syncretistic notions. Our people need to see how it is possible to minister
and maintain integrity in a pluralistic, one world religion stampede of
today.

With this volume of news, I leave you until the next chapter can be written
following our journey to Nairobi and Khartoum.

May the Lord bless the Word you preach and hear and may He keep you faithful
to it.

R.Rahn






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