Answers to Your Questions About the Future of the Synod’s Mercy Work

On Friday, LCMS World Relief and Human Care posted Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the Future of the Synod's Mercy Work. The link to the original PDF can be found here. The FAQ is reproduced below. This should alleviate some of the questions that have come up since the Synodical restructuring in July.

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Answers to Your Questions About the Future of the Synod’s Mercy Work and LCMS World Relief and Human Care

Q. I understand that WR-HC no longer exists. What happens to donations I’ve already given to LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC)?

A. While the WR-HC program board no longer exists, the WR-HC staff continues to work hard to share Christ’s mercy with people in need. If you designated your gift for WR-HC, rest assured that it will support WR-HC mercy work. The Board for Human Care Ministries (WR-HC’s supervising program board) was eliminated at the Synod’s 64th Regular Convention in July, but it’s important to understand that WR-HC’s mercy work continues to touch lives every day.

Any gift you designated to specific WR-HC ministries or projects will be used for that specific purpose. Likewise, any undesignated gift that you gave to WR-HC (perhaps for “where needed most”) will be used for LCMS mercy work. The World Relief and Human Care brand (Mercy Forever) continues to represent and stand for the mercy work of the Synod.

Q. I want to continue to support human care work through the LCMS. How do I do that now?


A. Please continue to send your gifts, made payable to LCMS World Relief and Human Care. Your gifts will be honored and processed as they always have been. You can make a gift three ways:

1. By mail (gifts by check):
   LCMS World Relief and Human Care
   P.O. Box 66861
   St. Louis, MO 63166-6861
   (Please make your check out to LCMS World Relief and Human Care.)
   
2. By telephone (credit card gifts): toll-free 1-888-930-4438
   
3. Online (credit card gifts): http://givenowlcms.org

Q. To ensure that my gift supports LCMS human care work, should I designate my gift for a specific WR-HC project?

A. You can support the general work of WR-HC (by designating your gift for “where needed most”) or you can designate a specific WR-HC project, category, or ministry. Here are some examples of how your gift may be designated:

• Where needed most: These gifts can be used in any area that supports WR-HC ministry, including support for unexpected needs and opportunities to share Christ’s mercy.
• WR-HC projects include: 1001 Orphans, Project 24, Building Homes and Hope in Haiti,
• Mercy Medical Teams.
• General need categories include: hunger, children, medical, water, education.
• WR-HC ministries include: Life Ministries, Health Ministries, Veterans of the Cross (to help impoverished church work retirees), Prison Ministry, Chaplaincy.

Q. How do I make sure my gift to WR-HC doesn’t disappear into the Synod’s “black hole”?

A. When you designate your gift for a specific WR-HC ministry or project, it will support that specific purpose. A WRHC core value continues to be integrity. Amid the changes mandated at the LCMS convention, our church body’s national office will work with integrity to reach out in mission and mercy — ensuring honor and accountability to all our donors and partners.

Q. Will programs and speaking engagements scheduled with WR-HC staff be honored?


A. Yes! All commitments for speaking engagements and programs by WR-HC staff will be honored unless you are otherwise notified.

Q. What will happen to existing WR-HC programs and projects?


A. Delegates to the 2010 LCMS convention approved realignment of LCMS programs under two mission boards, one each for domestic and international ministries. Since WR-HC includes both domestic and international mercy work, some programs ultimately may move under one of these two boards. Rev. Matthew Harrison, the Synod’s president-elect and former WR-HC executive director, has stated that any future change will happen over time, not immediately:

“Restructuring brings many challenges and questions for our Synod, which we will tackle with hard work and prayer. And I pray that as we work together, we also can equip our church to grow even stronger in what Lutherans are called to do — proclaim the Gospel and share acts of mercy that touch hurting people, today and for eternity.”

Q. When will the Synod restructuring approved at the LCMS convention take place and who will future ministry contacts be?

A. President-elect Harrison and his staff already are working to ensure a smooth transition. They are reviewing resolutions and bylaw changes approved at the convention. One such resolution asks that care be taken to ensure “decency and order” and avoid undue hardship on ministry and ministry staff in the wake of restructuring. The changes mandated at the convention will take months to implement. President-elect Harrison asks for your prayers as he and staff tackle the many challenges mandated at the convention. He prays that “as we work together, we also can equip our church to grow even stronger in what Lutherans are called to do — acts of mercy that touch hurting people, today and for eternity.”

If you have any other questions, please contact us at 1-800-248-1930, ext. 1380.

Mercy Forever

A Decade of Mercy: 2000 - 2010

This is the Decade of Mercy Video from LCMS World Relief and Human Care. I am humbled and proud to have been a part of this. LCMS World Relief and Human Care has done great work this past decade (admittedly I'm biased). And there is so much more work to be done... I write this sitting in Atlanta just after returning from Guatemala. I pray the LCMS continues to expand its on capacity (ability) to do works of mercy and that of our partners throughout the world. I will be proud of my time at LCMS WR-HC for the rest of my life. Sola Dei Gloria.

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Floods in Nashville Tennessee -- Reflections Pastor Carlos Hernandez

Rev. Carlos Hernandez of LCMS World Relief and Human Care was in the Nashville, TN area this past week. He sent me some reflections on the flood.

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 Even nine days after the flood volunteers were still mucking out flooded homes of residents in the hardest hit area of Bellevue Tenn where Redeemer Luth has set up a cong. –based and run volunteer operation. Pastor Phil Young is leading the effort with Will Marshall as Redeemer member serving as volunteer coordinator

Reflections by Pastor Carlos Hernandez, Director, LCMS World Relief and Human Care

Bellevue, Tennessee, May 11, 2010 - There is little agreement in the greater Nashville area on building codes after "the flood of 2010" or how much FEMA will "pay out" or even how long it will take for the area to fully recover.

There is agreement on one thing: Suburban Bellevue, ten miles west of Nashville was the hardest hit by the floods. The major tributary of the mammoth Cumberland River, the Harpeth River that flows through Bellevue,  overflooded after the Cumberland crested to 52 ft.!

Bellevue is home to Redeemer Lutheran Church where Rev. Phil Young is pastor.  In a new development where homes were still being built when the flood arrived, 500 of the  1,000 homes in the subdivision will need to be demolished.

Redeemer and Pastor Young had no choice but to "get into high gear" as member Will Marshall puts it, and respond with help. Four of their members lost most or all of their possessions in the flood. Sixteen others nearby residents asked Redeemer for help "mucking out" their flooded homes.

Today, Will Marshll (volunteer coordinator for Redeemer's response) and I visited each member's home to conduct an assessment and share words of pastoral encouragement.

 Frank and Julia Hadrick, Retired Pastor Rev. Chris Powell,  Joe and Mary Cottrell and and Gina Fromm - all Redeemer members - were encouraged by our presence and by assurance of potential assistance from LCMS World Relief and Human Care.

They all responded with same sentiment, one we often hear accross the country,

"Every little bit helps."

 After a sack lunch provided by the Redeemer volunteers, we visited several more homes of Pastor Andrew Abraham congregation in Antioch, Tenn.

Our long day concluded with assessment and pastoral words of encouragement to residents of Country Meadows Mobile home court where a lot of Mexican immigrants live. Many of them were still living in their mold-infested homes. 

I especially enjoyed visiting with Irma Lira and her husband, Francisco and their neighbors, Lozano Morales and his wife, Ethela Mendez. The have many critical needs, but still exuded joy and hope as we prayed with them and their children.

Pastor Ken Shaw who is my gracious host and driver speaks spanish and will follow up on assessing the critical needs of folks most neglected in disaster relief efforts.     

These humble folk from Mexico are surely ones Jesus had in mind when he refered to the "least of his bretheren" in urging his followers of each epoch to demonstrate compassionate mercy in times of crisis.

Rows of debris of mucked out belongings a common scene in Nashville reminiscent of Katrina

Building Homes and Hope in Haiti

Rev. Glenn Merritt Narrates the building of a Home in Haiti

On Friday, I received this video from Rev. Glenn Merritt who is in Jacmel, Haiti with a team from LCMS World Relief and Human Care. On his team, Rev. Carlos Hernandez, Al Dowbnia, and Hans Springer. LCMS World Relief and Human Care, under the direction of Rev. Matthew Harrison, has partnered with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti (ELCH) and volunteers in the United States for the project, "Building Homes and Hope in Haiti." In the video above, Glenn describes the project.

To give to Haiti Earthquake Relief, LCMS World Relief and Human Care:

Haiti Update from Rev. Glenn Merritt

Rev. Glenn Merritt Meets with Marky Kessa and Revenal Benoit

To Discuss Disaster Plans

Yesterday, Rev. Glenn Merritt returned from his fourth trip to Haiti since the earthquake in January 2010. Glenn noted that in comparison to previous trips, people are out and about on the streets more and that commerce is taking place. With over 1 million people displaced by the earthquake, the top priority in terms of relief is shelter. After shelter, hygiene and sanitation is the second most important priority. In his phone interview he discusses some of LCMS World Relief and Human Care's plans to provide temporary shelter to assist people in Haiti. He also noted plans for two assessment teams sent by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti to help fine tune the relief plans. President Kieschnick accompanied Rev. Glenn Merritt for a portion of his trip to Haiti.

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Haiti Update Audio Interview with Rev. Glenn Merritt

Sidney and President Kessa standing near 

the LCMS World Relief and Human Care Disaster Sign

Rev. Glenn Merritt LCMS World Relief and Human Care

Videos Presidents Kieschnick and Kessa passing out Arch Books to children

Provided courtesy of LCMS World Relief and Human Care and Concordia Publishing House

Chilean Lutheran church assesses damage, plans post-quake response

From the LCMS World Relief and Human Care Website:

Many streets in Chile are closed because of the danger of buildings falling down and the huge amounts of debris that fell during the Feb. 27 earthquake. Photo courtesy of Miguel Luis Allamand Aldunate.

As he travels to areas hit hardest by the earthquake and tsunami, Rev. Carlos Schumann, president of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile (IELCHI) sees tremendous destruction but also opportunities to pray and share the Gospel with hurting survivors.

“We have a lot of work here in evaluating the situation and determining what steps we should follow,” Schumann said in a March 3 e-mail to LCMS World Relief and Human Care's Rev. Carlos Hernandez.
One Chilean Lutheran pastor lost his home in the Feb. 27 disaster that killed more than 800 people and left some 2 million people homeless. LCMS World Relief and Human Care continues to monitor needs in Chile and stay in close touch with the LCMS partner church.
“God's timing is not ours,” said LCMS World Relief and Human Care Executive Director Rev. Matthew Harrison. “God's ways and thoughts are never ours. But all trials and struggles happen that He may 'conform us to the image of His Son' (F.C., S.D. XI.48). The need in Chile is enormous. And we will come alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ as they reach out to their neighbors in Word and deed."

Schumann is traveling with an IELCHI assessment team to communities served by Chilean Lutheran pastors, including in Santiago, Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, and Quilpue. The IELCHI president said the church plans to focus on “small localities that have, comparably, suffered much more than the large cities and which have been forgotten and overlooked by the TV cameras.”

The LCMS partner church plans to provide for immediate urgent and basic needs, both material and spiritual, and also assist with long-term rebuilding efforts.

Plans are in the works for Rev. Dr. Jorge Groh, regional director for LCMS World Mission in Latin America and the Caribbean, to visit Chile March 12 as LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick's representative to the Chilean Lutheran church to help evaluate the opportunities for post-disaster ministry and to encourage the leaders and members of the IELCHI. LCMS World Relief and Human Care tentatively is planning to send a two or three-person team to Chile under the direction of Rev. Glenn F. Merritt, director of Disaster Response.

The LCMS partner church is small, including five pastors, 200 members, three missions, and two schools with 900 students.

On behalf of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, LCMS World Relief and Human Care (the mercy arm of the LCMS) is working cooperatively with LCMS World Mission (the mission sending arm of the LCMS), LCMS congregations and districts, and U.S. and international partners to provide immediate and long-term relief for the people of Chile and Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile (IELCHI). Learn more about the LCMS' partner/sister church, the IELCHI, on their Web site at www.ielchi.cl.

President Kieschnick Gives Update About His Trip to Haiti

Last evening, President Kieschnick returned from Haiti. While in Haiti he was accompanied by representatives from LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Rev. Glenn Merritt, and LCMS World Mission, Rev. Dr. Jorge Groh and James Neuendorf, as well as Rev. Dr. Doug Rutt from Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne (CTSFW). The entire group met with President Kessa of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti (ELCH) and visited areas affected by the disaster.

This morning in chapel at the International Center in Saint Louis, President Kieschnick gave an update about Haiti. After chapel, he invited us to his office to tell us what he saw and to receive feedback from us in a couple of areas.

President Kieschnick and the LCMS Communications team posted a video update here, but also provided below.

1001 Orphans Kenya and More

Children at Kisumu

One of the privileges I've had since working at LCMS World Relief and Human Care was to visit Kenya on a few occasions and to see the work of the Missouri Synod's partner church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya (ELCK). Walter Obare is the bishop of the ELCK. Way back when I was a student at Concordia Seminary Saint Louis, Walter Obare was on campus doing some study and working in the mail room. Remembering back to those days, I remember a fellow student coming up to me and saying, "Dude, you have got to meet this guy. He's a bishop of an African church working on our mail room." Little did I know years later I would have the opportunity to visit Kenya and see Bishop Obare's church. Come to think of it... how humble for a bishop to be working in the mail room.

Bishop Obare and Collver in South Africa, August 2009

One of the projects that we have been able to do in South Africa in partnership with the Lutheran Church in Kenya is 1001 Orphans. Now orphan support for the church is nothing new. In Kenya, there are a large number of children in need due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Ordinarily in Kenyan society, family members would take care of the children of their relatives who are in need, and this is still typically what occurs. However, there are instances where several brothers or sisters died of HIV/AIDS leaving no relatives left to take care of the children. The Lutheran church in Kenya has identified this as a need.

The actual name "1001 Orphans" came from working with another partner and RSO of LCMS WR-HC, Concordia Lutheran Ministries (CLM). Keith Frndak had the idea that 1000 children would be identified who could be "sponsored" by people in the United States. The "Thousand and One" indicates that there always is one more child in need of assistance. The idea was that after 1000 children were sponsored, another 1000 would be identified and the program could continue.

Jamison Hardy, Keith Frndak, Collver at CLM

From the LCMS Website:

1001 Orphans is a new opportunity to reach out with Christ’s love to orphans and disadvantaged children. The goal: to reach 1,000 children, "plus one lost sheep" – a reminder that there is always one more child who needs care, that the church’s work is never done.

In its first phase, there is a special emphasis on orphans and disadvantaged children living in Kenya. We hope the Kenya program is so successful, 1001 Orphans can expand into other regions of the world.

In Kenya, one of the main people administering 1001 Orphans is Pastor David Chuchu. He is the counterpart for Rev. Matthew Harrison for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya. He does the "mercy" projects there.

Listen to my radio interview on KFUO AM from July 1, 2009 on 1001 Orphans.

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There is much more information about 1001 Orphans on the LCMS WR-HC page and in the November 2009 Lutheran Witness.

I'm off to Pittsburgh today to meet with CLM.

Kibera Slums

First Sunday in Lent, Madagascar, and A Mighty Fortress

Matthew 4:1 - 11, Temptation of Jesus

"This is a comprehensive Gospel, particularly when applied to all Christendom, which also experiences trials, like Christ, by hunger and persecution, by heresy and finally by the kingdoms of this world, as the histories to the subject also well document. But on this occasion we shall not deal in a far-ranging way with temptation but as it is commonly understood. So, first, we want to note and learn from the example of our dear Lord Christ that every Christian as soon as he's baptized, is marshaled into an army in confrontation with the devil, and from his baptism onward is saddled with the devil who harasses him as long as he lives. If this bitter enemy cannot by his onslaughts get the better of Christians and bring about their downfall, he seeks to hang them on the cross and kill them as he did Christ. ... We can learn from Christ's encounter with Satan how to deal with and overcome this adversary, so that he's forced to let us go. ... It is the bounden duty, therefore, of every Christian to earnestly hear God's Word and its preaching, diligently learn and become well-versed therein. We also should persevere in earnest prayer that God would let his kingdom come among us, not lead us into temptation, but graciously deliver us from all evil."

Luther on Invocavit Sunday (Lent 1), 1534.

The House Postils, trans. Klug, 313.

Lutheran Congregation in Antsirabe, Lent 2007

Three years ago, I remember being in Madagascar for Invocavit Sunday (Lent 1). It was an incredible trip on many levels. One of the most significant memories I have is of the first Sunday in Lent and worshiping at the Lutheran Congregations in Madagascar. Call be ignorant, but at the time, I was unaware that there are about four million Lutherans in Madagascar. The Lutheran Church in Madagascar is larger than the Missouri Synod! Like all churches, the church in Madagascar has challenges and pressures -- even factions, some being closer to the Missouri Synod and others being closer to the ELCA. None of this diminishes the joy of being with the Malagasy Lutherans during Lent.

Front of the Mother Church In Madagascar

Pastor David Rakotonirina, President of a seminary in Madagascar, took us to three congregations on the first Sunday int Lent. The first congregation that we attended was in the city. We went to the 6 AM service. People in Madagascar sometimes work six or seven days in the week. So the church has a 6 AM service so people can attend before they go to work. Approximately 2,000 people attended that 6 AM service. We stopped by a second service around 9 or 10 AM to see another 2,000 people in attendance. Finally, we went to the "mother church" -- the church that began Lutheranism in Madagascar around 1860 or 1870; you see the Lutheran church in Madagascar is about the same age as the Missouri Synod -- about 10 or 15 years younger. As a result, the liturgy including some of the melodies and tones, and the church architecture are remarkably similar to Missouri Synod congregations from the same period. There were also about 2,000 people at that final service at noon held in the "mother church." In three congregations, there were nearly 6,000 people in attendance on a Sunday. Incredible. Many LCMS Congregations would be hard pressed to have 2,000 people at 6 AM. While the number of attendees was hard not to notice, the overall experience was rather encouraging for me. The Lord has a people for himself all over the world. 

Albert Collver and John Pless in the Cemetery of the Mother Church in Madagascar

 The worship in Madagascar was unmistakably liturgical. In fact, some of the canticles had the same melodies as the Missouri Synod's hymnal. This had to do with the fact that the Common Service had in some form reached the Malagasy. The Lutheran church in Madagascar was started by Norwegian Missionaries. After the king in Madagascar converted to Christianity, he sent his son to Norway to study to be a pastor. After his training, he returned to Madagascar as the first Malagasy Lutheran pastor. The Gospel lesson was Matthew 4:1-11, the temptation of Jesus, and the traditional Gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Lent. We sang, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," which is the hymn of the day for Lent 1. I mentioned this experience in my story on "A Mighty Fortress" for the Lutheran Witness (reproduced below).

So three years later, I fondly recall our trip to Madagascar, being united with fellow Christians through the liturgy, a common lectionary, and the hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Although I have not had the opportunity to return to Madagascar, I remember the people I met and pray for the church in Madagascar. This trip was not the end of the Missouri Synod's contact with the Malagasy Lutheran Church. John Pless for the past three years has taken groups of seminarians to Madagascar for a Mercy Expedition, sponsored in part by LCMS World Relief and Human Care. We have sent several Mercy Medical Teams (MMT) to Madagascar. We have helped build a pediatric wing for a Lutheran hospital. Who knows what the future will bring? Lutheran churches all over the world, even some non-Lutheran churches, are seeking contact with the Missouri Synod -- largely due to our church's doctrinal position in light of a relativism that has swept Christianity in the world. It's Time for us to engage the world with Confessional Lutheranism.

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"A Mighty Fortress," from Luther Witness, October 2009

As a boy I remember celebrating our bicentennial in 1976. Everyone was proud to be an American, or so it seemed to a child. All across the nation were decorations of red, white, and blue. Fireworks lit up the night sky and parades rolled down the streets of cities and towns during the day. People had renewed interest in the founding fathers, and there was talk of freedom and liberty. Churches offered prayers for the nation, and pastors spoke with thankfulness on how the Lord had blessed America. When the “Star Spangled Banner” played, people were proud, and some were brought to tears. This was America’s song of independence, full of pride and hope.
I also remember being in church in October 1976 as the organ played “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” The procession marched down the aisle with the cross in front. The pastors wore robes with scarlet stoles. The entire congregation roared with lusty singing. What a moment! How proud I was to be a Lutheran on Reformation Day. When I sang “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” I felt as if I were thumbing my nose at the devil, the world, and all enemies of the Church. This hymn was the song of the Reformation, full of hope and pride.
Yet, is there more to this great hymn than I imagined at the time?

Seeking comfort in distress

Photo of Wartburg Castle by istockimages.com

Many people today think of “A Mighty Fortress” as the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation.” It is one of the most translated hymns in the history of the Church, having been translated into more than 200 languages. What many of us might not realize is that the Festival of the Reformation was not celebrated during Luther’s lifetime. Therefore, the hymn was not written to celebrate the Reformation, which is the commemoration of the publication of the Ninety-five Theses on Oct. 31, 1517. Only later, after the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), when the Reformation was celebrated as a regular part of the church year in Saxony, Luther’s home region, did the hymn become associated with the festival.
Considering that “A Mighty Fortress” is Luther’s most famous hymn, we know remarkably little about it. Nor are we even sure when Luther wrote it. The earliest existing hymnal in which it appears is from 1533. (From the records of 19th-century hymnologists we know that there were a few hymnals that contained “A Mighty Fortress” before 1533, but these hymnals were destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during World War II.) Most scholars think Luther wrote the hymn between 1521 and 1529, with the majority of scholars settling on 1527–28.
These years were some of the darkest in Luther’s life. A heading from a broadsheet (something akin to modern “sheet music”) of “A Mighty Fortress” published in Augsburg in 1529 reads “A Hymn of Comfort.” Rather than a battle hymn, Luther intended this hymn, based on Psalm 46, to be one of comfort. While we are not certain what prompted Luther to write the hymn, scholars have suggested a number of events during these dark years.
In August 1527, a man who followed Luther’s teaching was martyred. In the fall of 1527, a plague broke out in Wittenberg. In December 1527, Luther wrote to a colleague: “We are all in good health except for Luther himself, who is physically well, but outwardly the whole world and inwardly the devil and all his angels are making him suffer.” A few days later, in January 1528, Luther wrote that he was undergoing a period of temptation that was the worst he had experienced in his life.
When Luther speaks of “temptation,” he uses the German word. While Anfechtung is translated “temptation” or “trial,” it refers to anything that causes anxiety, doubt, fear, suffering, or terror in a person’s life. For instance, in December 1527, Luther’s daughter, Elizabeth, was born sickly. In May 1528, she died. The six months of wrestling with the Lord in prayer to save his sick daughter was a period of temptation (Anfechtung) for Luther. He was mentally and spiritually fatigued. He was under the cross of suffering. Yet, he took comfort in the Psalms and trusted in the promises of Jesus.

Struggles in the Church
Besides the challenges brought on by the plague and tragedy in his personal life, struggles abounded in the Church. From 1517 to 1525, most of Luther’s focus was on abuses within the Roman church. From 1525 onward, the struggles came from multiple fronts. Luther felt that his family, reputation, and work for the Reformation—that his entire existence—was at stake.
Because of its association with Reformation Day, many people not only think of “A Mighty Fortress” as the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation,” but also as a battle cry against the pope and Rome. Yet, when Luther likely wrote the hymn, his greatest challenge arose from other groups that had broken away from Rome. There were people who claimed to follow the Bible (and Luther) who wanted to revolt against the government, something Luther did not approve of. Others questioned whether pastors were necessary; they believed anyone could proclaim the Word of God. Some doubted whether infants should be baptized. The greatest and most divisive controversy among the reformers also took place during these years—the Sacramentarian Controversy, that is, the fight over the Lord’s Supper.
For 1,500 years, the Church had understood and confessed that Jesus gave His true body and true blood to eat and to drink in Holy Communion. No one within the Church questioned this. After the Reformation began, various interpretations about the Lord’s Supper appeared. People argued that Jesus could not really mean what He said, and that the words, “This is My body . . . This is My blood” needed to be understood in a different way. For instance, the Swiss reformer Zwingli argued that “is” did not mean “is” but rather “symbolized.” Others argued that it is impossible for Jesus to put His body and blood on many altars at the same time. Still others said that because Jesus’ body was in heaven, it could not be on earth, too. In total, several hundred different interpretations appeared, all denying that Jesus actually gave His body and blood to eat and to drink in the Lord’s Supper.
Luther saw this controversy as directly related to the proclamation of the Gospel. He believed that the literal words of Jesus needed to be confessed and defended.
In this controversy, Luther argued that there was nothing more true, certain, or powerful than the Word of God. Indeed, the Lord’s Word is a “mighty fortress.” In the battle between Luther and the Sacramentarians, the Lord’s Word was the “trusty shield” to defend against their error and the “weapon” used to fight against them. The evil foe was using deceit and “deep guile” to obscure the words of Jesus.
In stanza 3, the hymn says, “Though devils all the world should fill.” Luther truly believed he was living in the Last Days because the preaching of the Gospel—that we are justified by grace through faith—and the Scriptures were clearly taught, and controversy after controversy arose. The world seemed full of “devils” perverting the Lord’s teaching. The stanza concludes, “One little word can fell him.” In the case of the controversy over the Lord’s Supper, the little word that “can fell” the devil is “is” from the Lord’s words, “This is My body . . . This is My blood.”
The hymn concludes by confessing that the Word of the Lord will remain in the world even if people are not thankful for it. In Luther’s day, there was the very real danger that he could lose his life, all his possessions, his reputation, and his family. Nevertheless, he sings confidently that “our victory has been won; the Kingdom ours remaineth.” Luther’s hymn is one of comfort and hope in the midst of trial and temptation, and strife within the Church.

A Hymn That Unites

A rare copy of an early printing of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." This copy is in the Lutherhaus Museum in Wittenberg.

A few years ago, I visited Madagascar. A vibrant Lutheran church exists there numbering in the millions. We arrived in time for worship on the first Sunday in Lent. While we could not understand the words spoken, many parts of the service were familiar because the liturgy of our churches is similar. The Gospel reading for the first Sunday in Lent is the temptation of Jesus. After 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted in every way that you and I will ever be tempted. He was tempted to question and doubt the very promises of God. In the midst of His temptation, Jesus “felled” the devil with one little Word. He called on the promises of God recorded in the Scriptures. Because Jesus defeated the devil’s temptations, we know that in Him we, too, will overcome the devil’s temptations and trials. After this comforting Gospel lesson was read, we heard the melody of “A Mighty Fortress.” Here in Madagascar, thousands of miles from our churches in America, the Malagasy were singing this great hymn of comfort. Through a common liturgy, lectionary, and this famous hymn by Luther, Lutherans around the world were united in confessing how the Lord is our Mighty Fortress.
Although my understanding of this great hymn has changed since I was a boy, I still love to sing “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” on Reformation Sunday. Now rather than being merely the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation,” the hymn is so much more for me. It is the great hymn of comfort in the midst of trial, suffering, and temptation. This hymn reminds us how Martin Luther, and others, preached the truth in love in the face of many obstacles and hardship. Rather than finding a single event behind this hymn, we can see how the plague, the death of his child, the controversies in the church, and other struggles in his life caused Luther to cling to his Lord, who is the Mighty Fortress of all those who trust in Him. Because of this, we can sing this great hymn of comfort, not only on Reformation, but also during Lent and whenever we are in need of comfort.

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Albert B. Collver

2007 LCMS World Relief and Human Care Convention Video Report

Recently, the staff of LCMS World Relief and Human Care have been discussing the upcoming Synod convention to be held in Houston, TX, July 2010. A part of conventions is to report what has happened over the past triennium. Consequently, we are discussing what has occurred in the realm of disasters and the relief efforts provided as well as other human care projects from the past three years. As might be expected, the recent earthquake in Haiti is first and foremost on our minds, especially among those of us who traveled to Haiti. As we ponder how to present our work from the past three years to the Synod in Convention, I thought I'd share with you the convention video report from 2007. Lots of memories return recalling the events of July 2007. Right after the convention, I went to Brazil for the 11th Luther Congress in Canoas. No doubt many more memories will be made this summer in Houston.

The report we gave to the 63rd Regular Synod Convention in 2007 covers several natural disasters: Hurricane Ivan (16 September 2004), Asian Tsunami (26 December 2004), Hurricane Katrina (28 August 2005), Tornado Greensburg KS (4 May 2007). Not sure about you, but I remember where I was at when the news first reported each of these events. The video also thanks the people, agencies, and entities of the MIssouri Synod for assisting in these disasters. The Tsunami of 2004 took about 230,000 lives, similar to the death toll of the earthquake in Haiti. However, the damage from the tsunami was limited to a few hundred yards to maybe a 1/2 mile or so from the shore. The earthquake in Haiti destroyed a stretch of land equal to the distance from Collinsville, IL to Ellisville, MO. Both disasters ended many lives in a few moments and left a stretch of devastation. Even five and six years after the Asian Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, all that was destroyed has not been rebuilt. Something to consider, if New Orleans with the heavy equipment and assistance of the US Government is not entirely back as it was before Hurricane Katrina after five years, how long will it take Haiti to rebuild?

At the 2007 Convention, a certificate of Grateful Commemoration was also presented to the convention for the assistance provided by the Districts, congregations, people, and institutions of the Missouri Synod that provided help for those in need from Hurricane Katrina. The certificate was signed by the Synod President and all the District Presidents, as well as by Matthew Harrison, the Executive Director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care.

(Click Photo to See Larger Image)

(Click Photo to See Larger Image) 

President Kieschnick Signing the Commemoration with Matthew Harrison

Photo Update from MMT in Port au Prince

Jacob Fiene, Manager of Mercy Medical Teams for LCMS World Relief and Human Care, has sent these photos from the clinic at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Port-au-Prince. Good Shepherd is Rev. Thomas Bernard's parish. The team arrived on site Monday, February 15th.

A Child Being Assisted

Pharmacy at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Port-au-Prince

Impressions of Haiti by Jacob Fiene

The work of unburying and rebuilding Haiti continues. In an interview with the Associated Press, Haiti's President Rene Preval said, "It will take 1,000 trucks moving rubble for 1,000 days, so that's three years. And until we move out rubble, we cannot really build." This unimaginable task has left its impression on the LCMS World Relief and Human Care teams that have been in Haiti.

This morning I received a message from Jacob Fiene, Manager of the Mercy Medical Teams (MMT) for LCMS World Relief and Human Care. Jacob arrived on the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti a few days before my first trip; we overlapped on another trip. Now Jacob has returned to Haiti to run a clinic in Port-au-Prince.

Impressions of Haiti by Jacob Fiene


Today was the first day of clinics in Port of Prince. This is our fourth team and the third that I have led.

As we drove into the city, the level of destruction soon became clear. First is was every few structures that had crumbled to the ground. As we drew closer into the city, entire blocks lay in ruins.


As the scale of destruction dawned on me, I began thinking back on the patients at the hospital in Jimani. I had seen in their eyes the trama they were experiencing. I had seen open fractures and severed limbs and had thought, "What a horror this must have been for these people!" I knew then and still know now that I will never understand the tragedy they had endured, but now I was a step closer to gaining a  glimpse of the pain of those who remain alive on this earth.


Driving into the city, nothing could have prepared any of us for these sights. No number of photographs or hours of news coverage would ever be able to demonstrate the sights, sounds, and smells in this city.  No matter how hard I tried to focus on the coming clinics, the same word continued to dominate my thoughts:"Hopeless.... hopeless."

I had to take a step back in my mind and remind myself of why we had come here. "One person at a time," I told myself.


As the shock wore away and the discussions with patients and Haitian pastors began, I realized that the situation here in Haiti is not hopeless. This event will never be forgotten, and the course of history in Haiti and the rest of the world will be forever changed. However, the spirit of the Haitian people will not be broken. They will continue to morn the loss of life, yet their faith in God has been strengthened.


As each patient recieves treatment, as each family recieves a bag of food and the decades go by and life transitions back into some resemblance of normalcy, let us never forget the strength and faith  of the Christians in Haiti. No one knows the pains and hardships of this earth better than they, yet they have demonstrated a profound understanding of God's peace.


That is what I will take home with me when I return to the United States--not stories of brave and caring Americans, nor the narrative of a hopeless future. I will take home with me a lesson from the  
people of Haiti: that no pain or loss on this earth can ever outweigh God's mercy.

Matthew Harrison and Marky Kessa Discuss Future in Haiti

I got this video from Glenn Merritt, Director of Disaster Response LCMS World Relief and Human Care. Check out his blog http://disasterman47.blogspot.com/. Matthew Harrison and Marky Kessa discuss intermediate and long term plans for the LCMS response to the earthquake in Haiti and how to build the capacity of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Haiti (ELCH).

Interview with Rev. Thomas Bernard

"Some people say that this earthquake happened because of the sins of the Haitian people, but I do not see it that way. Jesus answered for the sins of the world on the cross. He is not trying to get us to pay for our sins, he has already done that. What has happened in Haiti could happen in other countries too." 

--Rev. Thomas Bernard.

He also mentioned that the US Geological Survey is predicting a possibility of a magnitude 8 earthquake in the next 90 days.

Good Shepherd Lutheran in Port-au-Prince

Interview with First Lutheran Pastor in Haiti

Rev. Dorise Jean Louis Speaks with Rev. Matthew Harrison

In the interview above, Rev. Dorise Jean Louis tells the story of how he became the first Lutheran pastor in Haiti. He is from the central plateau in Haiti. After finishing school in Haiti, he went to a seminary in Jamaica. In his second year of seminary, Pastor Louis had a class called comparative religion. One day in this class, the professor asked "student" Louis a question about predestination. Instead of a "baptist" answer, Louis gave a "Lutheran" answer. Pastor Louis' confession about predestination illustrates why Luther's Bondage of the Will is such an important book -- the freedom of God is essential to preserving the Gospel; God's freedom to save poor, miserable, undeserving sinners, is the freedom of grace; it is the freedom of the Gospel and key to justification by grace through faith. 

After Pastor Louis gave his answer, he was asked, "How can a baptist give a Lutheran answer to the question about predestination?" Then Pastor Louis said, "What is Lutheran?" He had never heard what a Lutheran was. He was told that he would not remain a Baptist but become a Lutheran. 

In 1977, after finishing seminary in Jamaica, he visited a Haitian friend in Kentucky when contact was made with the late, Dr. Robert Preus. In his meeting with Dr. Preus, Pastor Louis expressed a desire to learn more about Lutheranism and to start a Lutheran Church in Haiti. Contact was made with the LCMS Mission Board. One thing led to another and a Lutheran church in Haiti was started.

Although Pastor Louis' church is not a sister church to the LCMS, the Haitian pastors, including Marky Kessa have great respect for Pastor Louis and say that they are Lutheran because of him. He was the pioneer who brought Lutheranism to Haiti.

The cross was damaged at First Lutheran Church in Port-au-Prince by the earthquake.

The Sanctuary of First Lutheran Church in Port-au-Prince

LCMS World Relief Human Care team with with Rev. Dorise Jean Louis at First Lutheran in Port-au-Prince

Quite literally, the First Lutheran Church in Port-au-Prince, or Haiti for that matter.

Ebenezer Lutheran Church, served by Rev. Dorise Jean Louis. Note the Luther Rose Window

Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Port-au-Prince Haiti

Welcome to Ebenezer Evangelical Lutheran Church

Among the Rubble, Sustained by Faith

"Among the Rubble, Sustained by Faith", REFLECTIONS By Rev. Carlos Hernandez, Director, Districts and Congregations, LCMS World Relief and Human Care

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - It's a surreal, almost apocalyptic experience seeing the massive destruction everywhere and on every street in Port au Prince from the windows of our SUV, stopping along the way and walking around to get a closer look.

We are on our second trip to Haiti as an Assessment/ Pastoral Care team that includes this writer (Rev. Carlos Hernandez), Rev. Glenn Merritt, Rev. Albert Collver, John Edson (LCMS World Relief and Human Care Board member) and our Executive Director, Rev. Matthew Harrison.

Last week we were thrust into intense Pastoral Care at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic where patients were jumping off second story wards after two more strong earthquakes sent people frantically rushing outdoors.

Today on our rugged journey from Jacmel to Port au Prince through a treacherous 8,000 feet mountain pass, our agile driver and gracious host is The Rev. Markey Kessa, President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti.

He is a tireless, gospel-centered, compassionate Churchman/Theologian with a practical, no-nonsense business background. He is already providing strong leadership and forging collegial partnerships for the long Haitian disaster recovery work ahead of us.

As President Kessa skillfully weaves in and through the streets of Port au Prince, we see a mass of humanity - people every where on the cluttered, earthquake debris-strewn roadsides.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic, not including the ever present mini-motorcycles, spews even more smog reminiscent of auto-dependant Los Angeles. The smoke from the hundreds of wood-burning fires for makeshift cooking adds to the errie black cloud hanging over this devastated city.

The streets of Port au Prince, perhaps already as dangerous as any urban enclave before the earthquake, are much more volatile and prone to violence now as homeless victims of the destructive disaster clamor for basic survival needs.

Violence, toxic air and hunger are forcing thousands out of the city into the rural countryside - a diaspora of historic proportions.

Yet even as chunks of concrete are still falling from buildings that appear to be on the verge of collapsing, fruit and vegetable vendors are open for business for as far as the eye can see.

Interspersed between the food merchants are sellers of every concievable piece of merchandise.

In the U.S., these disaster compromised, unsafe areas would be "roped-off," off-limits and buzzing with bulldozers and an assortment of demolition equipment with dump trucks hauling off the debris.

But from what we see today, Port au Prince seems to be grossly neglected. This city of nearly three million, for now, has been left to pretty much fend for itself.

But even among the rubble, the suffocating stench of death, endless garbage, and imminent danger, for those who choose to stay, life and commerce goes on in the streets of Port au Prince.

The earthquake's crushing blow hasn't yet crushed the human spirit here. Perhaps it is the adrenaline that is driving the frentic activity, the bustling and robust movements typical of urban life.

But what will happen when all the international attention, the peace keeping missions and UN feeding lines subside and are gone?

For many, their faith is sustaining them, faith in need of daily strengthening and made even stronger by presence and a human ear to listen to variations of the answer to,

"What was it like for you?"

"What have you been feeling and how have you been doing?"

Strenthening Faith in our One Lord - that's our business today in Port au Prince, besides being eye-witnesses to the aftermath of probably the most distructive disaster in LCMS World Relief and Human Care history.

To be sure, we will continue the careful and detailed work of assessing the long-term recovery and re-building needs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti and the communities they serve.

But equally needed, if not more so, as we travel from church to church, are the prayers we offer, our presence as fellow members of the body of Christ, and the quiet celebration of a faith that one Haitian pastor describes, as he cups his hands and confesses First Article conviction,

"We are in God's hands."

All this - nurturing faith - even as we continue attending to emergency needs, shipping and trucking beans, rice, water, tents and medical supplies every other day through the Lutheran Church of the Dominican Republic directed by Missionary Rev. Ted Krey and his staff from their offices in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

At length, we arrive at First Evangelical Lutheran Church where The Rev. Dorise Jean Louis is Pastor.

Our Pastoral Team offers Rev. Louis prayer, words of encouragement and hope.

Some of their "Concordia" High School buildings collapsed in the quake, and he takes us through the damage.

From there Rev. Louis escorts us to another of the four congregations he serves, and finally to the Good Shepherd congregation where Pastor Thomas Bernard serves. He is fearful of yet another, stronger earthquake, but still affirms faith in the providence of God.

Here too as in Jimani last week, we come as Pastors, fellow members of the body Christ because one part is suffering and so we are all suffering together.

This will continue to be the mode of the initial Haitian disaster relief efforts of LCMS World Relief and Human Care - face-to-face, on-site pastoral conversation, offering the Haitian pastors and their flocks hope, encouragement and prayer.

And also listening carefully to the assessment of the evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti - not ours - of what's most needed along the emergency- to-recovery continuum of disaster response surely to continue for years to come.


Rev. Hernandez may be contacted at carlos.hernandez@lcms.org or (314) 956-2005.