LHF - The Word at Work; Vol. 30 No. 3

FOUNDATION

The WORD at WORK Proclaiming Jesus to the Mayans

INSIDE:

Many American children learn in social studies class about the Mayan civilization, an ancient tribe from the Yucatan Peninsula of modern-day Mexico, who devised an intricate system of hieroglyphics and built enormous pyramids in the jungle.

Though Ruberto had never given a thought to the ministry, God had other plans. After graduating from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Rev. Ek Yah (pictured above) returned to Portland, Oregon, where he serves at Trinity Lutheran Church.

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As war erupts in Sudan, Khartoum Lutheran churches close

But what many Americans don’t know is that the Mayans never went extinct. In fact, there are more than 700,000 Mayans still living in the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as thousands who have immigrated to the United States.

Rev. Ruberto Ek Yah is one of them - and the first Mayan LCMS pastor.

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New hymnal to unite French Lutherans worldwide

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Leaving a Lutheran foundation for future generations

“The first Sunday after I came to the United States, my cousin reminded me to go to church. I couldn’t read the signs out front, but I saw that the priest was wearing the same white robe I was used to from my youth in the Catholic Church. The service was familiar; my cousin told me, ‘Now we are saying the Creed.’ Then, I found out she had brought me to a Lutheran church! But I loved it. The Lutheran faith is so Christ-centric. I stepped into that church and never came out of Lutheranism.”

When Covid hit, Rev. Ek Yah started conducting online worship services. His parents, who still live in Mexico, started sharing their son’s recordings with their Mayan friends and family.

“A few members in the Yucatan said they wanted to be in Bible class,” Rev. Ek Yah said. “In class, we all speak Mayan (like most Mayans), not Spanish. But the Bible doesn’t exist in Mayan, so I had to translate, literally, what I was trying to teach in each moment.

“My wife and I were talking about how if I could just have some materials in Mayan, it would be way easier to teach.”

That’s when Rev. Ek Yah met Rev. Mark Moss, LHF’s mission engagement associate, who encouraged him to think about translating Lutheran resources into his Mayan language. A few months later, LHF’s

Mayans continued on p. 4

More than 700 people recently participated in a Mayan Celebration organized by Rev. Ek Yah’s churches.

Vol. 30, No. 3: May/June 2023

Lutherans in Sudan flee fierce fighting

As two rival generals vie for control in the country of Sudan, war has broken out in the capital city of Khartoum. At least 500 people have been reported dead, and thousands seeking safety have fled to the Sudan/South Sudan border.

Rev. Peter Anibati Abia, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Sudan/Sudan (the LCMS’s newest partner church), sent LHF the following update and prayer request:

“The situation in Sudan is getting out of hand as neither of the two warring factions of the military is willing to stop fighting. There have been calls for ceasefire but both have turned deaf ears!

“There are 20 ELCSS/S churches within the country of Sudan, with the majority of churches in the Nuba Mountains, a very remote part of the country. There is no fighting in this area at the moment, but those within Khartoum really have it tough. Our three churches within Khartoum are all closed, and people have fled the area.

“At this point none of our members have been reported dead, but they are scattered and stranded at the border of Sudan and South Sudan. There is great need for food, shelter, clean water and first aid kits. More support will be needed for the ELCSS/S to be able to reach out to these people in the camps where they are settled. Keep these suffering people in your prayers and the ELCSS/S as we bring God’s Word and minster to the war victims.”

For a limited time, an LHF supporter with a heart for South Sudan is offering a dollar-for-dollar match for refugee relief. To support this work, be sure to indicate “South Sudan relief” on your LHF gift.-

Praise from Whom all LHF to print new

What does a grandmother in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Africa) have in common with a young pastor in Haiti, or with an immigrant from Burundi now making a living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?

Though separated by 7,000 miles of ocean, plains and jungle, these people would have no problem talking with one another, because they all speak the same language: French.

In fact, more than 97 million people worldwide, from 29 different countries, speak French as their mother tongue. Many of these countries have established Lutheran churches growing within their borders.

What they never have had, though, is a common Lutheran hymnal.

Through the faithful giving of LHF supporters, this situation is about to change.

On the heels of the recent successful launch of the Spanish Lutheran Hymnal, LHF is now preparing to print and distribute 10,000 copies of a new French hymnal, uniting French-speaking Lutherans across at least 10 countries.

Liturgies et Cantiques Luthériens: Édition Afric-

aine includes more than Church Year, the Sacraments, vocation, death, sanctification also a selection of daily prayers, Divine Service, an order canticles.

For many French-speaking this will be the first time plete hymnal in their own

“There is a beautiful, well-done an hymnal that was produced Liturgique Francophone du Canada for French-speaking the Lutheran Church-Canada,” Dinku Bato, coordinator ects in Africa. “However, to produce and difficult to context.”

To overcome this challenge, worked with LHF to translate, and distribute a “mission Cantiques Luthériens. Rev. Dr. David Somers the Lutheran Church-Canada

Praise God from all blessings flow! new French hymnal for Africa & Haiti

100 hymns that cover the Sacraments, marriage, Christian sanctification and more. There is prayers, the liturgy for the for Matins, and various

French-speaking Lutheran churches, they have ever had a comown language.

well-done French Lutherproduced by the the Comité de l’Église Luthérienne

French-speaking congregations in Canada,” explains Rev. Dr. of LHF translation proj“However, it is quite large, expensive to transport in the African

challenge, a skilled team has translate, edit, design, print “mission edition” of Liturgies et

Somers and Rev. David Saar of Canada and Phillip Magness,

an LCMS missionary to West and Central Africa have been the driving forces behind the hymnal’s rich content. Hymns have been specifically chosen to provide a solid foundation for young and fast-growing church bodies like those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rev. Somers says Lutheran churches “have just mushroomed in the last 20 years.”

Accordingly, “some of the hymns will have African melodies, but we haven’t changed the contents or words of the original hymns,” Rev. Somers noted.

Whether in Africa or in Haiti, “hymnals are either absent or scarce,” said Rev. Bato. “This hymnal will unite our world’s French-speaking Lutherans in a common liturgy, so they may worship with one voice.”

Reflecting on the wide variety of cultures this hymnal will serve, Rev. Somers noted that the people are “highly diverse, and most not of Lutheran background. But the common bond is the faith. The faith this hymnal proclaims becomes the lingua franca!”

As immigration becomes increasingly common

worldwide, the French hymnals will also be embraced by French-speaking Lutheran congregations here in the United States.

“Believe it or not, there are now more people worshipping in French on a Sunday morning in the United States than there are in French-speaking Canada,” said Rev. Somers. “In the Missouri Synod, there are at least 5 congregations in Michigan, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Kentucky that are French-speaking, and they’re all connected. Many are former Pentecostals who have become Lutheran in their faith and doctrine, but they have no liturgy or French-speaking mentors to guide them.”

Pastors, church musicians and lay leaders from a half-dozen countries including Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Haiti will soon receive this guidance at a hymnal workshop in Montreal, Canada.

“Liturgies et Cantiques Luthériens: Édition Africaine becomes, on a practical level, the tool to express the bond that we have in worship life of the faith community,” Rev. Somers concluded. “It provides a common medium of expression for worship, and worship of course means not only worshiping God, but also binding us together as His people.”

Worship service in Haiti

Leaving a Lutheran foundation for future generations

In the midst of envisioning the great joy of being in heaven with Jesus, sometimes faithful Christians don’t put a lot of thought into the earthly resources they will one day leave behind. But the Holy Spirit can use these resources to do great things for His Church!

“As a staff, we here at LHF have been thinking on this idea of estate planning,” said Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise, LHF executive director. “Whether God has blessed us with incredible material gifts in this world or if, like me, you live more modestly, most Americans have assets - a home, retirement accounts, life insurance and the like - that will remain when we leave this earth.”

While many people choose to pass this material wealth on to family members, another great opportunity exists: giving a portion of all that God has blessed you with to a mission that will continue for generations to share the Good News - such as the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

There are a variety of ways a faithful supporter can choose to direct gifts to LHF at the time of his or her passing, including naming LHF as the beneficiary (or partial beneficiary) of a life insurance policy or retirement account.

“A donor-advised fund is your personal ministry fund,” Julie explained. “Though you don’t own the fund, you (and your heirs, if you wish) define the ministries that your fund will benefit, as well as the amounts and timing of your gifts.”

Another option, says Julie Burgess, gift planning counselor the LCMS Foundation, is a charitable remainder trust (CRT). “With a CRT, you transfer cash or appreciated property to a tax-exempt trust,” she said. “The CRT provides payments to family over a set period of time, and then the remainder of your gift goes to a chosen ministry.”

Still others choose to set up a donoradvised fund (DAF), an investment account set up to support a chosen charity.

Mayans continued from p. 1

first Mayan publication, the “Jesus Never Fails” devotional booklet, is about to go to press. The booklet will be shared not only in the Yucatan Peninsula, but also with Mayan immigrants in Washington, Oregon and California.

“When I was working on the translation of ‘Jesus Never Fails,’ I translated John 3:16 into Mayan,” Rev. Ek Yah recalled. “For the first time, I read John 3:16 in my language!

“Think about it! That’s how Martin Luther started. These people need to have God’s Word to them in their own language,” he said. “That’s the same path I’m trying to follow.”

Many more possibilities, including a simple bequest through a will or trust, personal endowment funds and charitable gift annuities also exist. Simply contact your financial planner or estate lawyer to talk about the various options and which might be best for you.

A number of LHF supporters have also used the LCMS Foundation to help plan their legacy of giving.

If you’ve decided to remember LHF’s work in your estate planning, we invite you to join LHF’s Sola Fide Society! Three times per year, you will receive “behind the scenes” news and insights from LHF executive director, Rev. Dr. Matthew Heise. To join, contact LHF at (800)554-0723 or email info@LHFmissions.org.

NEW DONORS: Double your gift with a $1-for-$1 match!

If you’ve never given a mission gift to LHF before, your gift (up to $5,000) will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, until the limit of $125,000 has been reached. Your $25 gift will double to $50 (giving 10 new Christians a book about Jesus)! Learn more at www.LHFmissions. org/lhfmatching-gift.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-5