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The WORD at WORK
Imprisoned pastor’s plea:
“The Small Catechism is a need!”
PAGES 2-3:
Newly confirmed Lutherans in Russia revive church that was in ruins
PAGE 3:
Kolb translations build Lutheran foundation in post-Soviet countries
PAGE 4: Somali translator and family find safe refuge
About 10 months ago, Rev. Joseph’s* life changed in a drastic way — perhaps forever —as he was hauled before a local judge in Haiti on vague charges, then ordered to be held without bond.
Next he found himself in one of the worst prisons in Haiti, drastically unlike our American prisons. Detainees suffer from a severe lack of food and clean drinking water in over-crowded conditions, while temperatures soar into the upper 80s and 90s and vermin scurry about.
And the Holy Spirit is working in powerful ways among the lowest of the low in Haiti! Read below a communication from Rev. Joseph to his family:
“Good morning! How are you doing? For my part, God takes good care of me every day. He gives me peace, joy, health and love for others. Today, God has given me grace. He uses me to preach the Good News of Jesus to the prisoners. 2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the Word...
There is little hope that Haiti’s justice system will free Rev. Joseph any time soon. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the legal system has collapsed in Haiti, and violent gangs rule the streets. Now Rev. Joseph has been transferred to yet another prison where he simply waits.
In the midst of this dark and fearsome situation, the hope of Christ shines.
Like Joseph in Pharaoh’s prison, today’s Rev. Joseph has remained faithful to God. He is showing leadership, gaining the favor of his guards, and most important of all, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with his fellow inmates.
“On Sunday mornings, there is a big transformation in the prison. Everyone gets ready to go to church. There are 3 different groups, girls, boys and men. We have already baptized 18 people.”
What strength and courage flows into the lost when the Word of God enters their minds and hearts!
To continue and expand this important pastoral work, Rev. Joseph needs the help of his brothers and sisters in Christ.
On July 12, nearly 8 months after he was first imprisoned, he wrote, “The Small Catechism is a need [for continuing the instruction of new
Haiti pastor continued on p. 4
In Russia, faith takes root from the seeds of Small Catechism:
New believers build Lutheran church
In faraway Karelia, Russia (not far from the border with Finland), a small group of new Lutherans has reclaimed a piece of Lutheran history and started a new church.
The group of new believers had been studying LHF’s translation of Luther’s Small Catechism when they learned that a church from a different denomination one with false teachings intended to buy the ruins of an old church building in their community. Instead, the new believers decided to quickly buy the ruins themselves and form a new Lutheran congregation - Lahdenpohia.
The people filled the space with benches and with dozens of statues and paintings of angels made by local artists. Then came a day of great rejoicing as each new member of Lahdenpohia Lutheran Church was confirmed in the faith. “It was the laypeople’s initiative, actually [that created this new church],” shared Rev. Leif
Camp, an American missionary in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia (in fellowship with the LCMS).
Tourists from all around come to see this unique church, and while they’re there, members and believers are able to share the Gospel news with their visitors. “This tourist attraction is in the middle of nowhere in Karelia, and the church it’s growing!” Rev. Camp said.
In Russia, many believers who join churches like this are coming to faith in unique ways. While only 1% of Russians go to church on a Sunday, the online streams of Rev. Camp’s services receive thousands of hits of people watching every week. Others learn by going to confirmation classes, which the public are invited to attend.
“We don’t call it Confirmation anymore,” explained Rev. Camp. Although the content of the classes remains what Americans know
from our regular confirmation classes, Lutheran church in Russia takes a different approach to engage with non-believers.
“We call it Basic Christianity class, and invite everybody to it. We say, ‘Hey, there’s lot of stuff on the Internet about Christianity, but if you really want to know, ask a Christian. If you’re an atheist, you really need to come, because then you can better argue against what you don’t believe. So here are these open classes, no commitment, nothing like that,’” he continued.
“As a drone tomorrow, Heaven. about
As a result of those classes, many new ers have come to faith through the Holy - including two former atheists who are going to seminary!
Each step of the way, the ical Lutheran Church of Ingria LHF books to teach the faith.
They start with Luther’s Small Catechism as an evangelistic educational tool. Then later, students begin basic Christianity classes, books like Veith’s Spiritual ity of the Cross and Luther’s Freedom of a Christian help the fundamental teachings of theran faith and what it means a Christian. In pre-seminary books like The Christian Faith Robert Kolb teach the faith in terms, but in greater detail.
LHF’s Russian catechisms & books
Confirmation day at Lahdenpobia Lutheran Church
from ruins
classes, the different non-believers. and we there’s a continued. new believHoly Spirit are now EvangelIngria uses faith. Small evangelistic and later, as the Christianity SpiritualLuther’s On the help teach of the Lumeans to be pre-seminary courses, Faith by in basic
“It’s great to have this partnership with LHF,” exclaimed Rev. Camp. “It’s been really fruitful on our end, and it’s been very, very helpful to have these books available!”
Especially as the Russian-Ukrainian war rages, the need for the Gospel has never been greater.
a Christian, if drone falls on me tomorrow, I’m in Heaven. But what about my neighbor?”
“The fact is, we can get distracted by politics,” warned Rev. Camp. “That’s what Satan wants us to do. He wants us to get distracted and concerned about what’s going on. People are looking for stability, and there is only one true stability that’s Christ. As a Christian, if a drone falls on me tomorrow, I’m in Heaven. But what about my neighbor?”
That’s where LHF books come in handy! “We give away thousands of the Russian Small Catechisms every year, because people are interested! The Study Bible that LHF printed a few years ago is very important because people are now studying their Bibles,” said Rev. Camp.
Rev. Camp continues to live in Russia, sharing the Gospel message. “We should always live as Christians. We forget that we live always with one foot in eternity. God is ultimately in control, right? This stuff happens because of the evil in the world. There is something solid. There is somebody, this Jesus. And this is why He came. So repent, and believe!”
by Anna Irwin, LHF staff writer
Kolb’s books build Lutheran foundation
Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb
One of the most widely respected of writers in contemporary Lutheran circles is Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb, author not only of a translation of the Book of Concord (with Timothy Wengert), but also such popular reads as The Christian Faith and Speaking the Gospel Today.
Kolb’s books are appreciated for their insightful explanations of Lutheran teachings that are detailed, yet easy to grasp. Now, LHF is making some of his books available in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
To date, LHF has translated six of Kolb’s titles, with more on the way, into languages like Georgian, Latvian, Russian, and Ukrainian.
In post-Soviet countries, thorough yet easy-to-understand explanations of the faith are important, as for many years the only safe way to pass the Gospel message was by word of mouth a system by which information could get mistaken or confused. The books have also proven valuable when sharing the Gospel with new believers, like those recently confirmed in Russia (see article at left).
In Russian basic Christianity classes, “when a person says ‘I know I’m not a Christian, but I’m not sure why,’ here’s a book that will tell you what Christianity is, so that you can find out why you’re not a Christian,” Rev. Kolb explained. And as they read and learn, the Holy Spirit works to bring the faith they so long denied.
“The Christian Faith is a summary of Christian doctrine from a Lutheran perspective,” he continued. “It looks at Biblical teachings, including the doctrines of the person and work of Christ to form our understanding of the church and the Means of Grace, the Word of God, and the daily Christian life. So it provides a church leader (or for that matter, the parents in a family) a kind of overview for teaching the faith.”
When writing, Rev. Kolb said he “thinks of the person who has maybe some inkling of something that Grandma used to say; they have an idea of Christianity, but it’s not quite what their grandparents actually believed. So something like Christian Faith can get them into Bible verses, the traditions and history of the church and it gives the pastor, or the parents, or the neighbors, a basis for putting together their own testimony.
“I’m just delighted that I’ve been able to share these things with a large number of people in these churches that are struggling but growing, even under much more difficult circumstances than we have in the United States,” Rev. Kolb concluded.
Somali translator moved to safety, renews outreach
We give thanks that LHF’s Somali translator, Rev. Mohamed Gurhan, and his family have safely settled in their new home in Europe. Prior to their escape, Rev. Gurhan had established a Lutheran outreach to the people of Somalia, a militantly Muslim country (Somalia and Ethiopia share a border).
As LHF reported in earlier this year, the family was forced to flee from Ethiopia when Muslim leaders threatened them with violence and imprisonment.
Now, he will continue his ministry online and to Somali immigrants in Europe, which has already begun.
“We restarted the Somali prayer and Bible study fellowship last Saturday and distributed some literature, particularly the Somali translation of Koehler’s Light From Above,” writes Rev. Gurhan. “We need to reprint some of our Somali translated literature, especially ‘Jesus Never Fails,’ Good News About Jesus and Understanding Christian Faith, probably a thousand copies of each.
“Also, is there an Arabic translation of ‘Jesus Never Fails?’ We also need this version.”
Please pray that this Somali Gospel outreach will continue to thrive.
Price reduction for Spanish Hymnal orders
Himnario Luterano, the new Lutheran hymnal used in Spanish-speaking churches throughout North, Central and South America, is now available at a reduced price of $10 per copy!
Congregations and ministries who previously ordered the first edition of the hymnal at the cost of $15 per copy may now order the updated 2nd edition copies for only $5 per book.
Himnario Luterano orders must be placed through the LCMS Office of National Mission at 314-996-1396, or you can order online at https:// www.lcms.org/how-we-serve/ national/hispanic-ministry
Haiti pastor continued from p. 1
believers]...Please, I need your help. Saved to serve, Rev. Joseph.”
That’s all he requests. Not money, not other luxuries. Just books about Jesus, so he can spread the Gospel and teach.
“For Rev. Joseph [and Haitian Creole-speaking Haiti], there isn’t a lot of curriculum produced for teaching the Christian faith,” explains Rev. Joseph’s sister-in-law. “And if you think about the circumstances for which the catechism was written - for an uneducated population - the situation in Haiti (especially the prisons) is very similar. The catechism is a one-book package that lays out all our teachings systematically. It’s a clear, Bible-based way of teaching that’s easy to walk through.”
LHF has translated and printed the Small Catechisms Rev. Joseph needs in the Haitian Creole language. But we need your mission offerings to ship them into Haiti, where Rev. Joseph’s family can deliver them to his prison and to other prisons and churches.
Can you help? Each catechism costs only $5 to print in the Haitian Creole or French languages for Haiti. Send your gift in the enclosed envelope, or give online at www.LHFmissions.org.