Dear friends in Christ,
Six days of traveling in planes and buses from the bustling city of Pretoria, South Africa to the remote village of Nano, Togo was nothing compared to the celebration this past Saturday, Nov 26. Five of my former students were ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry. Singing, worshipping, drumming, dancing, praising the Lord – What a privilege and honor it was to be present at such a special occasion, to be able to lay my hands on the heads of these former students and pray God’s blessing on their future ministries.
It is impossible to capture the magnitude of such an event, but Susan has tried by putting together this video: http://youtu.be/4F1tuXrY8ps (Is it even possible to keep your foot from tapping as you listen to the African drums?)
In the United States, such events take place quite often and the ceremony normally happens in the calling church. Here in Togo things are different. First, the ordination of pastors does not happen often. It is not easy to make it through the rather tedious study program of the Lutheran seminary in Togo and even more difficult to satisfy the requirements of the vicarage. Once this is done, a congregation must call the soon-to-be pastor and agree to support him. Then, it’s not done in private – rather the entire national church gathers together to celebrate the festive occasion with several pastors being ordained at the same time. All of the pastors come from all over to participate. God has called servants into His ministry and that’s worth celebrating. (Such widespread celebration is in itself a tool for evangelizing the surrounding community and helping congregation members understand the importance of supporting their pastors and the ministry).
After a rather precarious ride in a fragile taxi (see the video!), we arrived at the public school in Nano (none of the churches would have big enough to hold the huge crowd) and the preparations began. I saw faces beaming as I took out the stoles and crosses and told them that these were gifts donated by many of you (the crosses had arrived in the mail the day before!). It felt good to share your kindness with these pastors, to see how much it was appreciated, and to tell them that these things were a token of your prayers on their behalf.
The service started around 9:00 and ended somewhere around 2:00 – but who was keeping track of time anyway? The ceremony was what mattered and could not be rushed. Church president Rev. Lamboni conducted the ordination liturgy and the candidates swore before God and all of us as witnesses their commitment to faithfully fulfill their ministries until their “heure dernière” (last hour). Each new pastor was “étolé” by a fellow pastor (the putting on of a pastoral stole).They then knelt and time was given to each of us to lay our hands on the head of each new pastor, recite a verse, and give a blessing. My verse to my former students was 2 Cor 3:5-6, for nothing worthwhile we do in the ministry comes from us – it is all from God. The ceremony was far from over. We were asked to give advice to the new pastors. As their former “prof,” I gave them two words – in Greek (just to keep them thinking!): “doulos” (slave of Christ) and “typos” (model of Christ) – both are biblical words that Paul uses to describe himself as God’s minister. But the ceremony was still not over. Now it was time for the church members to participate and show their appreciation to God for giving them these new pastors. One by one, each new pastor was called by name to stand in the middle of the huge assembly. Then, to the beat of drums and rhythm of singing, people lined up to give gifts, hug, and congratulate each new pastor. The air was full of dust from the dancing and celebrating. The ceremony closed with prayers and a final blessing after which we were graciously offered a plate of rice and goat meat.
Please join with us in praying for these five new pastors and their ministries: Rev. Tchimbiandja Blaise, Rev. Tame Gothma, Rev. Nankobi Lari, Rev. Djatoite Likebongue, and Rev. Dabirsoa Jean-Lare. They were my students. What a blessing that I can now call them my brothers in the ministry.
I want to sincerely thank you for your prayers and support that made this important trip possible. And a special thanks from me and all of the pastors of the Lutheran Church of Togo for those of you who donated crosses and stoles for this occasion. Not only were the five new pastors able to benefit from your kindness, but other pastors as well. I’ve tried to include some photos of it.
The Lord bless and keep you,
Glenn
