FLUEGGE NEWS UPDATE

Visitors help at the LTS: We are in the last week of the third quarter here at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Pretoria, South Africa.  I’ve been busy teaching Greek Grammar, Advanced Greek Readings, and Survey of New Testament to students from all over Africa (South Africa, Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, etc.). What a blessing it was to have not a few visitors come out and help us from different corners of the world:

1. LCMS World Relief helps the LTS set up a deaconess program. Deaconess Grace Rao, from LCMS World Relief, visited LTS to teach and help set up a program that will eventually train deaconesses for Lutheran churches throughout Africa.  See the attached photo.  In many churches throughout Africa, women are most active members and, hence, form the “backbone” of the congregation. We pray that this deaconess program will continue to develop and become a great blessing to the church in Africa.
2. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO sends out prof. Dr. William Schumacher joined us for two weeks offering a much needed course on “Luther and the Reformation.” Dr. Schumacher has also been called by LCMS World Mission to work part-time in Africa as “theological education facilitator” helping to coordinate Lutheran theological education throughout the continent.
3. Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN. Dr. Charles Gieschen came out for his first time to teach a course on the Gospel of John using the original Greek text. It was nice to get to know Charles. He left and thirty minutes later we picked up Prof John Pless who led a two-week course for the Advanced Program on “Luther’s Pastoral Theology.” This is John’s third year coming out.  It was nice to see him again.
4. The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Oberusel, Germany. Dr. habil. Werner Klän joined us for seven weeks this time around teaching on Luther and the Formula of Concord. He also taught a course at the University of Pretoria on the Post-Reformation Era of the Church. There is a very real possibility that he will actually move permanently to South Africa to become the Lutheran Chair and full professor at the neighboring University of Pretoria. If this happens (and please pray with us that it will – we are currently awaiting official documents from the University), Lutheran churches all throughout Africa will have a place on the African continent to pursue post-graduate studies in theology.

LCSA Pastors’ Convention. This last week, Aug 31-Sep 2, was the pastors’ convention for the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa – one of the partner churches of the LTS. I attended the conference in order to get to know better the context in which the pastors I train will be doing their ministries. Presenters included Dr. Klan and Prof John Pless. A topic of particular interest to me was the attempt to begin “dealing with the past” – based on a paper presented by Dr. Klan (who was very involved in helping the Lutheran churches in Germany deal with their own past and the atrocities of the Nazi regime). Post-apartheid South Africa is now in the process of reconciliation.  This also goes for the Lutheran churches. For example, the FELSISA is by far a predominantly “white” Lutheran church while the LCSA is a predominantly “black” Lutheran church – they are in fellowship with one another, as well as with the LTS, but exist as completely separate institutions. The hope is to look into the past in order to bring about genuine repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation for the future. This will take courage for all involved.

2010-2011 academic year begins at the CLET. The Lutheran Center for Theological Studies in Togo, where we formerly worked for ten years, just began their academic year with 21 students from all over French-speaking Africa. I am very much looking forward to joining them in June 2011 to teach a course on “Early Church History.” Please continue to pray for the Dr. Dongo, the staff, and the students.

Post-graduate studies. The pre-preparatory work continues as I spend about 20 hours a week studying Latin (with the brave pastor of our congregation here in Pretoria – thanks Pastor Axel!). Next will be German. Much thanks to Dr. Werner Klan who has continually supported me through my struggles to find a focus. I continue to pray that he becomes the Lutheran chair at the University of Pretoria so he can be my official supervisor. Because our life is not busy enough, Susan has also decided and I’ve supported her decision full-heartedly to pursue a Master in Education from Concordia University Nebraska. You can never learn enough.

Pastor and Mrs. Ebel (Susan’s parents) to come visit the LTS in 2011. I’ve asked and they have accepted the challenge to come out to the LTS for at least six months in 2011. Rev. Ebel will be acting as a sort of “chaplain” for the seminary, as well as doing some teaching. Pray with us that they can raise the necessary funds and complete all of the formalities for an easy transition. It will be nice to have “family” with us for an extended period of time. We really, really, really miss this.   

PLEASE PRAY WITH US:

• Thank God for those whom God has raised up to support our ministry and His work in Africa. God takes care of us through you.
• Thank the Lord for those who came to help us at the LTS. It is such a blessing. Pray for Susan’s parents’ visit in 2011.
• Thank God for the LTS and continue to pray for the staff and the students (see previous updates for list) as we begin the 4^th quarter on Sept 21.
• Pray that Dr. Klan will be the Lutheran Chair at the University of Pretoria.
• Thank the Lord for the important work of that the CLET does and pray for the work of the CLET – for Dr. Dongo, the rest of the staff, and the students and their wives and families during this new academic year.
• Pray for our continued acclimation to our new work and life in South Africa and continued protection from crime (the crime rate is quite high in South Africa).

ABOUT US: We (along with our five children) have served with LCMS World Mission since 1998 in Togo, West Africa where I taught at the Centre Luthérien d’Etudes Théologiques, a seminary that trains pastors for Lutheran churches throughout French-speaking Africa.  We recently accepted a call to continue serving as missionaries in South Africa where I currently teach at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) in Pretoria and work with Lutheran churches throughout Africa to help develop their pastoral training programs. Please visit our websites to learn more about us:  www.flueggefamily.com or   www.revglennfluegge.com.

SUPPORT US: Susan and I greatly appreciate your help in making our ministry in Africa possible. LCMS WM missionaries are now responsible for raising 100% of our own support.  As we begin our life and work in South Africa, we continue to need your support. There are many ways to support us:

• Give a gift easily using the secure online giving link: www.lcms.org?7705.
• Give a gift using the attached “Prayer Card.”
• Your ongoing support assures of God’s provision on a regular basis :
  • If you are an individual, please use the attached “Prayer Card.”
  • For your congregation, school, or a group within the congregation, please consider a “Together in Mission” (TIM) partnership – please contact me for an “Adoption Form”

The peace of the Lord be with you,

Glenn

LCSA Pastors' Convention

Werner Klan

FLUEGGE NEWS UPDATE

Visit with the former rector of the LTS. Dr. Wilhelm Weber III was the former professor/rector of the Lutheran Theological Seminary from 1965 – 2000 and has since retired on a farm in Welbadacht, South Africa (his son, Wilhelm IV, is the current rector). Last weekend Susan and I made the five hour drive to spend the weekend with Wilhelm and his wife Karin (Thanks to “Auntie Coral,” a dear co-worker, for watching the kids).  They received us graciously and we were once again amazed by Weber hospitality.

The reason for our visit was to sit and listen to his story. We spent hours listening to his family history – how his great-grandfather came as a German missionary to South Africa in 1861 (!), how his grandfather’s family spent time in the British concentration camps (a little known fact) during the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, how his Father decided to become a missionary and worked among the Zulu in South Africa, and how he worked as a missionary among the Motswana in South Africa…. And then we talked about his 35 years of experience working at the seminary. What a wealth of knowledge!  I think I took about 20 pages of notes and I still have questions. If you really want to understand something, you must understand its history.  We still have a long way to go, but we’re getting there.  I’ve attached a few photos of Dr. Weber and his wife and of a Lutheran Zulu congregation in Ekuphileni that we visited Sunday morning.

CLET graduation. The Lutheran Center for Theological Studies in Togo, where I formerly taught for ten years, held their graduation in June. Director Dr. Dongo sent a couple of photos that I wanted to share with you of the students and also of the Seminary Wives’ Association. Please continue to keep this seminary in Togo in your prayers as they trained students this year from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Congo-Brazzaville.

PLEASE PRAY WITH US:

Thank God for Dr. Weber and his wife and their ministry and for the opportunity to hear their story.
Pray for the LTS and the students (see previous updates for list) as we begin the 3rd quarter on July 20.
Pray for the work of the CLET – for Dr. Dongo, the rest of the staff, and the students and their wives and families.
Thank God for those whom God has raised up to support our ministry and His work in Africa.
Pray for our continued acclimation to our new work and life in South Africa and continued protection from crime (the crime rate is quite high in South Africa).

ABOUT US:  We (along with our five children) have served with LCMS World Mission since 1998 in Togo, West Africa where I taught at the Centre Luthérien d’Etudes Théologiques, a seminary that trains pastors for Lutheran churches throughout French-speaking Africa.  We recently accepted a call to continue serving as missionaries in South Africa where I currently teach at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) in Pretoria and work with Lutheran churches throughout Africa to help develop their pastoral training programs. Please visit our websites to learn more about us:  www.flueggefamily.com   or   www.revglennfluegge.com.

SUPPORT US: Susan and I greatly appreciate your help in making our ministry in Africa possible. LCMS WM missionaries are now responsible for raising 100% of our own support.  As we begin our life and work in South Africa, we continue to need your support. There are many ways to support us:
Give a gift easily using the secure online giving link: www.lcms.org?7705.
Give a gift using the attached “Prayer Card.”
Your ongoing support assures of God’s provision on a regular basis :
If you are an individual, please use the attached “Prayer Card.”
For your congregation, school, or a group within the congregation, please consider a “Together in Mission” (TIM) partnership – please contact me for an “Adoption Form”.

The purpose of this update is to keep you informed. We do not wish to clutter up your inbox. If you receive this email more than once or wish to no longer receive these updates, kindly send us a note.  Thanks.

The peace of the Lord be with you,

Glenn Fluegge
________________________
Rev. Glenn Fluegge, MDiv, MS Education
LCMS World Mission
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane
Pretoria, South Africa
Tel/Fax: +27 12 368 1751
Cel: +27 72 163 3171
www.revglennfluegge.com

Ce n’est plus moi qui vis, mais c’est Christ qui vit en moi… Gal 2:20

LTS students enjoy warm cloths given to them from a church in Southern CA

Dear friends in Christ,

FLUEGGE NEWS UPDATE

Greetings from Pretoria, South Africa. While it’s summer for most of you in the north(ern hemisphere), it’s winter for those of us in the south(ern hemisphere). “Hot” and “cold” are always somewhat relative.  I’ve seen West African students dawn winter ski coats at 65F and visitors from the US with sweat-drenched shirts at 80F…. For the moment, though, we’re cold with it reaching freezing at night. Lots of thanks, then, go to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Goleta, CA for collecting and making warm clothes for us and the seminary students. Thanks! (See the attached photo.)

Teaching at Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS). Friday, June 18, was the last day of final exams at the Lutheran Theological Seminary.  The first semester of the 2010 academic year is officially over, though I have many tests and papers to grade. Some of the students have returned home, others are visiting with Lutheran congregations in South Africa, and still others are hunkering down at the seminary, while trying to survive the cold. Thanks for your prayers. And please continue to pray. Classes start up again on July 19.

Football (soccer, for those from the U.S.) World Cup in South Africa. Our semester break is longer this year than usual as the South Africa government has recommended that all schools take off for the World Cup.  It is hard to explain how much having the world’s biggest sports event here has influenced South African life. It is HUGE…something that folks in the U.S. would have difficulty imagining. With the hosting of the World Cup, South Africa has been given an opportunity to re-define itself in the world’s eyes (after years of apartheid) and, in many ways, re-define all of Africa. From what I hear, it seems it is doing an excellent job in terms of hospitality, organization, spirit, etc. On any given day, one can hear “Vuvuselas” resounding throughout the town. Oh the “vuvusela.” The blaring noise from these long, slim, plastic trumpets, which originated in South Africa, dominates the atmosphere of the stadiums during soccer games has now become part of soccer life. As I write this, both Bafana Bafana (the South African team) and the U.S. team have been eliminated, but that has not dampened our spirit. AYOBA! (a cry of celebration, though I’m not sure of its true meaning or origin…).

Doctoral studies at the University of Pretoria. I’ve been accepted into the pre-doctoral program at the University of Pretoria in the area of Church History with the goal of studying the history of theological education. How has the church trained its pastors in the past…always with an eye towards how should we train them in the future? What this means now for me, however, is spending hours a day studying Latin and German (while everyone else is one break!).

Brass Band Fest in Wartburg, South Africa (not in Germany).  June 11-13 was spent in Wartburg, South Africa, a small farming town with a huge Lutheran Church about six hours south-west of Pretoria. In that small town we enjoyed the German Lutheran synod’s youth and brass festival (the German Lutheran Synod is the FELSISA – Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa).  Yes, the Germans in South Africa have their own synod and everything is done in German (though this may change soon). This means that the weekend in Wartburg was done entirely in German.  The youth (at least the girls) dressed in their “German” garb, did German dances, and played German games.  It was a real eye-opening, cultural experience for us Americans of German descent (cf. the name Fluegge). I’m used to learning about African cultures in Africa. Learning about old German cultures in Africa was a new experience for me. We also stayed with the Weber family in Wartburg whose hospitality was incredible.

Kids’ school. The kids are enjoying the break and bemoaning the fact that school starts up again in two weeks.

PLEASE PRAY WITH US:

Thank God for all of those who have so generously and sacrificially given to support our ministry and for those who continue to support us as we be about His work in Africa.
Pray that the Lord guide and grant me strength and wisdom balancing between work, studies, and family as I begin pursuing PhD studies at the University of Pretoria.
Pray that God build up in us an understanding and appreciation for this new culture as well as a love and passion for the people among whom we live and those with whom we will be working.
Crime is very high in South Africa.  Please pray for God’s divine protection over us – that he keep us safe from theft, robbery, hi-jacking, etc.
Please also do not forget to keep praying for the CLET in Togo – especially for Dr. Dongo, the Director, but also for the students and staff there.
Please pray weekly (or daily!) for the following students at LTS – that God would transform them throughout this year into faithful and effective pastors for His church (we’ve added a few):

Upper Class                                                      Beginning Class
Geoffrey Thokane Skosane (South Africa)          Daniel Fitebo (Ethiopia)
Alex Macharia Ambani (Kenya)                           Benjamin Kaumba (Zambia)
Boitumelo Magosinyana (South Africa)              Christian Straeuli (South Africa)
Eric Gbotoe (Liberia)                                         Simon Ishaya (Nigeria)
Enoch MacBen (Uganda)                                   Ashenafi Desta (Ethiopia)
Madara Eboro (Nigeria)                                     Thulani Hadebe (South Africa)
Gemah Ballah (Liberia)                                       Matthew Tokpah (Liberia)
Peter Anibati Abia (Sudan)                                 Isaac Madonsela (South Africa)
Ipeleng Makoka (South Africa)                           Christoph Weber (South Africa)
Balihikya Johnson (Uganda)                               Dennis Borbor (Liberia)
Odoo James Okello (Uganda)                            Nokukhanya Shabalala (South Africa – this girl is part of the deaconess program)
Peter Maganda (Uganda)
Frank Kainerugaba (Uganda)
Waako York (Uganda)

Will you please post these names on the fridge, next to the bed, etc., and pray for them with us?  In addition to these two classes, there are also students in the “Advanced Program” already out in the field who come back twice a year to LTS to attend short courses.  I don’t have the names for all of these students, but please also pray for this program and the students.

ABOUT US:  We (along with our five children) have served with LCMS World Mission since 1998 in Togo, West Africa where I taught at the Centre Luthérien d’Etudes Théologiques, a seminary that trains pastors for Lutheran churches throughout French-speaking Africa.  We recently accepted a call to continue serving as missionaries in South Africa where I currently teach at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) in Pretoria and work with Lutheran churches throughout Africa to help develop their pastoral training programs. Please visit our websites to learn more about us:  www.flueggefamily.com   or   www.revglennfluegge.com.

SUPPORT US: Susan and I greatly appreciate your help in making our ministry in Africa possible. LCMS WM missionaries are now responsible for raising 100% of our own support.  Your ongoing support assures us of God’s provision on a regular basis.

The purpose of this update is to keep you informed. We do not wish to clutter up your inbox. If you receive this email more than once or wish to no longer receive these updates, kindly send us a note.  Thanks.

The peace of the Lord be with you,

Glenn Fluegge
________________________
Rev. Glenn Fluegge, MDiv, MS Education
LCMS World Mission
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane
Pretoria, South Africa
Tel/Fax: +27 12 368 1751
Cel: +27 72 163 3171
www.revglennfluegge.com

Ce n’est plus moi qui vis, mais c’est Christ qui vit en moi… Gal 2:20