Rev. Stanley Daile and his family will live in a new house being built on the campus of the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe, Malawi
Building God’s House in Malawi
It’s been fun to watch the progress. Standing on my front porch, I can look across the road to see the new house being built. The house is being built on the campus of the Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI) in Lilongwe, Malawi. Once it is completed, it will be a home for our newest LBI professor, Rev. Stanley Daile, and his family.
At the beginning of this project, the ‘house’ was nothing more than an architectural drawing on a piece of paper. It was only a nice idea that did not exist in reality, but then the workers came. They cut down several trees, dug up all the stumps and leveled off the ground. Large trucks carried in their cargoes of bricks and sand and stone. In a matter of days, the workers had dug the foundations and poured a concrete slab. Then the walls appeared – each day a little taller, as if they grew up from the ground. Soon there were a dozen workers climbing in the rafters and hammering down the corrugated metal roofing sheets. Other workers installed the windows and the doors. Every day, the worksite was alive with activity. It was fun to watch the progress. Slowly but surely, a house was being built, one brick at a time.
As I watched the progress of that house from my front porch, I often thought about our ministry in Africa. The Bible often uses the building of a house as a metaphor for Christian ministry. In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul says that the Christian Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22). To me, that house across the street was more than just a building. It was a daily illustration and reminder of why we are working in Malawi in the first place. We are working together to build God’s house, one brick at a time.
Sixty years ago, a strong and vibrant Lutheran Church in Malawi was nothing but a dream. It was only a nice idea that did not exist in reality, but then the workers came. WELS missionaries Raymond Cox and Richard Mueller were the first to arrive in 1963, and other missionaries followed them. By the preaching of God’s almighty word, they gathered a few faithful Christians together to form the Lutheran Church of Central Africa (LCCA). Back in those early days, missionaries did almost all the preaching and baptizing. It wasn’t until 1976 that Rev. Deverson Ntambo became the synod’s first Malawian pastor. Even by 1980, there were still only about 3,000 confirmed members in approximately 50 congregations.
But things are different now. Today the Lutheran Church of Central Africa numbers almost 40,000 baptized souls who trust in Jesus as their Lord. They gather together on Sunday morning in approximately 130 congregations. More than three dozen Malawian pastors do virtually all of the preaching, all of the baptizing, and all of the confirmations. And all of these Malawian pastors are paid and supported by the congregations that they serve. What a joy to see the progress! Slowly but surely, God is building up his church.
In fact, even this new house at the Lutheran Bible Institute is evidence of the church’s growth. The LBI exists to train young African men to serve as future pastors in our Lutheran churches. The new house is necessary because a new professor, Rev. Stanley Daile, has been called to serve as a professor of New Testament Greek. In the past, courses in Biblical Greek were always taught by missionaries. But now we have a well-trained Malawian professor who is able to teach these classes. This is progress. God is building up his church.
By the grace of God, I have had the privilege to serve as a missionary in Malawi since 2006. For almost 15 years I have been able to wake up every morning and to look out of my front door and to see tremendous progress. Slowly but surely, God is building up his house in Malawi, one brick at a time.
Missionary Mark Panning lives in Malawi and teaches at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe
Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa
Salem will NOT have school on Monday, January 22, 2018 due to impending winter weather storms and unsafe travel conditions. Parents and caregivers, please prepare and plan accordingly for alternate childcare. Stillwater public schools are scheduled to dismiss early. We will still host our Salem School Open House as scheduled for Tuesday. Monitor the following closure links: http://kstp.com/schoolalert/ http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/school-closings/ http://www.kare11.com/alert-center#alert-center-closings http://www.fox9.com/closings
Hello Salem Families, This is an update on clubs for the upcoming school year. Chess club and Kamera Kids will be starting in October. Chess club will be on October 8th and Kamera Kids will be on October 15th. Chess club starts at 7:30am and goes until 8:30am. Kamera Kids starts at 7:45am and goes until 8:30am. Chess club will typically be the 2nd Friday of every month unless there is a conflict for the teachers. Kamera Kids will typically be the 3rd Friday of every month unless there is a conflict for Mrs. H. In the event of a club changing their schedule, you will receive an email from the teacher of the club. Students in the clubs should enter through the doors near the cafeteria (the doors for before and after care). The students can take their temperature there and then proceed to Mr. Klatt's classroom for chess club or to Mrs. H's classroom for Kamera Kids. If you have any questions about either of these clubs, please contact Mr. Klatt (rklatt@salemluther...
Encourage Future Ministry Leaders Salem Lutheran families are deeply grateful for pastors who preach the Gospel, preschool staff who reflect Christ to the Stillwater community, and instructors who nurture young people in our Lord’s truth. The Sundays of April 15, 22 and 29 have been set aside as times to prayerfully reflect on and encourage those preparing for the full-time ministry through Martin Luther College (MLC). MLC will match up to $3,000 given by Salem members to support each Salem member preparing for ministry. These gifts will also support our high school and Seminary students who plan to prepare for full-time ministry. Please pray for Salem’s young people preparing to serve the Lord in this way and consider an additional donation for “Salem Scholarship Fund” via the special envelopes or www.SalemLutheran.org/Donate select “other” and “MLC.”
