Dear Friends,

It was shocking to hear all the reports from family and friends about the destruction of the recent hurricanes Katrina and Rita that battered New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of the US. I heard an architect in the characteristic New Orleans accent talking on the news about the challenging problem of reconstructing the historic architecture of their city.  They need trained apprentices to study the architectural style, before they can rebuild.  In this issue we are going to focus on the Constructive Word as it is ‘constructing’ realities in the lives of God’s people and in the fabric of entire cultures.  God is not only interested in building quickly but is also in for the long haul of architectural beauty as he builds up his church into the full stature of Christ. (Eph 4:13)

Deep Translation and DNA

I was struck by the words of noted theological historian and missiologist Andrew Walls writing in the December 2001 issue of the Journal of African Christian Thought.   You have all heard how the church is growing faster in Africa than most anywhere else in the world.  That growth is great, but does not leave the church without huge challenges.  We need to come to know what it means to be a Christian and at the same time an African.  Walls claims that any attempt to redirect a people or culture toward Christ must penetrate to the very DNA of that culture.  He calls this ‘deep translation’ and claims that it takes many generations to accomplish.  This led me to writing the following thought – something like a vision statement. 

“It is our desire to encourage our Ghanaian Christian friends and colleagues to wrestle with the challenges of the changing African cultures and address those historic and contemporary challenges also with African words, language, and thought patterns.  Those words cannot only be African words or thoughts, they also must express the perspective and very heart of God’s Word.” 

Walls predicts that if this deep conversion occurs in African societies, “we may see something like what happened in the third, fourth and fifth centuries.” Those centuries were filled with cultural and theological controversies that were aptly met with deep and serious theological thinking that deepened the whole church’s understanding of Christ.  Their insights grew out of Holy Scripture and interacted with new situations, cultures and challenges.  The Nicene Creed, our primary theological summary of God’s Word that identifies us as Christian, grew out of this fertile soil. 

But Walls also warns that if ‘deep translation’ does not occur, if African Christianity is but the hollow imitation of European Christian forms and formulations, “we shall see distortion, confusion, uncertainty and, almost certainly, hypocrisy on a large scale.” Why is that?  You have heard how many new Christians are growing here, but if the gospel doesn’t reach the core to engage and reformulate people’s serious African (not only Western) contextual questions, well – those same large numbers of Christians have an old sinful nature at work.  If the gospel roots do not grow deep into African soil, thousands of once fast growing seedlings may be choked out.

Leading from Within and Nathan’s Parents

Sarah, Karissa, Annaka and I got to enjoy my parents and brother Jonathan being here in Ghana for the second time.  Phil and Deb Esala were team leaders of the Pastoral Leadership Institute’s first trip to Ghana.  We hope they will be able to hold a series of workshops annually for the next several years.  This year’s theme was ‘Leading from Within’.  The Pastors and Evangelists of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana began studying their leadership gifts and encouraging each other in small groups to discover together how to better lead their churches.  We are excited for the benefit these workshops will provide to the leadership of the church here and for hopefully the yearly chance to see Mom and Dad!

• Praise God for the ‘Leading from Within’ workshop and pray that ELCG Pastors and Evangelists would make time throughout the year to meet together and encourage each other in their ministries.

Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed Advent season to you!

We are so often refreshed and encouraged as we get a note or an email reminding us that a certain friend and partner in ministry is praying for us daily. We are thankful for you!  At times, we feel we would not make it without that concern. I hope that we can also be an encouragement to you the way you are for us. We also pray as we look toward Christmas that your hearts will be spurred on to prepare for Christ’s coming in your location and in the mission of God which we all participate in.

Word of Wisdom

A	jigl	ki	tu	kikpanjiɔk	indii	ke,	a	ji	li	tugri	ki.
You	fast	(you)	carry	basket	inside	if	you	again	will	carry	it.
‘If you hurry inside carrying a basket on your head, you will probably find yourself carrying it in again.’

Karissa’s Comment

“Being in Accra with my Grammy felt just like being in America.”

Annaka’s Block

“NO! No-o-o!” (Yes, she’s 18 months now.)

Coming soon - in our next edition

Check out the results of our translation reviewers workshop that happened at the end of October where 20 Komba leaders from all over the area gathered together to learn about how to review and improve our translation.  Also we had a writers workshop to encourage the authors to write short stories of all kinds to generate literature for new readers.  It was exciting!

Praise God for Evangelist Nicholas Salifu and Vicar Cletus who along with Nathan were able to check the accuracy of the Kusaal small catechism in September!

Other Praise and Prayer Items

- Praise God for the translation reviewers workshop and writers workshop that went on so successfully. 

- Praise God that certain teachers were able to take off time from work to join us and lead their own people in these very important workshops.

- Praise God for Pastor Samson, Pastor Emmanuel, John, and Elijah who are the Komba men who are devoting their energies to the work of Bible translation and mother tongue literacy in Komba.

- Praise God for the joyful times of being with Nathan’s family in Accra.

-Pray for Nathan’s family as they cope with Nathan’s uncle’s diagnosis of brain cancer. At the same time Nathan’s grandfather is undergoing serious back surgery and his grandmother is being transitioned to a nursing home.  Pray that God would continue to draw them close to each other and to himself through these situations.

-Praise God that rainfall finally did come in our area and that there appears to be a moderate harvest this year.

-Pray for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana that her mission would grow out of the gospel’s working in the inmost being of the pastors and church members.

Your partners in Christ,

Nathan, Sarah, Karissa & Annaka