Hoped for Outcomes of Visiting South Africa

There has been much interaction between Lekubu Lutheran Parish in South Africa and Grace Lutheran Church in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA:

  • 2005 – Lekubu Parish invites representatives from Grace to visit     Bishop M.M. and Margaret Ditlhale visit Grace during their stay in our Synod

  • 2006 – Al & Deb Overhaug and Pastor Mark & Claudia visit Lekubu in South Africa

  • 2007 – four people visit Grace from South Africa:

    • Alfred Mogorosi, chair of the Lekubu Parish Partnership Committee

    • Pastor Solomon & Jeanette Seaketso, former pastor at Lekubu and presently the Dean of the Madikwe Circuit

    • Dr. Benjamin Molokie, chair of the Madikwe Circuit Partnership Committee

  • 2008 – Nicole Welke, member of Grace, visits Lekubu while in the Western Diocese with Crossways Camping Ministries

First step was initiating the relationship in a letter sent to Lekubu in 2004, Lekubu’s reply in 2005 welcoming representatives from Grace to visit Lekubu, and the visit to Lekubu in 2006.

Second step was an Evaluation Meeting in South Africa on July 8, 2006. Six actions were discussed at this meeting – 1) a visit from Lekubu, 2) addressing AIDS together in Lekubu, 3) purchasing a computer, 4) unemployment, 5) future visit by the choir, and 6) a concrete symbol of our relationship:

  1. Visit by representatives of Lekubu Parish was accomplished in 2007. A common way this is done with the German church is that for every ticket the South Africans purchase the Germans match it one for one. The flight to the United States costs twice as much so Grace paid for three people (Alfred, Jeanette, and Abe, whose VISA was not accepted); the Wisconsin River Valley Conference paid for Pastor Seaketso as Dean of the Madikwe Circuit; and Dr. Molokoe paid his own way.

  2. The Lekubu Parish will be contacting the Clinic in Lekubu as to the number of people dying from AIDS in that area. We suggested that Grace is willing to support children orphaned by AIDS through money, prayers and correspondence. This project would be administered by Lekubu Lutheran Parish.

  3. Communication is a major problem for our relationship. Letters take 1-3 months. Lekubu Parish had a computer fund to which the four who visited in 2006 contributed so that the Parish purchased a computer. However, there is no Internet. Vivian Makubela has been relaying emails for Lekubu Parish.

  4. Employment is the major problem in Lekubu – 50% are unemployed. This parish and people do not need financial support; they need employment. Addressing that is more complex than we could tackle in our three-week visit. We hope that in our ongoing relationship that we may find ways together to address unemployment.

  5. The Lekubu Parish Choir is exceptional, they have a young man attending seminary (Grace pays his tuition), and they have many other motivated young people. The dream of Lekubu is for at least 8 (a double quartet) of their 60 voice church choir to come to Grace, Crossways, and our Synod at some time. Perhaps another possibility is if Grace Lutheran could pay for one of these young people from Lekubu to serve as a summer counselor at Crossways.

  6. As a concrete way to visualize our relationship, on the first Sunday of each month all four churches – Grace and the three congregations that make up the Lekubu Parish (Lekubu, Mosweu, and Nytse) – light a candles and pray for each other. Candles have been exchanged at each visit. In our 2006 visit, we also brought back Communion wafers and wine from South Africa so that all of our congregations shared in the same wine and wafers. We are literally one Body with one Lord! Our goal is to see each other again before the candles burn down.

Third step were actions taken during the visit here in 2007 which included 1) a visit and introduction to our ELCA, 2) signing a Covenant between the Madiwke Circuit and the Wisconsin River Valley Conference, and 3) a Continuing Resolution by Grace Lutheran Church Council which was given to the Alfred Mogorosi to take back to Lekubu Parish:

  1. Many ministries of our ELCA were toured while the South Africans were here including – Crossways Camping Ministries (Imago Dei Village and Waypost), Synod Office in Appleton, dialog on race relations in Milwaukee (including Greater Galilee Baptist Church), Carthage College (has a student from Tanzania supported by Greater Milwaukee Synod), LSTC, the Lutheran Center, Lutheran Social Services, and Church of the Wilderness.

  2. Immanuel Lutheran in Wausau hosted a meeting of representatives from our Wisconsin River Valley Conference at which time a Covenant was signed by the Deans of their Circuit and our Conference and a coordinator position (Claudette Harring) was established by our Conference to communicate with the chair of the Madikwe Circuit Partnership Committee (Dr. Benjamin Molokoe).

  3. The continuing resolution by Grace:

Continuing Resolution

July 12, 2007

Partnership/Companionship with Lekubu Parish in South Africa

We, the Church Council of Grace Lutheran Church of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, hereby establish this Continuing Resolution in response to the visit of a delegation from Grace to Lekubu Lutheran Parish in 2006 and the visit of a delegation from Lekubu Lutheran Parish to Grace in this year of 2007:

We have witnessed the benefits and importance of this relationship of Grace Lutheran Church and Lekubu Lutheran Parish in South Africa. We are in firm support of this relationship. We make this statement of firm support and participation in this relationship to be taken by this delegation to the Partnership committee and the parish council of Lekubu Lutheran Parish.

We will continue in the following in this relationship between our congregations, we will:

  1. Pray to God for each other,

  2. regularly communicate between our congregations,

  3. engage in projects in which we will work together as discussed and agreed upon by our Partnership/Companionship Committees and our Parish/Church Councils

Council President   Council Secretary    Pastor

Terry Schlinkmann   Ron Wilson     Mark U. Ziemer

Continuing action:

  • Lekubu sent a letter in March, 2008:

    • Abe Mosadi and Jake & Mrs. Mavis Matladi are preparing to visit in May 2008.

    • Their appreciation for the support of Pogiso Motlhabane, their Seminarian – if it was not through this unequalled gesture, there is no doubt that Pogiso would have long been chased away from the University because of his inability to pay.

    • The Lekubu Church Choir in particular wanted to share their wish to one day come to America at least as a double Quartet.

    • It is their wish to revive the church brass band which died when the instruments got old.

    • The church buildings at both Mosweu and Nyetse still remain their challenge. The contributions from members come in drips and drabs and this is worsened by their poor socio-economic background.

    • Their continuing prayers for Grace during the process of calling a second pastor.

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