From: ; "Jr. (by way of Rev. Eric J. Stefanski, )" To: Subject: CLIMB: Britain Mission Society Visit Update #3 Date: Friday, November 02, 2001 12:54 PM Subject: CLIMB: Britain Mission Society Visit Update #3 Sent: 11/9/1920 11:23 AM Received: 11/10/2000 4:11 PM From: Rev'd. Robert Wurst, Jr., loehe@sigecom.net To: Confessional Lutherans in Missionary Boldness, CLiMB@CAT41.org Dear saints of our Lord Jesus Christ, those robed in His righteousness, Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Christ. Well, it's a week late but this is the last update on my visit to our Lutheran brothers in Great Britain. If you didn't receive the first two updates, drop me a line and I will send them to you. My few days in England were spent visiting with Pastors Brockwell (St. Peter, Plymouth) and van der Linde (Holy Trinity, Tottenham , London). On Monday, 10/23, we went to St. David Lutheran Church in Wales. There we visited with the Revd Graham Jenks. St. David, like all ELCE congregations, is small but getting by on what they have. They had also recently experienced some vandalism to the church. Thieves broke out a window and stole the church's computer with Pr. Jenks synod Bible study on it. Needless to say, it was a bit disheartening. Yet, the congregation continues their work with joy in their redemption. After a bittersweet parting in Plymouth, I returned to London on Tuesday to prepare for my trip home. Pastor van der Linde and I spent many hours in conversation about his parish and about the needs of the ELCE in general. On Thursday, I caught the train to Gatwick Airport and left for home. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need our help. We have much that we can help them with! For now, the Society will concentrate in the following areas: 1. Encouragement and support for the little parish of Holy Trinity, Tottenham. This little Lutheran congregation doesn't have many riches but they have a true and sincere desire to hear the Word of God, to eat and drink at His table, and to help their neighbors. 2. Purchase new hymnals for St. Paul, Borehamwood. This little parish much appreciates your support and gifts of Lutheran books. Their hymnals are in very poor shape. I told them that the BMS would provide these for them. To purchase and ship 30 hymnals will cost about $600. Other congregations are in need of hymnals too. This will be an ongoing effort to help the congregations. 3. Help St. Peter, Plymouth pay for the damage caused by vandals. They have an outstanding bill of about $1,600 to replace the doors and windows. 4. The congregation in East Kilbride, Scotland needs funds to keep their "Ministry by Mail" program going. The congregation is scattered all about Scotland and they have a difficult time coming to services because of the high cost of fuel (more than $5 per gallon!). Pastor John Fraser keeps in touch with the Lutherans via the mail. 5. The ongoing purchase and distribution of good Lutheran books for the congregations. These, and so many other things, will occupy the Society's work for many days and years. We will also keep encouraging pastors to consider going to England (and staying). It is very difficult work there and not for the faint-hearted. Pray that the Lord of the church would send workers into His harvest fields. Dear saints, please re-read St. Paul's exhortation to the Corinthians in his second letter, chapters 8 and 9. See how he exhorts the churches that have much to give from their riches for their poorer sisters. Consider also the words of our Lutheran father, Wilhelm Loehe, where he encouraged the German churches to support the American churches when our forefathers came to this country. We cannot let the weaker established churches fail as a result of a lack of love and support from us. The more exotic missions certainly deserve attention but even more so, perhaps, these brothers of ours need our help more! I encourage you to correspond with our British brethren and offer them some encouragement. A Christmas card, a small note, etc. does much to raise the spirits of our loved ones. Perhaps your congregation would like to enter into a deeper "sister'sister" relationship with a British Lutheran congregation. We have done just that here at Our Saviour, Evansville IN. It is a special relationship that has borne much good fruit. If you would details on how you might do this, let me know and I will send you an example of what we have done. Perhaps, too, you or your congregation would wish to support this work with a gift. Be it $10, $20, $100, or $5,000 be assured that this money will go directly to the confession Lutheran congregations in Britain. Maybe you could a line item in your congregation's budget for this direct support of our Lutheran brethren. Most of all though, pray that God will continue to sustain His church in Great Britain. He will help in ways that we cannot. Again, I cannot thank the pastors and people of the ELCE enough for their gracious and warm reception. May God continue to grant them peace and solace through the forgiveness of their sins. If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail or telephone. I am always willing to talk about this work. The peace of Christ be with your spirit. Pastor Wurst + + + + The Rev'd Robert Wurst mailto:loehe@sigecom.net Our Saviour Lutheran Church 6501 E. Madison Ave. Evansville, IN 47715 812.476.8707 v/tty (C) 812.401.7955 (H) Home of the Britain Mission Society + + + Confessional Lutherans in Missionary Boldness + + + The CLIMB e-letter brings you unedited, uncut reports directly from the mission field, whether in South America, Africa, Europe, inner-city, rural, or collegiate America, or military installations and battle sites around the world. 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