Gemeindebrief
Evangelisch-Lutherische Gemeinde
Wartburg
Evangelical Lutheran Congregation
Newsletter
September – November 2016
Watchword for Reformation Day: No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid,
which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11
Tagesspruch zum Reformationsfest: Einen andern Grund kann niemand legen als den, der gelegt ist,
welcher ist Jesus Christus. 1. Korinther 3:11
500 years of Reformation
Those who want to attach the start of the Reformation – that wind of change that blew through Church and society in the 16th century – to a specific date, most often link it to 31 October 1517. That was the day Martin Luther hammered his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. That is why, in 2017 we will be celebrating 500 years of the Reformation. Festivities are planned all over the world – and we will be joining in. From Reformation Sunday 2016 to Reformation Sunday 2017 we are planning festivities and functions, seminars and special Sunday Worship Services.
Summarising what happened during the Reformation back then in one A5-page-long devotion is no easy task. Perhaps some of the verses of one hymn written by Martin Luther do it best. Most people view the majestic hymn “A mighty fortress is our God” as Luther’s flagship hymn. But when it comes to summarising his theology and the thoughts that drove the Reformation, no hymn does it as well as “Dear Christians, one and all rejoice”:
1. Dear Christians, one and all rejoice, O sing with exultation, And with united heart and voice declare your jubilation; Proclaim the wonders God has done, how his right arm the victory won; Right dearly it has cost him.
3. For God was moved by mercy great before the world’s foundation; He saw my lost and wretched state and planned my soul’s salvation. To me He turned a heart of love; O great the cost from heaven above He gave his dearest treasure.
5. He [Jesus] spoke to me: hold fast to me, I am thy rock and castle; I wholly give myself for thee, for thee I strive and wrestle; For I am thine, and thou art mine, henceforth my place is also thine; The foe shall never part us.
The core thought that pushed the Reformation forward and crystallised out of it was exactly that: a gracious God takes the necessary steps towards us out of love; by grace alone through faith he saves us; the gift of his Son Jesus Christ on the cross makes forgiveness and new life possible for us. That is good news! Rejoice!
Das christliche Leben besteht nicht im Sein, sondern
im Werden, nicht im Sieg, sondern im Kampf, nicht in
der Gerechtigkeit, sondern in der Rechtfertigung.
Martin Luther
Hängt dir das Manna zum Halse heraus? Aus „Unser Täglich Brot – Probeexemplar: 3. Tag“
Nun aber ist unsere Seele matt, denn unsere Augen sehen nichts als das Manna. (4. Mose 11:6)
Ein junges Paar zog nach Banff. Dieses Ferienparadies in den kanadischen Rocky Mountains ist von erhabenen Berggipfeln umgeben. Die überwältigende Schönheit der Berghänge wechselt mit den Jahreszeiten: glitzender Schnee, farbenfrohe Blumen, goldene Herbstblätter.
Im ersten Jahr blieben die jungen Leute bei jedem Spaziergang stehen, um die Schönheit der umliegenden Berglandschaft zu bewundern. Es war ihnen, als würde ihnen der berauschende Anblick nie über werden. Und doch traf das Unglaubliche ein. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis all die Schönheit ihnen so selbstverständlich wurde, daß sie sie kaum noch als etwas Besonderes erkannten.
Bald nachdem die Israeliten aus Ägypten in die Wildnis geflohen waren, hatten sie nichts mehr zu essen. Doch Gott hörte ihr Schreien und ernährte sie täglich auf übernatürliche Weise mit Manna. Zuerst müssen sie von der Wundertat Gottes überwältigt gewesen sein. Aber nach geraumer Zeit hing ihnen diese immer gleiche Mahlzeit, die ihnen Tag für Tag beschert wurde, zum Halse heraus. Das Bekannte verlor seinen Reiz.
Ertappst du dich je dabei, daß dir die vielen Wohltaten, mit denen Gott dich jeden Tag segnet, völlig gleichgültig erscheinen? Laß nicht zu, daß sie selbstverständlich werden. Denke daran, Gott für seine täglichen Geschenke zu danken, für Leben und Kraft und für die unzähligen guten Gaben, die er dir Tag für Tag beschert.
Im Oktober feiern wir Erntedankfest. Wir bedenken, daß Gott uns reichlich beschenkt mit jeder Menge Ernten – ob vom Felde oder bei der Arbeit, in unseren Beziehungen oder alltäglichem Leben. Erkennst du womit Gott dich beschenkt? Erkenne es
und danke ihm dafür!
What once filled my heart with awe, now too often hardly moves my heart.
Lord, teach me to open my eyes once more And every day thankfulness on me impart!
What made them survive?´
As we were approaching Istanbul, suicide gunmen attacked the airport. Our flight was
diverted to Ankara. We were safe. 44 People died at the airport. Violence, killing of
innocent people - we live in sad times.
I was returning from my study leave, where I was investigating a reformation
movement 340 years older than the Lutheran Church. Theirs is a history with much more violence than that in Istanbul.
Round about 1176 a small number of Christians in Lyon, France, took a radically new approach to their faith. They followed the command of Jesus in Luke 10 and Matthew
10 literally, and went out, two by two, without any security, only depending on the
kindness of others. “Poor of Christ” they called themselves - not to indicate that they had given up all wealth, but that they relied on Christ.
They preached the gospel, taught the Bible in the regional dialect, helped the sick. They were well received. The priests often were distant from the people and their
needs. The Church constantly demanded money - these Poor of Christ helped, refused
money and only accepted hospitality for themselves.
The Church hierarchy saw its authority undermined by these lay preachers, and
prohibited them from preaching. They only knew one Church, and were loyal to it.
They decided to approach the pope himself for permission to preach. His authority overruled that of bishops and priests, and he was known to grant lay people on
crusades permission to preach and perform priestly tasks.
A small delegation, led by Valdes, the founder, travelled to Rome and indeed got
permission from pope Alexander III to preach - subject to the local bishop´s approval
- which was denied.
The next pope, Lucius III, was less kind to them. They were excommunicated and
declared heretics.
This was the beginning of three hundred years of persecution. Yes, three hundred
years. Despite the harshness of the persecution and the almost universal might of the Church, the movement spread rapidly from the Mediterranean to the Baltic sea.
The full force of the Inquisition was mobilised against them. Inquisitors devoted their lives to sniffing them out and executing those who did not recant. Yet, they did not
succeed. Generation after generation of Christians continued following Christ in this
way, albeit in secrecy, whilst healing and helping openly.
Why did they survive despite the persecution? Where did their strength lie?
I invite you to join in the discussion and give your opinion on the matter. Send your
thoughts to [email protected]
BISHOP’S
Aug 16 POST Sept 16
More information on this movement can be found at http://www.museeprotestant.org/en/notice/a-history-of-the-waldensians/ or
http://www.bibliografia-valdese.com
News from the Church
1. Pastor Remo Köhne was elected by the Church of Peace congregation in Hillbrow
to commence his duties there in January 2017. With this the Vanderbijlpark
congregation becomes vacant. May the Lord guide the process of filling that post.
2. Pastor Michael Diezun of the Kelvin/Midrand congregations and Pastor Olaf
Gieseke of Eastrand both have been granted an extension on their work visas until July 2017. Thank you for your prayers in this regard!
3. Pastor Thomas Wojciechowski, Manager of the Outreach Foundation in Hillbrow
finally received his work visa, and could return to his post in May. We thank God for
that!
4. Pastors Katrin Zürn-Steffens and Heiko Zürn returned to Germany at the end of
July. With this the Thomas congregation in North Rand has become vacant. We thank them for their service in our Church and pray that they will settle in soon.
5. The General Pastors Convention of ELCSA (N-T) and the Cape Church takes
place from 18 to 23 September in Red Acres, Pietermaritzburg. Please pray that the
Lord will bless this meeting and all of us!
6. On a personal note: I wish to thank all who stood in during my study leave between May and August: my deputy, Dean Theo Jaeckel, the other deans and the staff at Head
Office: thank you very much!
7. Are you called to become a pastor? Please speak to your pastor about it. The
Church is offering bursaries to assist prospective full time students. The University of
Stellenbosch is the preferred place to study.
Geburtstage Birthdays * over/über 70 ** over/über 80 ***over/über 90
Important Dates from Congregation, Church & Neighbours
3 September Co-worker training in New Hanover 4 September Gemeindetag: Outdoor Service at Fountainhill Estate 10 September Deutscher Tag hosted by the German Cultural Assoc. in HMB 11 September Circuit Choir Festival in Moorleigh 18 September NH Presentation of Confirmands 19-23 Sept. General Pastors’ Convention 23-24 Sept. Hermannsburg School Golf Day 9 October Midlands Hub Youth Service in Hermannsburg 16 October NH Confirmation 22 October Meat Preparation for our Bazaar Harburg Presentation of Confirmands 23 October Harvest Festival (Please note the change of date!) Harburg Confirmation 29 October Wartburg Bazaar and Spring Festival (with Orion) 5 November Circuit Conference in Hayfields 16 November Buß- und Bettag: Gemeinsamer Deutscher Gottesdienst in NH Day of Atonement: Combined English Service in Harburg 22 November Pastors’ Convention in Wartburg 26 November WI Christmas Market
Dankesbriefe Thank You
We would like to express our appreciation to the ladies of our congregation who so
willingly served tea and coffee, as well as Ilma for playing the Organ, the choir who
sang so beautifully, Gerhard for ringing the Bells, Shirley for controlling the sound
system and Udo for conducting the service.
Any other member of this congregation who had any part in making this a special day
for Ivan and Trisha, whether it was words of encouragement, well wishes or
attending the service, know that your support was appreciated and we are very
proud to be part of this supportive and loving congregation.
With love and appreciation, Edwin, Sandra, Trisha and Ivan
Baptisms Taufen
Robert William Koch was baptised on the occasion of the Golden Confirmation on 19 June 2016. He was taken up into the Congregation in a very festive service that day and we hope that his time as a member here will be filled with as much joy, fellowship and blessing!
Weddings Trauungen
Trisha Bosse and Ivan Ortmann were married in our Church on Saturday, 16 July 2016. It was wonderful that the Congregation could celebrate their special day with them! We wish them God’s richest blessings on the road ahead together.
New Members Neue Mitglieder
Damian Browning and Jaqui-Leigh Goodwin have joined our Congregation. They have been active in the Congregation for a while and we are very happy to welcome them to the family officially! Damian works as a manager for Werner Seele and Jaqui is a teacher at the New Hanover Pre-Primary School. They are engaged to be married and the wedding will take place on 31 December 2016. We welcome you, Damian and Jaqui, wish you a happy and blessed stay in our Congregation and all the best for the preparations for your wedding!
Golden Confirmation Goldene Konfirmation
In diesem Jahr fand die Goldene Konfirmation am Sonntag, den 19. Juni, statt. Es war wunderbar um mit so vielen goldenen Konfirmanden in einem festlichen Gottesdienst und bei einer geselligen Feier in der Halle nachdem diesen Tag zu feiern. The following 11 Confirmands were confirmed in our Church on 3 July 1966:
Elsa Reinhard Sharon Rees (Gough) Jutta du Plessis (Löbbecke) Edwin Dralle Aethel Fruniss (Freese) Margaret Schroeder (Dedekind) Hugo Freese Ronald Buhr Renate Hayter (Freese) Theo Rencken Victor Oellermann
It was special that 10 of them could celebrate the 50th Anniversary of their Confirmation with us this year. It was a truly wonderful occasion celebrated with a packed Church, inspiring music and a very enjoyable lunch in the hall. We received many “Thank You’s” from the Golden Confirmands, some of which have been included on the next page – their sentiments show just how much the occasion meant to them. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
Dankesbriefe Thank You
Dear Udo, dear Congregation and all the Ladies who helped!
Thank you VERY much to you all, for the love and effort that went into our 50th Confirmation Anniversary celebrations yesterday! It was a very special celebration for us all! We are so grateful to the Lord for sparing each one of us over the past 50 years, for all the memories that we share. But ESPECIALLY, we thank Him for reaching down and touching some individual lives in our little 1966 Confirmand group (mine included), in His great love and mercy! Once again, thank you all for your ministry to us - I will continue to pray for each one of you and look forward to seeing you all again soon. Take care and God bless you all!
Sharon Rees
************* Liebe Gemeinde,
Ich möchte mich bei euch allen ganz herzlich bedanken für die schöne Goldene Konfirmation die ich mit euch feiern durfte! Thank you Udo and the choir for making it a memorable service. Then also a big thank you to the ladies for their hard work with the lovely flower arrangements and preparation of the delicious lunch. It was a SPECIAL day!
Elsa Reinhard
Dear Udo and Wartburg Congregation.
Basil and I would like to thank you very much for the lovely Golden Confirmation ceremony we attended on Sunday. It had a huge impact on me after being a bit hesitant in accepting the invitation to attend. The service and the comradery was very uplifting. The meal was delicious and we thank you and the congregation very much for all the effort in making this a wonderful day. This memory will be with us for many years!
Warm regards, Basil and Aethel Furniss
Children’s Corner Kinderecke
Im Oktober feiern wir Erntedankfest! – dann danken wir Gott für alles womit er uns
gesegnet hat! Finde 10 Unterschiede zwischen diesen beiden Bildern...
Next year we celebrate 500 Years of the Reformation. It all started when Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses against the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. You will learn more about that in the coming year. Colour in this picture of Luther and his 95 Theses.
WeBenefit
Our Congregation has signed up for WeBenefit, an online shopping platform that can greatly benefit us financially.
1. What is WeBenefit?
WeBenefit has two basic aims:
reducing the running costs of schools/congregations/NGO’s drastically (our goal is 15%!); and
providing an additional source of income for schools/congregations/NGO’s.
WeBenefit allows congregants and friends of a Congregation (e.g. former congregants), no matter where they live in SA, to buy competitively-priced, quality products through the WeBenefit platform. When they do so, a significant amount is paid to the beneficiary of their choice, e.g. Wartburg Congregation, at no extra cost to the buyer. You can buy a product at a very competitive price and your Congregation also benefits.
Signing up costs neither the Congregation nor its members/friends anything. It is free of charge. There is also absolutely no obligation to purchase through the platform - though WeBenefit would very much appreciate feedback when their prices are less than competitive...
2. How does the WeBenefit Platform work?
i. Go to www.webenefit.co.za
ii. Click on
iii. Click on
iv. Click on
v. Enter your registration details.
vi. Don’t forget to nominate Wartburg Lutheran Congregation as your beneficiary.
On the WeBenefit platform, your benefit dial shows how much you have contributed to your beneficiary:
When you buy a product, your contribution is clearly shown upfront:
Competitive prices for products delivered anywhere in South Africa, free of charge!
Over the coming months WeBenefit will be adding new suppliers and products to their platform! We encourage our members to have a look at what they offers and to consider purchasing through them so that you and your Congregation benefit!
Kailager Children’s Camp 2016
The Kailager Children’s Camp took place in the first week of the winter holidays this year…and it was a wonderful experience for the children who attended. Participation increased dramatically this year, with 76 children (including children of leaders) and 17 leaders enjoying the special facility we have at the Kailager. The weather was lovely, the activities on the beach and around the camp fire, at the Super Tube and in the sea were enjoyable and the experience was a memorable one! The theme – Superheroes – encouraged the children to recognise Christ as the ultimate Superhero who saves and strengthens us, comforts and challenges us.
Organising and leading such a camp costs a huge amount of work and we thank Karsten and Lenie Hinze, together with their team, for all their effort and input!
KT Camp 2016
The KT Camp took place in the following week, also at the Kailager. With 54 participants, it means that in the last two year the attendance has almost tripled! We are very happy with that and it was satisfying to see how much the young people enjoyed the camp. This year’s theme focussed on the church – what it is and what it is called to do. We spent mornings working through the theme together, in small groups and through activities. There was also a lot of fun to be had and, in addition to the usual beach activities, games, relaxation and walks, we are thankful to the sponsors who enabled us to go to Wild Waves for an exciting adventure and to a pizza place to watch soccer!
Once again we thank the leaders – the youth pastor Udo Lütge and his team – for their hard work and dedication and for every effort they put in to make the time for the young people special, meaningful, enjoyable and safe!
We have put a lot of effort into promoting these camps and it is good to see that it has paid off. Thank you to everyone who help us to encourage young people to join us – long may it continue like this!
Youth Council and Conferences
The Southern Circuit Youth Conference took place in April and the Eastern Circuit Youth Representatives Meeting in August. Both conferences were well attended and the discussions constructive and positive. We want to thank you all for that. At these events the following people were elected to the Youth Council: Neo Shange – Southern Circuit Representative; Rainer Filter – Eastern Circuit Representative. Marcel Hinze and Hermann Düvel, who had been co-opted by the youth council to fill vacancies, were confirmed in their posts as representatives of the Eastern Circuit. They join Philip Voigts (chair), Kurt Hillerman (Treasurer), Liesel Muhl (Secretary), Maika Lilje, Louis Lorenz and Daniel Müller-Nedebock on Council. For the first time in a long time we have no vacancies in the council and actually had more nominations than posts available. We thank everyone who is prepared to serve on the Youth Council. We are also grateful to those who made themselves available but were not elected.
Upcoming Events
Please diarise the following upcoming events:
11-18 December 2016 Rüstwoche (Elandskraal); Outreach (Hermannsburg)
26 December 2016 Weihnachtsparty in Vryheid
24-26 February 2017 Youth Council Meeting in Wartburg
2-8 July 2017 Kailager Children’s Camp
10-15 July 2017 KT Camp
Deutschlandreise Trip to Germany
Philip und ich hatten das große Vorrecht um im Mai/Juni 2016 drei Wochen lang in Deutschland zu sein. Zwei Wochen lang sind wir abenteuerlich alleine 2000km durch Deutschland gereist – von Hessen nach Sachsen, dann Nordrhein-Westfalen und Niedersachsen. Schließlich ging zurück nach Sachsen. Da haben mit einer ganzen Gruppe aus Südafrika den Deutschen Posaunentag in Dresden besucht.
On the Father-Son road trip part of our travels, Philip and I visited friends and family and went on quite a few adventures, including bike and boat tours, visits to a silver mine, dinosaur park, car museum and more.
In Frankfurt angekommen, haben wir Marlene Landau (geb. Schröder) und ihre Familie in Groß-Gerau besucht: geselliges miteinander, Rhein, Burg, Fahrrad und mehr. Von da ging es ins Erzgebirge. Diese hübsche Gegend hatten wir noch nie besucht. Unsere Freunde haben uns sehr verwöhnt und es gab unheimlich viel zu sehen. Der Besuch an ein Silberbergbau war nur einer der Höhepunkte. Danach besuchten wir die
Schreibfreundin von meiner Mutter, dann die Schirges und kamen zuletzt nach Bienenbüttel, wo wir ein Jahr lang gewohnt haben als ich mein Vikariat gemacht hab. Es war so schon alte Freunde zu sehen, Philip’s Kindergarten zu besuchen, die deutsche Heimat nach langer Zeit wieder zu erleben. Dann ging es auf nach Dresden!
We spent one incredible week in Dresden with our group from South Africa. We got to take in awe-inspiring sights, make joyful music…and laugh!
Dresden war ein Erlebnis! Thomas und Manfred Kuhn aus unsere Gemeinde waren auch da und zusammen mit den Rest der Gruppe haben wir die sächsische Schweiz
(Wow!), das Schloß Moritzburg, die Frauenkirche, Meissen und noch viel, viel mehr erlebt. Bei freundlichen Gastgebern in der Gemeinde in Radebeul (die ältere Nachbarstadt von Dresden) waren wir zu Gast.
Unter vielen Höhepunkten waren die höchsten wohl die Schiffahrt auf der Elbe zu dem Blasen am Markplatz Pirna, das Konzert in der Frauenkirche, das Konzert von unserem eigenen Auswahlchor mit dem Auswahlchor Mitteldeutschland, die Serenade Abends an der Elbe...und natürlich das Posaunenfest selbst im Dresdner Stadion mit bis zu 22 000 Bläsern. Da „Gloria sei dir gesungen“ mit zu blasen – Gänsehaut und Soli Deo Gloria!
Fleischverkauf Meat Sale
The weather was perfect, the fellowship buzzing and the event hugely successful! That just about sums up our annual meat sale which took place on Saturday, 30 July.
Wir sind sehr dankbar für aller Unterstützung von Nachbarn, Gemeinschaft und Kirche bei unserem gut gelungenen Fleischverkauf. Das er so gut besucht war hat beigetragen zu einem fröhlichen, geselligen Fest! Vielen, vielen Dank!
We also thank all our Congregation members for their input – the hard work in preparation for the day and the effort on the day to make this event such a success. It couldn’t be done without you! A special thank you to Sharron and Martin Kassier for their tireless input on the meat preparation side of this fundraiser. Ihr seid Sterne! Vielen, vielen Dank!!
Thank Offerings/Dankopfer
SEPTEMBER
04 Congregation / Gemeinde 11 NO SERVICE IN WARTBURG 18 Wartburg Hostel / Schülerheim 25 Mission
OCTOBER/OKTOBER
02 Mission DELP 09 Congregation / Gemeinde 16 Hall Fund / Hallenfonds 23 Harvest Festival (see below) / Erntedankfest (Siehe unten) 30 Solidarity
NOVEMBER
06 Hall Fund / Hallenfonds 13 Mission 20 Cemetery / Friedhof 27 Congregation / Gemeinde
Harvest Festival Erntedankfest
This year we will be celebrating Harvest Festival on Sunday, 23 October. In our Congregation, we take up a special Thank Offering on this Sunday. Congregation Members are encouraged to support this Thank Offering generously and are afforded the opportunity to support various causes through it. This year you have the choice of supporting one of the following through the Harvest Festival Thank Offering:
The In Need Fund of our Congregation – this fund is used to support people in need. Members can make proposals or applications to this fund and the money is used to assist those in need who are identified in this way.
The Organ Fund of our Congregation.
Our own Congregation. The contributions to this Thank Offering are often sizeable, so you are welcome to make your offering via EFT. Please clearly reference it either HF In Need, HF Organ or HF Congregation! If you will be bringing cash for the Thank Offering on the Sunday, but would like to specifically designate to which cause you would like your offering to go, please enclose it in an envelope clearly marked either HF Solidarity or HF Organ! Cash not assigned in this way will go to the Congregation.
Please read the note below!
Editorial Committee / Redaktion
Udo Lütge 033 5031 021 Else Behrens 033 5031 112 Elsa Reinhard 033 5031 032 Trisha Bosse 082 667 6086 Karen McCullough 033 5031 090
Contributions for our quarterly newsletter - anything topical which you would like to share with others - will be appreciated. Habt ihr einen Beitrag für den Gemeindebrief den ihr mit anderen teilen möchtet? Schickt es uns, bitte.
Pastor: Council/Vorstand:
Pastor Udo Lütge Andrew Bee 082 774 8029 P. O. Box 244, WARTBURG, 3233 Edwin Bosse 082 971 2003 [email protected] Jill Meyer 083 779 9091 033 5031 021 Edgar Driemeyer 082 668 7010
BANKING DETAILS / BANKVERBINDUNG:
FNB Evangelical Congregation Wartburg Account No.: 620 253 535 33 BRANCH CODE: 220231
FNB Wartburg Cemetery (Call Account) Account No.: 621 557 252 22 BRANCH CODE: 220231
There are two funds dedicated to the Wartburg Cemetery:
The Working Account*, which funds the day to day upkeep and maintenance expenses of the cemetery; and
The Capital Account**, which is a fund dedicated exclusively to future use for the cemetery, to ensure its continued upkeep and maintenance in the event of the congregation no longer doing this work on a day to day basis (e.g. Amalgamation).
When making a donation to the Wartburg cemetery, please pay into the Wartburg Cemetery Call Account listed above and indicate clearly for which fund your donation is intended by adding WCWA* or WCCA** to your name in the reference on the deposit advice.
Closing Date for Submissions to the next Newsletter:
14 November 2016
