[Please disseminate this plea far and wide, and do so with *this date
intact: 29 May 2013*; this pastor needs our help and he needs it
*now.* Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this matter! EJG]
Folks, I need to start out by telling you what I *won't* tell you
about this situation: I won't tell you the pastor's name or his
location, other than that he is in India. I will probably end up
disclosing enough that someone could figure these things out, but I am
telling you at the outset that I am not intending to, nor do I want
you to know or broadcast such knowledge: there is a constant threat of
persecution where he serves. (That is probably already saying too
much, but I believe you deserve at least that much of an explanation.)
Now, let me tell you what I know: This is not the passing on of a
request from someone I know only from the internet, etc. The house I'm
going to tell you about is a house I have been in. The pastor is a
faithful servant of God's Word and Christ's Church who reached out for
more instruction in the Word for himself and for those he serves and
for those with whom he serves—and, especially, for the training of the
next generation of pastors—and I had the privilege to visit him, to
see that he and the parishes being served there are dedicated to
Scripture and the Small Catechism…and that they had never received
from the missionaries a few generations ago any of the rest of the
Confessions. While I was there, we read through—and he translated—both
the Large Catechism and the Augsburg Confession, and the pastors and
laity alike were thrilled to listen over the course of several days as
these were read and discussed. Beside this, I was thrilled to hear
them sing—hymns and the Office of Matins in a language I did not
understand, but to melodies that were absolutely familiar: this pastor
is the real deal, a genuine Lutheran who was taught the content of
books he had not possessed. (Thanks to the Project Wittenberg folks
for the uploading of the Book of Concord 'way back when' and to one of
our parishioners in providing this pastor with a notebook computer, he
now has those books wherever he goes!)
So, why is he homeless?
A few months ago, a venomous snake entered his home and took up
residence in one of the walls. After a few days of work, that snake
was killed…but, a month later, another one gained access. Trying to
get the new one out of the walls left holes that were inherited by
rats. Trying to get rid of both snake and rats, the pastor was advised
to re-roof and to destroy and rebuild, especially, one wall. In
attempting to do so, the workmen found that the old mud bricks were
full of ant colonies and that the whole house needed to be destroyed,
the land treated, and a new house erected.
The original outlay for the roof and wall work was going to be over
$2,500…which this pastor didn't have in the first place (the majority
of the offerings in the congregations are made in sheaves of rice…he
serves the poorest of the rural poor). Now, he's looking at ten times
that amount.
Something to keep in mind: a house is not merely 'a house' where this
faithful pastor serves; being without a house is a discrediting of the
Lord before the gods of the Hindus (and before the growing segment of
Muslims, as well). That's not to say that there need to be 'prosperity
gospel signs and wonders' for one to be heard, etc., but simply that,
culturally, a 'man of God' without a home is considered a 'man of a
puny god'. There is enough to explain to those worshiping false gods
without having to add this. More important, though, really, is that
without this base of operations, the pastor and his family is not safe
and he cannot be located where he needs to be to carry out the work
that the Holy Ghost has called him to do.
Thus, I ask you to consider a gift for the rebuilding of this pastor's
house. (Anything in excess will be directed toward other aspects of
his work and to the training of indigenous pastors to serve there.)
Some have already donated before this appeal, so work on the
foundation has begun, but there is a lot more that needs to be done to
re-settle the pastor and his family so that he can continue the Lord's
work there.
Gifts toward this end may be sent to the parish I serve or through
PayPal. Via PayPal, send to [email protected], with a note
that this is for India. To mail a check, please *note in the memo 'For
India'* and send it to
Holy Trinity Ev.-Lutheran Church
P.O. Box 2612
Harrison, AR 72602
Thank you for your consideration of this plea, for your prayers, and
for whatever gifts the Lord might bring you to send.
EJG
________________________________________________________________________
The Rev. Eric J. Stefanski
Member of The Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
Holy Trinity Ev.-Luth. Church (Unaltered Augsburg Confession)
P.O. Box 2612 - Harrison, Arkansas 72602
http://www.HolyTrinityLC.com
H agia trapeza esti...thronos Theou - St. Germanus
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