The Nelson Family Indonesia

Gotta love acronyms, right?!

This afternoon I was blessed to meet with Bishop Lu Guan Hoe of the Lutheran Church in Singapore (LCS). Bishop Lu assumed his position in 2021 and I was happy to congratulate him in person. While the LCMS and the LCS are not in formal partnership, we have a shared Lutheran heritage and a commitment to sharing the Gospel with the people of Singapore. He shared some history of the LCS as well as some information on current foci for their ministries and outreaches in Singapore. While Covid has disrupted many aspects of church life around the world, like all faithful followers of Christ, Bishop Lu and the LCS have adapted to meet the challenges and continue to reach out to their community.

Unfortunately, because I am not a photographer nor photographically inclined, I didn’t think to get a picture with Bishop Lu!

After our time together we visited Trinity Theological College (TTC). This is not a Lutheran seminary but rather what is called a Union seminary. Several different church bodies (including Lutheran) worked together to found the school years ago. Students work with their particular church body to arrange for enrollment. They take a majority of common theological courses and several denominational-specific courses. For Lutheran students, they graduate but then spend another 2-3 years in on-the-job training before ordination.

The chapel at Trinity Theological College, Singapore.

My guide was Rev. Dr. Samuel Wang, and he discussed the school’s program and gave me a quick tour of the campus. I’m hoping there will be a way to assist in some conversations with their Lutheran student body to help prepare them for parish ministry and bridge the sometimes bewildering gap between classroom and congregation.

Please pray for further conversation with Bishop Lu and Dr. Wang. And pray for their Lutheran enrollment numbers to rise so they may continue to Call qualified pastors to serve the congregations of the LCS!