They shuffle into the line for lunch just ahead of me, a younger man guiding (presumably) his aging father. We make some polite conversation. The older man cannot see or hear so well anymore but otherwise seems fine aside from some unsteadiness. The younger man it turns out serves on the board of directors for an orphanage the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP) runs next door to their headquarters where we are meeting for their National Convention. The older man talks about his doctoral studies and the various places he lived and worked in the US over the years.
They don’t seem to interact with too many other folks as we move through the line. Although the age range of the pastors in the room is wide, there probably aren’t too many who approach the older man’s age. His limited eyesight and hearing keep him from recognizing and calling out to those he might know. People here are not rude by any stretch of the imagination, and Filipinos harbor a great deal of love, respect and appreciation for their elders. But the process of growing older naturally thins out the number of good friends one might greet heartily at such an event as this.
As we find our seats he continues to share about his time in the US. Turns out he finished his Masters’ degree in St. Louis at Concordia seminary in the early 70’s – the turbulent church period of the Walkout and a painful division of Lutherans who never expected to wind up on opposite sides of a fence that didn’t yet exist. When he returned to do his doctoral work about ten years later he opted to focus on the contentious topic of the historical critical method of interpreting Scripture, which was the basis for the Walkout he had experienced firsthand. What a fascinating history.
We’re joined few moments later by his wife, a charming woman with a ready laugh as she recalls the challenges and opportunities of raising children while her husband pursued his degrees, all in a different country and culture. A few moments later we’re joined by President Antonio Reyes, the man who has led the LCP for the past seven years. The final day of the Convention will be elections and he’ll find out if he continues in that role or not. For now he’s enjoying meeting with the pastors of his church body and presiding over the convention.
I had caught the older man’s name briefly as we started talking waiting for lunch. Now President Reyes is talking with him and I verify his name. President Reyes is praying (literally) that Rev. Dr. Fuliga will allow the LCP to print his dissertation. It’s not the first time the request has been made, and over the years Dr. Fuliga has been steadfast in refusing. Not out of pride, but rather out of worry that his dissertation might prove hurtful to friends of his who were in the Walkout back in the early 70’s. Rather than risk causing them pain (even though that certainly wasn’t the point of his thesis) he’s preferred to keep his dissertation out of public print. He still seems reluctant. Perhaps, though, as his wife and President Reyes encourage him, perhaps now is a time to reconsider that stance as he nears 90 years old and many of those friends he didn’t want to hurt are with the Lord.
It was an amazing chance, happening into this man who, it turns out, was not just a scholar and teacher in the US and London and the Philippines, but also was tasked with leading the LCP many years ago. I managed to snap this photo of President Reyes, Rev. Fuliga and his wife (I’m so sorry I didn’t catch her name!) as we concluded our conversation.
I wanted this photo because, if you enlarge the image, you can see President Reyes’ photo on the wall behind him, just to the right of his face almost. And just above that photo is a photo of Rev. Fuliga when he was synodical president some time back. He looks quite a bit different now, when of the questionable blessings of old age. Yet he remains the same creation of God the Father he was back then, and the same man he will be in eternity, however our resurrected bodies might look and feel! What a glorious thing to look forward to!
You never know who you’re going to meet, or the stories that might unfold in those meetings!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 