Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Welcome to the Kenyan Lutheran Hymnal Blog!

The purpose of this blog is to spread the news about the Kenyan Lutheran Hymnal Project - the development of a first official hymnal for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK).

The Lutheran Church in Kenya is an active, growing church. Since its beginning in 1948, it has established a theological college for training pastors and deaconesses, a teacher training college, and sponsors over 140 primary and 21 secondary schools.

The current Bishop of the ELCK, Rev. Dr. Walter Obare, is known world wide for his strong leadership and faithful biblical stance. He serves the church tirelessly, and inspires many with his passion for Christ. As Bishop, his greatest concern is for the people of Christ who live in Kenya.

Bishop Obare has identified the need for a hymnal as crucial for the Kenyan Lutheran Church. Although his church body is strong, it faces many struggles, one of which is the lack of its own hymnal. He has asked the LC-MS for assistance with this particular need, and so we are responding.

We are given to serve one another in Christ, and helping to provide a hymnal for a church body is a tangible way to serve. A hymnal could make a huge difference in the lives of many people.

I am a church musician and deaconess student at CTS-FW. As a deaconess intern, I am assisting with this project.

In upcoming posts I will talk about the importance of a hymnal for a church, relating it to the situation in the Kenyan Lutheran Church, and will also share some pictures from Kenya.

You can read more about the ELCK at their website.

In Christ,
Sandra Rhein

3 comments:

  1. When will the project be completed and where can I get a copy of the hymnal?

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  2. We have a target date of July 2012, to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the first sermon preached by Rev. Martin Sundstrom, in Kenya.
    The printing will most likely be done in Nairobi, because that will be the most cost effective, and it's possible that Lutheran Heritage Foundation will be involved with the publishing and printing. LHF has lots of expertise in that area. The easiest way to find out where to get a copy may be this blog. Stay tuned!

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  3. I'm excited to finally get on your blog and am so excited about you work Sandra!!!

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