SOUTH AFRICA – The closing service of the International Lutheran Council’s 2026 World Seminaries Conference took place the evening of June 25 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pretoria, a local congregation of the Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa (FELSISA).
The ILC’s Africa Region representative, Bishop Charles Bameka of the Lutheran Church of Uganda (LCU), preached for the event.
The service also saw the announcement of the new ILC Seminaries Committee, with four of five members present for the installation. Serving for the next three years are:
- Rev. Dr. Heinz Hiestermann (Africa)
- Rev. Dr. Jun Hyun Kim (Asia)
- Dr. Cynthia Lumley (Europe)
- Rev. Dr. Sergio Schelske (Latin America)
- Rev. Kirk Radford (North America)
The service also featured special music by the choir of St. Paul’s, which sang Heinrich Schütz’ Das ist je gewisslich wahr (“This is most certainly true”).
Following worship, participants enjoyed a braai dinner hosted by St. Paul church and had the opportunity to visit the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane (Pretoria), which is just down the street from the church.
The next day—the final one of the conference—saw participants take a historical tour of the region, including visits to the Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, and the Hector Pieterson Memorial before preparing to depart.
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For more news from the ILC’s 2026 World Seminaries Conference, click here.
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