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Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church

LCMS convention celebrates fellowship with five church bodies

by | Aug 10, 2023

USA – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) held its 68th Synodical Convention from July 28-August 3 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during which time the church newly recognized fellowship with two church bodies in Uganda and Ukraine, affirmed fellowship with two others in South Sudan/Sudan and Finland, and recognized a fifth in Sri Lanka as a self-governing partner church. The decisions came during the afternoon session of July 30.

The LCMS’ new partners include the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Sudan/Sudan (ELCSS/S); the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF); the Lutheran Church of Uganda (LCU); the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (ELCU); and the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC). All were received unanimously.

South Sudan/Sudan and Finland

The first two votes saw the endorsement of previous declarations of fellowship made by the LCMS president during the past triennium. Under LCMS bylaws, the president of synod can declare fellowship between the LCMS and emerging confessional Lutheran church bodies on the recommendation of the Commission of Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), with the decisions to then be ratified during the next synodical convention.

ELCS/SS Bishop Peter Anibati Abia.

President Matthew Harrison—who was reelected in advance of the convention—initially declared fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Sudan/Sudan in 2022. The LCMS and the Lutheran Heritage Foundation have enjoyed a cooperative relationship with the ELCSS/S going back to the 1990s.

“I give thanks to God Almighty and to all of you, the delegates, for endorsing the declaration of altar and pulpit fellowship between our two churches,” said ELCSS/S Bishop Peter Anibati Abia following the vote. “I invite you to join hands with us so that we together can bring the joy of the Gospel to many who are lost.”

ELMDF Bishop Juhana Pohjola.

LCMS President Matthew Harrison also declared fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese in 2020, and the convention vote endorses that decision. The ELMDF and the LCMS began fellowship talks in 2017.

ELMDF Bishop Pohjola greeted the affirmation with joy. “What a gift to confess together Christ crucified!” he said. “What a gift to receive together the gifts of the cross: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. What a gift to drink from the same chalice in unity of faith. What a gift to share the Gospel of salvation in the same mission work to the world. And what a gift to pray and support each other in the midst of trials and hostility.”

Uganda and Ukraine

LCU Bishop Charles Bameka

The convention then turned to new declarations of fellowship. The first of these was with the Lutheran Church of Uganda. The LCMS previously participated in mission work in Uganda alongside the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, which began work in the country in 1993. The LCU became self-governing in 2015.

“It is the hope of the Lutheran Church of Uganda that in this fellowship The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod will continue to walk with us,” said LCU Bishop Charles Bameka, noting the new fellowship declaration was the culmination of a process that first began in 2016. “May God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit lead and guide us as we together preach Christ crucified. Amen.”

ELCU Bishop Serge Maschewski

Then came a vote to recognize fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine. The church body emerged out of a 2015 split in the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine, with confessional Lutherans coalescing around the emerging ELCU. LCMS ties to members in the ELCU go back to the 1990s.

“Today the Lord united us, and we today follow His words: ‘May they all be one as You, Father, are in Me and I in You. May they be one as We are one.’” said ELCU Bishop Serge Maschewski. “I thank God and you, brothers and sisters—participants of this convention—for this wonderful opportunity.” Bishop Maschewski then presented LCMS President Harrison with a damaged helmet that saved the bishop’s life when, while providing pastoral care in in Ukraine, a convoy of vehicles in which he was traveling was hit by a missile strike. The helmet—which was provided thanks to LCMS support—is a potent symbol of the two churches’ partnership in support of the Gospel amidst the difficulties of this world.

Sri Lanka

Rev. Steven Mahlburg, LCMS missionary to Sri Lanka, reads greetings from CELC Bishop Arumanayagam Arulchelvan.

The fifth church with which the convention recognized fellowship was the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) in Sri Lanka. The CELC grew out of the mission efforts of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, and is a successor church to a previous LCMS partner: the Lanka Lutheran Church, whose legal status had lapsed. The new vote reestablishes the recognition of fellowship with Sri Lankan Lutherans as a self-governing church body.

CELC Bishop Arumanayagam Arulchelvan was unable to attend the convention in person but sent greetings in a letter which was read to the delegates. The LCMS and the CELC both “remain committed to upholding sound confessional Lutheran theology, fervently sharing the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus and demonstrating God’s love through acts of mercy to those in need,” he wrote. “I humbly invite you to join hands with us so that together we can bring the joy of the Gospel to the many who are lost. May the name of the Lord be praised now and forevermore.”

Broken Ties

A day later on July 31, the LCMS convention took up the sadder business of recognizing the loss of fellowship with the Japan Lutheran Church (JLC). The move came after growing disagreement between the two church bodies on ordination and other subjects, culminating in the JLC’s 2021 decision to alter its constitution and bylaws to remove the requirement that those ordained to pastoral ministry be male.

The LCMS therefore adopted a resolution recognizing that “the LCMS with deep sorrow and regret declares that it can no longer recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the JLC,” while at the same time acknowledging the LCMS’ “own shortcomings and failures in not giving adequate attention to these theological concerns.” The resolution ends with a commitment to remain “open and eager to pursuing further doctrinal discussions with the JLC should the JLC at any time be open to such discussions in the hope that by God’s grace our church bodies might once again attain complete agreement in doctrine and practice and once again enjoy the gift of God-given and God-pleasing altar and pulpit fellowship.”

Concurrent with the synodical convention, the LCMS also held an International Church Relations Forum, with more than 40 international representatives present for the event. Participants, some of whom also addressed convention delegates and participated in convention events, enjoyed a schedule of worship, theological presentations, and discussion time.

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ILC welcomes Ethiopians and Sri Lankans into membership

by | Jun 14, 2023

WORLD – The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is pleased to announce the reception of two church bodies in Ethiopia and Sri Lanka as observer members. The Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) and the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) were officially accepted during a meeting of the ILC’s Board of Directors on May 9, 2023.

“It is a joy to welcome the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church as members in the International Lutheran Council,” said ILC General Secretary Timothy Quill. “I look forward to growing in our new relationship, as we unite together in proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

“We are a confessional church which wants to keep our Lutheran heritage,” noted EELC President Mussie Alazar Niamen on his church’s decision to apply for membership. “We are looking to have a strong relationship with other confessional Lutheran churches in the ILC, so that we can be encouraged to continue as a confessional Lutheran church in Ethiopia.”

EELC President Mussie Alazar Niamen

The EELC has more than 27,500 members in 120 congregations and 30 mission stations throughout Ethiopia. The church operates a seminary in Asella and plans to open another seminary in Addis Ababa. The EELC also operates schools, clinics, and child development projects. The church was established in 1921 through the mission work of Swedish Lutherans. It enjoys relationships with several ILC member churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya, the Mission Province in Sweden, and the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.

The same meeting which welcomed the EELC also saw the International Lutheran Council welcome the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church back into membership.

“The Sri Lankan church has a long history of membership in the ILC, which lapsed in recent years as the church attempted to restructure itself,” noted General Secretary Quill. “It is a joy to welcome the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church back into the ILC and to renew our friendship.”

The CELC has applied for full membership in the ILC but votes on full membership can only be taken during ILC World Conferences (the next of which is scheduled for 2025). In the meantime, the CELC has been accepted as an observer member.

CELC Bishop Arumanayagam Arulchelvan

“We praise God He gave a wonderful opportunity to renew our relationship for the glory of God,” said CELC Bishop Arumanayagam Arulchelvan. “We had a good relationship previously under the name of the Lanka Lutheran Church, and our participants from Sri Lanka have been enriched by the international theological conferences organized by the ILC.”

Bishop Arulchelvan further noted the value of associating with the ILC, saying that “becoming associated with an institution like yours which follows confessional teachings” is “helpful for churches like us as we grow in correct teachings.”

Rev. Roger James, the ILC’s Assistant to the General Secretary, also welcomed the news of the CELC’s acceptance into the ILC. “The CELC is a small church that has had many struggles, enduring decades of ethnic insurgency, the massive tsunami of 2004, and most recently economic collapse and political turmoil,” he noted. “The Lord has been with them through them all. What joy that they are a part of the ILC and know they have Lutheran brothers and sisters all over the world.” Rev. James has a close relationship with the Sri Lankan church, having served as a missionary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in Sri Lanka from 2013-2018.

The CELC has approximately 800 members in 14 congregations. It is the successor to the former Lanka Lutheran Church, which traces its history back to 1958 when a missionary from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod arrived in the country. The church continues its close relationship with the LCMS.

The International Lutheran Council is a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions as the true and faithful exposition of the Word of God. The ILC exists to encourage, strengthen, and promote confessional Lutheran theology and practice centering in Jesus Christ, both among its members and throughout the world.

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Sri Lankan Lutherans consecrate first bishop, seek ILC membership

by | Feb 16, 2023

Participants at the consecration of CELC Bishop Arulchelvan.

SRI LANKA – On October 9 2022, the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church (CELC) consecrated its first Bishop, Rev. Arumanayagam Arulchelvan. Approximately 200 members from across the church were present for the event.

The consecration was conducted by Archbishop Joseph Omolo of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), joined also by ELCK Bishops Kispin and Titus. Archbishop Omolo, who also serves as the Africa Region Representative for the International Lutheran Council (ILC), expressed great satisfaction at being able to participate in the event, noting “it was a good opportunity for the Africa region to have fellowship with the Asia region in same-saying the faith and strengthening one another in the Lord.”

ECLK Archbishop Joseph Omolo consecrates CELC Bishop Arulchelvan.

Also present for the consecration were representatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), including the church’s Sri Lanka Mission Manager, Rev. Steven Mahlburg, and Regional Director for Asia, Rev. Charles Ferry.

The consecration was the culmination of a long process for the CELC. Plans for the election and consecration of a bishop were initially planned for May 2020, with the ELCK’s Archbishop planning to attend at that time. But the outbreak of civil unrest, in addition to the effects of the pandemic and an economic crisis, led the church to delay its Diocesan Assembly several times.

On September 27, 2022, the church was finally able to hold its Diocesan Assembly, gathering in Colombo. Representatives from every congregation in the church, along with CELC’s pastors and lay evangelists, formally ratified their new constitution and elected Rev. Arulchelvan to be their new bishop. They also elected a Diocesan Council.

CELC Bishop Arulchelvan (centre front) and LCMS Sri Lanka Mission Manager, Rev. Steven Mahlburg (front right), pose with the newly elected Sri Lankan church’s Diocesan Council in September 2022.

The CELC also voted to seek membership in the International Lutheran Council (ILC). The Sri Lankan church previously held membership in the ILC but its membership lapsed in recent years as it attempted to restructure itself. CELC also voted to seek altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS, with whom it has historic ties.

The history of Lutheran missions in Sri Lanka, go back more than 150 years but the CELC traces its particular history to 1958 when Rev. James Fergin, an LCMS missionary from India, arrived to minister to Tamil workers in Sri Lanka’s tea plantations. This eventually led to the formation of the Lanka Lutheran Church in 1978.

In 1983, civil war broke out Sri Lanka—war which would last for 26 years and put significant pressure on the church. The Lanka Lutheran Church’s government registration subsequently lapsed in the mid-2000s, though the church itself continued to function.

A few years after the civil war ended in 2009, the LCMS began to send resident missionaries to Sri Lanka again, helping the church to reconstitute itself. The church eventually obtained new government registration in 2017 under its new name: the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Today, the CELC has about 15 congregations and mission stations; four ordained pastors; five lay evangelists; and an approximate membership of 2,000 people. The vast majority of people in the country are Buddhist, with Christians making up just over seven percent of the population, meaning outreach can be difficult. Historic tensions between Tamil and Singalese people in the country also create challenges.

The LCMS’ Sri Lanka Mission Manager, Rev. Mahlburg, encourages Lutherans across the world to remember the Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church in prayer. “Though they’re small in numbers, there is a core group of Christians in Sri Lanka that are committed Lutherans,” he says. “They are proud of their heritage and are struggling to carry out the ministry there and reach out to people as they are able.”

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