The NELCSA Logo explained.
The Logo is an abstract representation of the Luther rose. This places emphasis on the Lutheran roots of NELCSA. The cross dominates and highlights that Christ is not only at the centre, but that he impacts on all aspects of our church.
The irregular semicircles represent the different people and congregations that come together opening up towards the centre point.
The cross breaks the barriers of the enclosure, allowing movement in and out of the circle.
The shapes are uneven, acknowledging our differences and also our flaws - and yet we are Church of Christ!
During the next few Bishop´s Posts I will use this logo to show what NELCSA is about, where we see our purpose and where we hope to be heading as church.

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Bishop's Post
April May 2021

News from NELCSA
 
1. Pastor Reiner Focke was inducted in Augsburg on 7 March. We pray that the Lord will richly bless congregation and family!
 
2. The NELCSA Song festival on 25 April has to be held virtually - sad, but true. Details will be sent later, and I hope that many will now join in who otherwise would not have attended!
 
3. It is the second time in a row that we celebrate Easter under Lockdown. May the message “Christ has risen” fill us with joy and strength for the road ahead!
After receiving feedback from my previous Bishop´s Post, I decided to elaborate more on the “Healing movement”. In the Logo it is represented by the space between the heart and the circles (rose petals), and the space beyond. It is there - and it is not there. It can easily be ignored, because it is so undefined. If I put the logo on a different background, you can see what I mean - like here, placed on Southern Africa.
Let me jump to the early church and its rapid spread. Although the focus of Acts is on the “great preachers” such es Peter and Paul, the fast spreading of the faith in Christ was because of many unknown Christians living out their faith. In Acts 2, 47 we read: “They enjoyed the favour of all the people.” Within a short while Christianity spread across the Roman empire, ahead of the later mission journeys of Paul and the apostles. When Paul wrote the letter to the Christians in Rome to prepare his first visit there, there already were a significant number of Christians.
The real, significant spread of the gospel does not happen through clergy and missionaries, but through ordinary Christians - they are the Healing movement spreading Christ into the world.
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus likens his followers to salt and light: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Salt is not selective in its flavouring; light is not selective in its shining.
For many Christians their Christianity is mainly lived out in the congregation: That is where I openly speak about my faith, where I care for fellow congregants, where I show love and commitment. Although this should be the case, it should not only happen in the closed community of a congregation. That would be, as Jesus put it, “to light a lamp and put it under a bowl”.
The safe space of the own congregation is important. But when we limit our faith life to that, the “salt has lost its saltiness”
For that reason, it is vital that NELCSA does not, in the first instance, focus on the wellbeing of our church, but on helping our members to live out their faith in their daily lives, together with other Christians of all denominations that they are interacting with in their daily lives.
The Healing Movement of Christians is not limited to certain denominations. It does not have a name of its own, and it does not require a special registration process to become a member. Every person, set free by Christ, is part of this movement, is part of Christ´s sending. The healing movement is not Lutheran, or Catholic, or Pentecostal- The Christians forming it are - but the Movement, the Mission, transcends all boundaries.
We need to make an effort to discover amongst our colleagues, friends, and even our enemies our brothers and sisters in Christ.
What will happen if all Christians in South Africa live out Christ´s example wherever they are? His healing power will bring light even to the darkest hell-holes in our country.
Just with the early church, this will not be driven by a few individuals, archbishops or evangelists, but by the many unknown Christians who love Christ and dare to follow his example.
The “empty space” in the logo is the space where all Christians together live, work and witness, each one in their own way, to the glory of Christ. This is where it becomes known that Christ is Lord of all!

 
 

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News from NELCSA
 
1. Pastor Reiner Focke was inducted in Augsburg on 7 March. We pray that the Lord will richly bless congregation and family!
 
2. The NELCSA Song festival on 25 April has to be held virtually - sad, but true. Details will be sent later, and I hope that many will now join in who otherwise would not have attended!
 
3. It is the second time in a row that we celebrate Easter under Lockdown. May the message “Christ has risen” fill us with joy and strength for the road ahead!

 
The Election of the next Bishop will happen at the NELCSA Synod on 8 October 2021. As part of the preparation a webinar was given on 30 January, during which church council gave an overview of the way forward for NELCSA and the expectations from the next bishop. Thank you to the 707 people who took the time to complete the questionnaire on the post of bishop.
The purpose of the webinar was to assist congregations in deciding whom to nominate for this post at their Annual General Meetings.  The details on the webinar can be found on our NELCSA web page.
The process may not be confused with an election campaign where candidates and supporters try to win votes and belittle others. Rather it is a time for prayer and reflection: Lord Jesus Christ, where are you leading us? Whom do you want to call into this position?
 
May the Lord bless this time!

Yours in Christ
Horst Müller

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