In this blog I write mostly about the work we do. If you'd like to get some insights about our daily life here in Tanzania, see Paula's journal entry for October HERE.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Though separated by more than 500 years and 4,000 miles, Wittenberg Lutheran Seminary in Arusha, Tanzania has a close connection with the start of the Lutheran Reformation in Wittenberg, Germany. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, the Augustinian monk and Catholic priest, nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door. In them, Luther challenged the selling of indulgences, proclaiming that God's forgiveness is a free gift of grace in Christ, not something that can be bought. Within a short time, thousands of printed copies spread throughout Europe. Once again God was saying "Let light shine out of darkness." Even in the face of great danger to life and limb, the Lord preserved the lives and work of the reformers, so that the priceless message of salvation by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, founded on Scripture Alone might be preserved for us in the present day.
God's hand is also seen in the way that this Gospel message came, via the Reformation, to East Africa. German missionary societies in the late 1800s sent workers to establish churches and schools here and to proclaim God's free grace. Historical evidence of this is found less than 2 miles away from Wittenberg Seminary, where you can still visit the graves of two German missionaries, Karl Segebrock and Ewald Ovir. They were speared to death by two warriors of the Meru Tribe in 1896 (you can read the whole story HERE).
These and other ambassadors for God's grace and truth have been spreading the light of God's Word here in Tanzania up until the present day. Yesterday I presented a brief illustrated history of the Lutheran Reformation to the students, reminding them of how the light of God's grace has come to us from the Word of God, and how the Lord carried this truth from Wittenberg to Wittenberg. Our prayer is that the graduates of our seminary will be able ambassadors in the congregations they will serve "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ"!
Some recent photos follow (click to enlarge):
Preaching on September 5, with Pastor Mbise translating
Ryan, Simone and Malaika, the three confirmands on October 18, 2026
Wittenberg Seminary students in class, October 29
A video clip of Wittenberg students singing at opening devotion is HERE.
I invite your prayers for these upcoming events:
- Seminary graduation is set for Sunday, November 29. God willing we will graduate 6 men from the first-year Evangelism Program, and 1 from the three-year Seminary Program.
- Godfrey, our seminary graduate, will be married here the same day to his fiancé Neema (Grace).
- Paula and I are scheduled to leave for the USA December 1, to spend Christmas with family. I will return on January 1, with Paula remaining in the States for 3 more weeks.
- I am planning a trip to Uganda and Kenya during January, at which time the CCRU and KCLC will be having their annual pastoral conferences. Our AECT conference here in Tanzania is scheduled for January 26-28.
FOR MORE CLC Foreign Missions News,
See Missionary Todd Ohlmann's blog HERE
