In September my husband will depart for a 10-day teaching and recording trip to Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo (not to be confused with Democratic Republic of the Congo), to promote the new French version of the Lutheran Service Book. This hymnal, Liturgies et cantiques lutheriens, will be the first thoroughly Lutheran worship book to be used by the churches there. It has already been introduced in parts of Togo (see Kantor Jonathan Mueller in action here) to a great reception. My husband will be traveling with Rev. James May of Lutherans in Africa and will be training local pastors in the liturgy and making recordings that can be used in local congregations for teaching purposes. He is especially suited to this work not only because of his musical skill but also because of his proficiency in the French language and his appreciation for African music.
Much financial support is needed for this project. Travel alone for Rev. May from Nairobi and for my husband from Chicago will cost thousands of dollars. They will also be purchasing and shipping/carrying hymnals to the churches in Congo, Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Cote D'Ivoire. And of course, there will be expenses incurred on the ground for room, board, local transportation and daily needs.
My husband has already started the process of preparing for travel to Africa. There is still much to be done and I will be keeping you posted and asking for your prayers as the trip nears. In the meantime, if you would like to make a donation in support of this trip, you may send it to Bethany Lutheran Church, 1550 Modaff Rd., Naperville, IL 60565, and label it "Send the Cantor to Congo!"
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And if you would like to link to or otherwise promote this trip on your own blog, please feel free!
I want everyone to know that offerings toward this project go far beyond supporting my trip. Please consider, for example, buying a box of hymnals for the churches there. ($160 for 16 hymnals, thanks to a generous allowance from the Lutheran Church - Canada) Other expenses include the costs of recording, bringing Pastor May over from Kenya to work with the pastors while I work with the musicians, and expenses on the ground while we are in Brazzaville.
Any extra funds raised will go directly to support Lutherans in Africa, directed by Pastor May in Nairobi, Kenya, which supports confessional Lutheran mission work in several countries.
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