From the mission field — Traveling to Luther Academy

From left, the Rev. John Riay, a Lutheran pastor in South Sudan, and the Rev. Davis Wowa, a Lutheran pastor in Malawi, visited the pyramids in May on their way to obtain visas to attend an intensive Luther Academy latvclass in Riga, Latvia. (John Riay)

The Rev. Dr. Christian Tiews serves as an LCMS missionary to Germany, where he works with the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK), the Synod’s partner church in Germany, to reach out to Germans and Farsi-speaking immigrants from the Middle East. In addition, he offers English classes, translates German theological materials into English, and assists in the new English-language Bachelor of Theology program offered by Luther Academy, Riga, Latvia.

Tiews recently shared this update about his work:

“Once a week I am privileged to help form 15 men from 11 different countries to become Lutheran pastors through classes at Luther Academy, Riga, joining my LCMS missionary colleagues as we take turns giving classes over Zoom.

“Since January, I have been teaching ‘Lutheran Confessions of Faith,’ working through the entire Book of Concord with the men. Next month, all of us will meet for a two-week in-person intensive in Latvia. Traveling there from another European Union [EU] country is easy because no visas are required. But what if you live in South Sudan or Tanzania, which are neither in the EU nor have a Latvian embassy?

“You do what our seminarians Rev. John Riay and Rev. Davis Wowa did. You travel all the way to Cairo to obtain visas for Latvia, stopping on the way to visit the pyramids!”

Tiews said that, since both men are already pastors, he asked them why they are attending seminary. Wowa replied: “I was born in a pagan family. The only church I joined was the Lutheran church of central Africa, in 1976. Since then I have not joined any other church [or studied other] doctrine. The true teachings of the Bible the Luther Academy offers … are helping me a lot. I praise God for this opportunity.”

Riay said, “My reason to be a Lutheran pastor is the same reason I become a Lutheran. … [The] Lutheran [church] remains the only church that maintains the true teachings of Scripture.”

Tiews added, “All of us at Luther Academy — faculty and students — are so grateful for our generous supporters who continue to make the English stream of Riga Luther Academy possible, allowing us to spread the Gospel by forming one faithful Lutheran pastor at a time.”

Learn more about the mission work of Tiews and his wife, Lula, at lcms.org/tiews.

Posted Aug. 15, 2023

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Cheryl Magness

Cheryl Magness is managing editor of the print and online versions of Reporter, the official newspaper of the LCMS. She has written for a variety of publications, including The Federalist, Touchstone and The Lutheran Witness, and is a contributor to the book He Restores My Soul from Emmanuel Press. She has degrees in English and music and enjoys playing piano and spending time with her family.