A New Church is born in Windhoek - Welcome to Grace Reformed Baptist Church !

 A third of the great congregation present  at the service

It is not every day that one witnesses the birth of a new congregation!

In the city of Windhoek we have, with great joy received into our midst a new church – a new manifestation of the presence of God and a token of the advance of the kingdom of God on earth. 

We pause to give humble thanks for this wonderful occasion and we say with the Psalmist,

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Psalm 115:1 ESV) 

To crown the event, the new church was also able to ordain their new pastor, Tuundjakuje (Spencer) Tjijenda on the same day!

REPORT OF THE CONSTITUTION AND ORDINATION SERVICE 

All this happened on Sunday, 21st October at the Monte Christo Baptist Church (under the pastoral leadership of Laban Mwashekele). The service was led by Pastor Rieck, on behalf of the sponsoring church, Eastside Baptist Church in a packed service of worship to the God who is so very worthy of our praise!

Pastor Rieck leads the service 

Pastor  Laban Mwashekele began the service with Scripture reading (Acts 20:28-35) and prayer. 

Godwin Murangi, a senior member of the Grace Reformed Baptist church   shares the history of the church. He reminded us of the beginnings of this new church in 2006. 

The church was born in the midst of many physical difficulties and challenges, and we were made acutely aware of the fact that it was the grace of God alone that has caused this church to reach this milestone. 

Pastor Rieck, on behalf of the Eastside Baptist Church (sponsoring church) read out the names of the 38 charter members, followed by the recitation of the church covenant, which was then duly signed by the elders, on behalf of the members. 

The ordination service of Pastor Tjijenda followed with the laying on of hands by the elders of EBC, who asked the other ordained pastor- elders to join them in this act of dedication of our new pastor. The new church is now in the hands of their elders Pastor T. Tjijenda and Jafet Kazavanga.

The ordination of Pastor Tjijenda

The sermon was preached by Pastor Chipita Sibale of the Kabwata Baptist Church in Zambia. 

His text was taken from Romans 1:1,  as he reminded us all of the character, calling and commission of the pastor- servant of God, who exists for the benefit of the church. 

At this point it is important to mention the fact that the Zambian church has done much to encourage us in this work. 

We are careful to give thanks to God for their labour in sending a good number of men over these years to consolidate the good work which the Holy Spirit has begun. Special mention must be made of Pastor Nsenduluka Kapambwe who had laboured faithfully for 2 years for the establishment of this congregation. 

The new pastor - Tuundjakuje  Tjijenda

After the service a lunch was prepared, and good fellowship was enjoyed. Truly, we were made very aware of the fact that this was the day that the LORD had made!

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Joachim Rieck – October 2012 

Otjimbingwe - Namibia's forgotten spiritual Heritage

An old map  of the central territory of Namibia

Having developed  an increasing appetite for Namibian Church History over the years,  my wife and I decided to visit  Otjimbingwe  en route to Swakopmund for a much needed break.Otjimbingwe  once  was the “capital village” of Namibia.This  was  the place where Carl Hugo Hahn (http://jrieck.blogspot.com/2009/09/missionary-pioneers-in-namibia-2-carl.html), a  Pioneer  Missionary of the Rhenish Missionary Society had  significantly contributed towards the spread of the gospel in Namibia.

How to get there

Since even some Namibians ask,“Otjimbingwe, where is that?”, let me explain how to get there. Leaving Windhoek in direction to Swakopmund  on the B2, you will find the  turn-off for Otjimbingwe just before you get to the little settlement called Wilhelmstal.  The dust  road (D1967) of approximately 60 kilometers will take you to Otjimbingwe which is located  on  the  banks of the Swakop  river.

Otjimbingwe  then …

Otjimbingwe, centrally located in Namibia, became the primary mission station of the Rhenish  Missionary  Society  on Namibian soil in  1849. Located  on the banks of the  ephemeral Swakop river it  is literally an oasis  in the desert. The first missionary to settle there in 1849 was Johannes  Rath. It was 8 years later that  he baptized the first 2 converts on the 25th July 1858.  Not long after this, his wife and 4 children were tragically lost at  sea,  near  Walvis Bay. He left Otjimbingwe in 1861 and Carl Hugo Hahn succeeded him here  in 1864.

By 1864, Otjimbingwe  had become a thriving community.  Hahn  wanted to develop  this  mission station into a “Missions Kolonie“ (a missionary colony), a place where the converts to Christianity could find  a faith community, whilst also learning  a trade. Carl Hugo Hahn had indeed  developed a holistic approach to doing missionary work.   Soon others were attracted to this village, such as  the  Swedish trader and explorer Charles John Andersson, who established his business there. It thus became the first European trading post on Namibian soil.

Rhenish Church Otjimbingwe 1867

The Rhenish Mission church was built under the direction  Carl Hugo Hahn   by architect and builder, Eduard Hälbich,  and completed in 1867 it  is still used as a place of worship. One of the Hälbich descendants  is a member of our congregation.  This church building has frequently served as a place of refuge, such as the instance when  it was attacked by  Jonker Afrikaner. 

In 1884 Otjimbingwe  became  the seat of the  German colonial administration. Thereby,it served was the “capital village” of so called German South West  Africa. 

Soon after that  the civil administration moved  to Windhoek in  1892. Once the railway line between Windhoek and Swakopmund had been completed, Karibib (60km’s from Otjimbingwe)  became a railway station along the way,and thus Otjimbingwe  dwindled in importance.

Otjimbingwe now …

Whilst Otjimbingwe is  situated in a lush desert oasis, it also is a poverty stricken community  of about  8000 souls.  There is very little evidence of economic activity, and no signs of prosperity.

 Mission ruins

The old Rhenish mission church is  still in use, but the old missionary buildings surrounding  it are in a state of complete disrepair. It is sad that a place of such significant spiritual history in our country has been so forgotten  and neglected.

Unlike   Martin Rautanen’s  Mission station in Olukonda, Ovamboland,   which is relatively well kept, and  with a good museum (and I believe, maintained with the help of the Finnish Government), this  mission station  at Otjimbingwe has no advocate and protector. 

Mission ruins

So much could be done to  make this a place  of remembrance, retreat and reflection, not forgetting the present people of Otjimbingwe who need the gospel  of our Lord Jesus  Christ, preached passionately, as of old by men like Johannes Rath (1816-1903) and Carl Hugo Hahn (1818-1895).

Biblically speaking, many places of former spiritual splendor and glory  have suffered such fates (not least the temple  in Jerusalem at various times  and particularly in AD 70).

The prophet   Isaiah among others declared,
“They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. “ (Isaiah 61:4 ESV).

Whilst this text has  primarily  application  to   the  restoration  of all things when Jesus comes again, we in the  ‘here  and now’ must also not fail  to subdue  ruin and decay where we see it,  and give glory to God through  the  restoration  of such  ruins  as we find here in Otjimbingwe, Namibia. 

This  broken  down truck greeted us as we entered Otjimbingwe

  

NAMIBIA PASTORS CONFERENCE: Olukonda - Ovamboland : 8th – 10th August 2012

The old Olukonda Mission church

This year (2012), Pastors  Laban Mwashekele,  Tuundjakuje (Spencer) Tjijenda  and I decided to do things a little different  with respect to the annual Pastor’s  conference,  which  is sponsored by Eastside Baptist Church,  and which normally takes place in Windhoek.

We decided to hold a conference for pastors in Ovamboland. For this purpose we chose a historically significant place- Olukonda, the mission station of the Finnish  Lutheran missionary, Dr. Martin Rautanen (1845-1926). He  truly was the apostle to the Ovambos.  

About  20 pastors  from various  denominations  gathered for this purpose.  The subject matter of this conference  was Namibian Church History: "How the gospel came to Namibia, and  the effects it had on  the country”.  

In previous years,   we have had always included a biographical paper  on  the work of  a   missionary to  our territory, which was  then, in  pre- colonial days, [1] known simply  as ‘South West Africa‘.  

The home of Martin Rautanen

Over the years then  I have produced biographical papers on the lives of three major missionaries.[2] 

The first  pioneer missionary  was Johan Heinrich Schmelen (1777-1848). He first brought the gospel to the Nama  people of   Southern Namibia.  He  too had always prayed for  the people  who  lived  north  of  this territory  i.e. the Herero people of central Namibia, and also  for  the  Ovambo people  of northern Namibia. His prayers were heard  by God, in  the sending of  Carl Hugo Hahn to the Herero people  and Martin Rautanen to the Ovambo people. 

Pastor Laban Mwashekele in Rautanen's study  and in his chair!

The second paper  therefore focussed  on  the life and work of  Carl Hugo Hahn  (1818-1895). He  may be considered to be  the  pioneer missionary  to the  Herero people.  He  saw to it that the Ovambo people were reached with the gospel, through the agency of the Finnish Missionary  society.  

The most prominent and  outstanding missionary to  the Ovambo people  was   Martin  Rautanen  (1845-1926). He laboured 50 years in Ovamboland, and lies buried along with his wife and most of his children in Olukonda. 
Martin Rautanen  was the subject  of my third paper, and it was very fitting  that  we should  have met on the  grounds of  his   mission station, which is now a museum. Our hearts were indeed moved by this man’s  testimony.   

Martin  & Frieda Rautanen with their daughter , Johanna

Johan Heinrich Schmelen’s prayer was answered in a most remarkable way.  Not only did God send Martin Rautanen to Ovamboland  to preach the gospel  and to see much fruit after many years of labour, but Martin Rautanen married one of his offspring  - a  granddaughter of Schmelen, Frieda  Kleinschmidt. Martin Rautanen met her  at  Hugo Hahn’s mission station in Otjimbingwe.   Here is a remarkable testimony in terms of how God moves in answer to prayer, and over a number of generations! And so the whole territory was just about covered with the gospel in the 1800’s! A remarkable feat, when one considers the size, the aridity, and the inhospitable nature of this desert country.

Pastor Tjijenda (Grace Reformed Baptist Church)  presented 2  excellent papers which illustrated how the gospel  preached by  men like Hugo Hahn  had influenced two  former Herero chief’s , Samuel Maherero  (1856-1923) and Hosea Kutako (1870-1970). We have challenged our Namibian pastors to  do  further research  on  how  the gospel  has  influenced  the various tribes of Namibia,  whilst also asking  why our nation is  currently  so lukewarm,  having evidently been previously favoured with such  rich deposits of gospel truth. 

Pastor's Conference

Pastor  Tjijenda   speaking on the lives of some  Herero chiefs

Books  are important  witnesses  to our church history!( Ignore the Coke advert!!!)

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[1] The scramble for Africa only began in the mid 1880’s

[2] These three biographies may be found on my blog “ A Reformed Baptist in Namibia”

What Model should we use for training Pastors in Namibia?

This past week (Monday 23^rd July – Friday  27^th July)  I have had the opportunity to help  to  teach  25 pastors of the Copperbelt Ministerial College (CMC) in Ndola, Zambia.   While Pastor Kabwe, the  College’s academic dean was teaching Pastoral Theology, I taught Anthropology  and Hamartiology -the doctrines of  man and sin.   

The students (currently at a first year level of training) are already mostly involved in pastoring  churches. Many of them are pastors of Pentecostal churches. They have become deeply aware of the spiritual needs of their congregations, and they really want to be good shepherds  of their flocks. This warms my heart. Most of them have had little or no formal training. 
Most of them have  no  personal libraries to speak of. 

C.H. Spurgeon, in his “Lectures to my Students“ has a chapter entitled, "To workers  with slender apparatus”. In this  chapter he discusses the importance of ensuring  that  a pastor is  furnished with  the best books  to sustain him with mental nourishment, so that his soul may not be starved! Thankfully, churches  elsewhere in the world have seen this need  and have started to provide  much needed  reading material to  this,  and previous generations  of men that have been trained in institutions similar  to CMC and LMC  (Lusaka Ministerial  College).

It is heart-warming to see good books and  good men pouring into Zambia to train the  Zambian  men who  aspire to  the pastoral  office.  Zambia  is a good example of time, money and manpower invested in effective  pastoral  training over many years now. Most of the men  who have  come to train national pastors have come   from the USA and the UK, but increasingly  it is now the trend to see  men from the African soil  training their men    who aspire to the pastoral ministry.

The training takes  place one week at a time in quarterly intervals. This system seems to work best, since  the men  who come for training are thereby not taken out of their  churches, as is the case in a residential program.  Once the men have been instructed for that week, they return  to  study  and to write their assignments in fulfilment of the course requirements. 
  

The Namibian Challenge

All this challenges us to consider  the nature of  pastoral training in Namibia. Most of  our trained pastors   have been  educated  outside of our country, and all these occupy  pulpits in the city  or towns.  A small number have been trained  in Namibia  in the context of a local, residential  college. The weakness of this college is that it has no clear Baptist ecclesiology. One of our men  is presently engaged in a  distance learning program, whilst serving in an internship  in  his local church. This  requires  exceptional discipline.    

Our greatest need for pastoral training  at this stage lies in the  rural areas of Namibia, where pastors  would have to  use the vernacular languages  to communicate with their flocks.  It is the men that lead the rural churches that need  training in pastoral  skills  most.  
To begin with, they may need  English  lessons, so that they can  have access to all the good theological literature which is so richly   available in that language. Namibia (due to her history) is  not nearly  as fluent in English as the Zambians are. This also makes teaching  pastors in English difficult, though not impossible.

It seems to me that  the best system  available at this stage is  the model which the Zambian churches have adopted for pastoral training. It has its shortcomings, to be sure, but there is no perfect system at this stage. And ultimately, it is not going to be the training we provide, but the call and gifting from  God Himself that shall  sustain a man in the pastoral ministry.     

The other challenge is  to have a vision  for  the upgrading  of  the pastoral skills of   denominational  leaders  of our country. Ultimately the church  of the Lord Jesus  Christ  consists   of all churches who   seek to truly  love  God with all their  heart, soul, mind and strength. 

It seems to me that God has blessed Reformed Baptists with skills, people and resources to share   the vision for a biblical,   God centered ministry  with other pastors and churches   to  the betterment of their own denominations. The Zambians  are presently using this opportunity effectively to sow into  the  wider church of God.  This too is  within our reach in Namibia.  

So, please pray  with us and for us  as we  long to see the  length and breadth of Namibia filled with  the knowledge  of the  Lord, and if you  can help in any practical way, please let us know!