“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Both the Old and New Testaments stress the importance of Christian fellowship—also with believers from other cultures, as the case may be. The above Bible verse describes the lifestyle of Jesus’ followers immediately after Pentecost, which now included Christians from a variety of backgrounds. I’m back in Hamburg, having returned from Latvia after Riga Luther Academy’s summer intensive. Good old-fashioned fellowship (koinonia in Greek) is especially significant for an online seminary forming men from all over Eurasia to become Lutheran pastors. For the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a theological instructor at this wonderful institution. Ninety percent of our classes are online, but every summer we meet for one week in either Riga or Wittenberg (Germany), so our students can receive hands-on instruction in courses that do not lend themselves so well to solely online teaching (such as liturgy). I had the privilege of getting to know most of our first-year students and marveled at how God is working in their lives. We were also blessed to have with us two renowned professors from LCMS institutions who graciously agreed to teach our international students: Dr. Joseph Herl of Concordia Seward and Rev. Dr. John Vieker of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Special thanks also to Riga Luther Academy administrator Jekabs Jurdzs and to the dear Cundiff family who helped make this marvelous summer intensive possible—seasoned with wonderful fellowship, among other places in a delightful tavern featuring a Latvian rockabilly band. Koinonia doesn’t get much more international than that. *** Christianity has never been a “Lone Ranger” religion. I pray that you, too, have a local church home, where you can regularly receive the Lord’s gifts of Word and Sacrament, and also enjoy heart-warming Christian fellowship.
The Tiews in Germany 