Die Arbeit der SELK und LKM in Belgien, einmal englisch dargestellt.

Rev. Matthias Tepper is sent by the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (SELK) in partnership with LCMS World Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium. Matthias, originally from Germany, studied theology at the SELK seminary in Oberursel, Germany; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.; and the University of Tubingen in Germany. Initially, Matthias is focusing on reaching out to the English-speaking expatriate community in Brussels. He has two primary objectives: to gather together any Lutherans in the area for worship and fellowship and to spread the Gospel among unbelievers so they may come to faith in Jesus Christ. Matthias has observed that Christians often lose touch with Christ when they are far from home. This could be because their trusted home congregation is far away and a new one is not easily found, or because they speak a different language or have significant cultural differences. At the same time, when people are out of their familiar context, they are sometimes willing to try new things. So, in a foreign environment, expatriates might be more open to the Gospel than they would be at home. Matthias plans eventually to expand the outreach efforts to include native citizens of Belgium who live in the French- and Flemish-speaking communities in and around Brussels. In order to do this effectively, Matthias is studying those languages. Matthias hopes to help establish and shepherd a vibrant congregation with uplifting worship services and meaningful Bible studies. He prays that he will serve with a team of laypeople in the congregation’s community in the name of Christ, and in doing so, discover new opportunities to share the Good News.