Alumnus Rev. David Maffett accepts position as LBT executive director

Rev. Dr. Glenn Schaeffer, board chair of Lutheran Bible Translators of Canada (LBTC) on behalf of the Board, staff, and ministry partners, is delighted to announce that Rev. David Maffett of Halifax, Nova Scotia, has accepted the call to serve as executive director. Rev. Maffett, a long-time resident of Canada and native of Ohio, attended Concordia College (now University), Ann Arbor, Mich., where he completed the pre-seminary program, and later married Carla from Dresden, Ontario. Immigrating to Canada, he completed the Master of Divinity program at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario. He graduated and was ordained in 1987.

Upon David’s graduation and ordination, the Moffetts were placed by LCMS World Mission as evangelistic missionaries in Togo, West Africa, and served there for 12 years. During that time, God blessed them with two sons, Jonah and Micah. In Togo, the Moffetts planted churches, trained leaders, and worked very closely with a Wycliffe Bible translation team. For most of those years, David was the field supervisor, helping to establish the Lutheran Center for Theological Studies (CLET) in Dapaong, Togo, which trains French-speaking pastors from seven African countries. After initially teaching at the CLET for two years, David has returned several times since then to teach two-week intensive courses.

The Maffetts returned to North America in 1999 and moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., where David entered the Master of Sacred Theology program. In 2000, he accepted a call from the East District of the Lutheran Church—Canada as a mission developer in Nova Scotia, where he established Faith Lutheran Church in Dartmouth and has served to the present. He has also assisted Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, with theological education in Quebec.

LBTC looks toward this new opportunity to grow in God's kingdom under Rev. Maffett’s leadership. LBTC exists to bring people to faith in Jesus Christ through Bible translation and literacy work.

Cyndi Memorial

Easter video story created by students of 6B2, Grade 2, HKIS
Missionary Cyndi Sawyer entered her rest in Jesus, March 7th, 2008 just the day after the presentation was finished.

View the video

Missionary Reunion Photos

Helpful Missionary Research - from Alan Scott

Fellow LCMS Missionary Alumni:

I am doing my dissertation research in the Ph.D. Missiology program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne. My research interest is in finding what helps LCMS missionaries recover from extremely distressing experiences. You, as missionary alumni, are my best source of information.

Discovering what helps missionaries recover will benefit our fellow missionaries now on the field, as well as future missionaries. I pray my findings will help improve prefield training and support for our missionaries when they encounter extremely distressful events on the field.

Your participation is vital to this research. I have prepared an online survey that takes about 60 minutes to complete. Please click on the following link to register for the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=535222942099. (This link uses the "https" encrypted protocol to protect your privacy).

My email address is scottad@ctsfw.edu should you have any questions.

Please make the time to help me in this very important project. Thanks!

In Christ Jesus,

Alan Scott (Nigeria 1983-1985)
2 Cor 1:3-7

Note: LCMS World Mission supports Alan Scott in his research for this dissertation. Travis Torblaa, Personnel Care Manager, Personnel Services

Mission Service Opportunities: Hungary & Panama

Right now you have the opportunity to meet an urgent need as an EFL Teacher in Hungary.

"LCMS World Mission needs a long-term missionary to teach English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classes to students attending a Lutheran school in Sopron, Hungary. These opportunities provide many opportunities to not only witness to students in the classroom, but also to witness to fellow teachers at school and friends you make outside of class. The long-term missionary in this position will also be involved in other activities at the school and dorms."

Also, right now you have the opportunity to meet an urgent need as a Youth Worker in Panama.

"An individual is needed to serve as a youth worker in Panama City, Panama. This person will be responsible for establishing a relational ministry with youth within the congregation and community, developing leadership among young people and adults of the congregations to carry on youth ministry, working cooperatively with the pastors and other missionaries to expand the youth program, and organizing opportunities for growth in Christian faith through Bible studies, fellowship groups, servant events, and other activities."


For more information, go to: www.lcmsworldmission.org/searchopps.
Contact an LCMS World Mission placement counselor at 1-800-433-3954 or mission.recruitment@lcms.org.

2007 LCMS Missionary Alumni Reunion

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Shortly before Christmas, invitations to the 2007 LCMS Missionary Alumni Reunion were sent out. It has since come to our attention however, that not all Missionary Alumni received them. Within the past few weeks we have been hard at work revising and updating our entire Alumni e-mail address list.

Attached find the Reunion registration form and information page. If you received the December mailing and have already replied, please ignore this message. If you received the mailing but somehow misplaced the documents in the Christmas rush, please refer to those attached.

If this is the first you have heard of the 2007 Reunion, please give this invitation your consideration. The program features significant time with current LCMS career missionaries, a "Dialogue of Discovery" with a panel of mission leaders and practioners, an Honorees Luncheon, Closing Banquet and more.

Questions??? Please contact Mrs. Julie Wahlig at: Julie.Wahlig@lcms.org

Download Registration form

Hoping you enjoyed a blessed Christmas, this also comes with best wishes for a blessed New Year!

In Christ,
Al Buckman
Dr. Allan R. Buckman
Chair
MAR Steering Committee
314-996-1330

Help Betsy find Leslie

This from Betsy Wakeman:

I am an alum from the VYM Japan 1987 cohort. This is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of our great adventure. I would like to contact others in my group. Can you help?

In particular, I am having trouble finding Leslie Robertson. She was from Edmondton, Canada and served in Niigata, Japan from 1988 to 1990.

I would like to have some sort of virtual reunion, either in the form of a newsletter or blog, so that we can catch up with each other and see where the Lord has led us since Japan.

If you know where Leslie is, and would like to forward this message or contact me, please do so.

I appreciate your help.

Susanne (Betsy) Wakeman

15369 Alabama Highway
Rockspring, GA 30739
Betsy.Wakeman@dlaton.k12.ga.us

Help Betsy find Leslie

This from Betsy Wakeman:

I am an alum from the VYM Japan 1987 cohort. This is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of our great adventure. I would like to contact others in my group. Can you help?

In particular, I am having trouble finding Leslie Robertson. She was from Edmondton, Canada and served in Niigata, Japan from 1988 to 1990.

I would like to have some sort of virtual reunion, either in the form of a newsletter or blog, so that we can catch up with each other and see where the Lord has led us since Japan.

If you know where Leslie is, and would like to forward this message or contact me, please do so.

I appreciate your help.

Susanne (Betsy) Wakeman

15369 Alabama Highway
Rockspring, GA 30739
Betsy.Wakeman@dlaton.k12.ga.us

Where is Dr. Dan Baden?

Erin Hill shares this request:

I am trying to find a colleague who I met years ago while we were both serving in Ghana, West Africa. I met Dr. Dan Baden while I was serving on the Crossfire Team, a music ministry team through Youth Encounter (at the time it was Lutheran Youth Encounter) and I was staying with Tim & Beth Heiney. He was helping to set up clinics and medical facilities in Ghana at the time. Dan and I kept in contact for several years and then when I was in Morocco from 1999-2002, I lost track of him. The last I heard from him he was living in Maryland and planning on getting married. I have tried to find him several times since then using last known addresses and the internet but I have been unable to find him...

If you have any direction in which to point me, I would be very appreciative. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Erin Hill
Associate in Ministry
Peace Lutheran Church
South Haven, MI

Facing Missiology Project

Part of a mission movement is the momentum and inspiration of those that have gone before us. Today's missionaries learn and are equipped in part by the lives and contributions of missionaries sent all over the world. The Lutheran Society of Missiology has undertaken a project to research LCMS career missionaries in order to celebrate their contributions and inspire current and future missions. The effort is called the Facing Missiology Project as it seeks to put a "face" on the study of missions and promote discussion of the issues missionaries "face" is spreading the Gospel. Partnership with World Mission and Concordia Historical Institute make much of the research possible, but we also need missionaries, their families, and mission history buffs to supply missing and additional information.

The first step is creating a comprehensive list of career missionaries. Next, starting with the earliest missionaries, we'll gather details of their service. Information gathered will be used for an online searchable database, print and web articles, and much more.

Thanks for helping us with the first step. The Lutheran Society for Missiology will keep you posted!

• Download list of career missionaries
• To suggest changes to the list, please contact Tara Mulder