Pastor Andreas Albers, Our Saviour, Wartburg
The 42nd pastors’ convention took place at Impalabos (situated in Olifants West Nature Reserve, near Hoedspruit) from the 30th of May to the 3rd of June.
The daily proceedings were started with a devotion. The letter of Paul to the Ephesians served as the scriptural basis for the devotions. The mornings consisted of two sessions with a coffee break in between. In the afternoons, the pastors convened again after the lunch break for another session.
The convention provides pastors with a safe place to express their thoughts and opinions on theological questions and to have theological debates, as they deliberate on current theological issues. It also provides a great opportunity for the pastors to build and strengthen relationships with each other.
The topics discussed at the convention were the ecumenical guidelines of the FELSISA, absolution of a pastor by a lay person, stewardship, blessing of a home, practices regarding the Lord’s Supper, sermon text exegesis, poverty, judging, leadership structures within congregations, marriage counselling, fostering fellowship with LCSA congregations, and rhetorical helps for holding audio devotions. On Thursday morning, the pastors celebrated a divine service with Holy Communion.
Every day at 4pm, it was time for work to give way to relaxation, when the pastors had the opportunity to go on a game drive. After the game drive, the pastors gathered around the Word of God once more for an evening devotion. The day was then capped off with dinner and social time around the campfire.
This year, the wives and children of the pastors were also invited to come along to the convention. Due the fact that many pastor’s wives and children were bound by work and school responsibilities, only a few were able to attend.
What a blessing it was to be able hold the convention in such a beautiful part of God’s creation. Impalabos always offers a good balance between work and pleasure. The game drives and campfire discussions were perfect opportunities for the pastors to engage each other in a more relaxed environment. As always, the pastors were also treated to delicious meals by Matthias and Christa Albers.
