School for Pastors in South Sudan
Did you know that pastors have to go to school, too?
It takes a lot of studying to become a Lutheran pastor. All over the world, grown-up men (sometimes dads!) go to school in the morning, listen to their teachers, and learn more about how to be good pastors. They need to buy school supplies, and they have lots of homework to do.
But in South Sudan, the men don't have the money to pay for pastor school.
Your students can help.
In South Sudan, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Sudan/Sudan (ELCSS/S) is growing by leaps and bounds – so much so that they don’t have nearly enough pastors to serve all their congregations. Some churches have to wait weeks, even months for a pastor to come baptize their babies and new Christian believers.
There are men willing to serve, but the funds are not there.
For Americans, it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without any money. Yet there are many families in South Sudan who have absolutely nothing. They survive by subsistence farming, growing just enough food for the family to survive. There is no money for anything extra;
seminary studies seem like a far-off dream.
Your students can help provide a seminary education for a South Sudanese man wanting to become a pastor!
In Yambio, South Sudan is the Concordia Lutheran Institute for the Holy Ministry, or CLIHM. To become an ELCSS/S pastor, a man must study for four years (three years of classes and one year of vicarage) at CLIHM. The men leave their wives and children behind when they travel to Yambio to study for the ministry. While their families continue to farm, the seminarians need help covering the costs of their travel to the seminary, their books, supplies, food and housing.
There are lots of ways you can help.
Whether your mission offerings add up to $50 or $500, there are several ways your Lutheran day school or Sunday school can make a difference in the lives of Sudanese seminarians:
| Expense | Cost Per Year | Monthly Cost | Weekly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplies and books | $130.00 | $10.83 | $2.50 |
| Food | $1,560.00 | $130.00 | $30.00 |
| Family support and travel home | $468.00 | $39.00 | $9.00 |
| Housing and beds | $120.00 | $10.00 | $2.31 |
| Total per seminarian | $2,278.00 | $189.86 | $43.81 |
Your students’ mission offerings ensure that seminarians have travel to and from the seminary, a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and books and supplies. What a gift!