Rev. Titus Tse left, Rev. Alex Wong right

In the 1960s, WELS missionaries were sent to Hong Kong to assist local Chinese Christians. In 1977, a Lutheran church body named SALEM (South Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission) was established.

In 1997, Rev. Titus Tse from Hong Kong was called and installed as the first chairman of SALEM. By God’s grace, under Rev. Tse’s leadership, the SALEM church body grew and matured into a stable, developing, and faithful community of believers.

After many years of faithful service, Rev. Tse has now entered a new chapter. Having “retired” from his pastoral ministry at the congregation in accordance with SALEM’s policies, he was immediately commissioned as a missionary to establish a Chinese Lutheran church under SALEM’s mission work in Auckland, New Zealand.

The mantle of leadership in Hong Kong has now been passed to another capable leader, for God always provides the right people at the right time. Rev. Alex Wong officially assumed the role of chairman of SALEM on January 1, 2025, with the installation ceremony taking place on March 2 of the same year. He now steps into this new role with over a decade of pastoral experience and a shepherd’s heart.

When Rev. Tse assumed leadership in 1997, Hong Kong was undergoing historic transitions. Now, as Rev. Wong takes office, the city once again faces new challenges amid shifting times. Through these eras of change, God continues to expand his kingdom and raise up fitting leaders for each season. These pivotal moments create unique opportunities for his people, and we rejoice in his unfailing wisdom and grace.

Rev. Wong’s leadership is a gift to the church. By God’s power, SALEM is poised to embrace this new chapter, strengthen believers, and seek the lost. We praise God for all he has accomplished through his people in Hong Kong and pray that he grants Rev. Wong and all church leaders strength and wisdom equal to their calling.

Submitted by WELS Missionary Tony Bartels

 

The Old Testament reading in many churches this Easter is Isaiah 25:6-9. It includes these words:

On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
     a feast of rich food for all peoples, …

On this mountain he will destroy
     the shroud that enfolds all peoples, …
     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; …

In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
     we trusted in him, and he saved us. …
     let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

What a splendid promise, with remarkable imagery! Death—which is known to “swallow up” every human being—will itself “be swallowed up” by God.

We know how this has been accomplished: God’s holy Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross, taking the punishment that you and I and everyone in the human race deserved for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead, breaking the power of death. When Jesus returns on Judgment Day and raises our bodies from the grave, then death will be destroyed forever.

In the great resurrection chapter of the New Testament, Paul has the same imagery:

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 

These promises provide true comfort and joy, no matter what our earthly circumstances are. As believers in Jesus in the “mountain” of the New Testament church, we have a spiritual “feast” right now—as we receive the forgiveness of sins through the means of grace. In the end, we will enjoy heaven, where every tear will be wiped away.

And notice that this promise is extended to “all peoples”—a phrase significant for us in the CELC. In the Old Testament era, the Gentiles often were enemies of Israel. But in the salvation prophecies, the Gentiles are included! God’s blessings in Christ are for people of all nations.

As we celebrate the heart of our faith in the commemoration of Christ’s death and resurrection, it’s natural to think of fellow believers around the world who are celebrating with us. May Easter joy be with all of you. “Let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

Submitted by Thomas Nass, CELC President

The CELC Planning Committee, in communication with the Lutheran Church of Central Africa—Zambia, has set the dates for the 2026 international convention. God willing, the convention will be held in Lusaka, Zambia, on Friday, May 29, 2026, through Monday, June 1, 2026 (four days). Participants will be encouraged to arrive on Thursday, May 28, and leave on Tuesday, June 2.

The essay topics and essayists have also been selected. God willing, they will be:

• Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 14 | David Bivens (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod – USA)
• Baptism | David Kamwata (Lutheran Church of Central Africa – Zambia)
• Formula of Concord V: Law and Gospel | Kalyan Gollapalli (Lutheran Mission of Salvation – India)
• Pietism | Holger Weiss (Evangelical Lutheran Free Church – Germany)
• The Strategy and Success of Academia Cristo | Henry Herrera (Iglesia Cristo WELS Internacional – Colombia)

We invite you to begin making plans for this convention. Each CELC member church is encouraged to send two voting delegates. It would be wonderful if most, if not all, 34 CELC member churches would be represented at this convention, the first to be held in Africa.

More information will be shared as it is available in 2025. If you have immediate questions or concerns, please email the CELC President at president@celc.info. We on the Planning Committee are eagerly looking forward to being together again and enjoying the hospitality of the LCCA in Zambia.

Submitted by the CELC Planning Committee

      Pastor Rolf Borszik at the 2012 ELFK Convention in Zwichau

On January 11, 2025, Pastor Rolf Borszik—a former president of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (ELFK) of Germany—was called to his heavenly home. He died at the age of 75 after a heart attack, and he was buried as a Christian in Nerchau, Germany, on January 20 with a large crowd in attendance.

Some in the CELC may remember him. Among other things, he attended the 2005 CELC convention in Japan, and several times he visited the Ukraine. With this obituary, we would like to take a brief look back on his life.

Rolf Borszik was born on September 22, 1949, in Chemnitz, Germany. After successfully completing his schooling, he first learned a technical profession at the East German State Railways (Deutsche Reichsbahn).

Originally, he was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran State Church. With God’s help, the children’s catechist of his parish succeeded in opening his heart to faith in Jesus. He was grateful for this throughout his life. Through his active participation in the church’s youth organization, Rolf decided to train as a deacon. From 1968 to 1972, he completed the corresponding training in Moritzburg near Dresden and then worked as a children’s deacon in the Meißen church district of the Evangelical Lutheran State Church. During this time, he married Rosemarie, who had also been trained as a children’s deacon. The couple was given six children.

Starting in 1976, Rolf Borszik worked as a deacon in the parish of Pomßen (near Leipzig) and after 1980 in Nerchau (near Grimma). There he met Rev. Karl-Heinz Stiehler, who opposed the increasing pluralism and decline of confessionalism in the Evangelical Lutheran State Church. Rolf Borszik shared this perspective, and in 1982, he and his family joined those who were beginning to leave. That is how he came to the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (ELFK). Because he was no longer able to practice his profession as a deacon in the regional church, he worked as a handyman in the Farmers’ Trade Cooperative (BHG) starting in 1982.

In 1986, he applied to study theology and came to the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Leipzig. In 1988, he was able to complete the advanced courses (building on his deacon training) with the theological examination. He then worked as a vicar in Zwickau-Planitz and the Vogtland parishes. On January 10, 1989, he was ordained to the holy ministry in Lengenfeld by President Gerhard Wilde, and then he served as pastor of the ELFK in Lengenfeld and Plauen until his retirement in 2015.

His heart beat for the youth work of our church. He was always involved in retreats and other events for the whole church.

In 1994, the 80th Synod of the ELFK in Crimmitschau appointed him to the Synodal Council and elected him vice president. From 2002-2010, he served the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church as president. From 2007-2015, he also worked as a religion teacher at the Dr. Martin Luther School in Zwickau. He spent his retirement with his wife in his house on the outskirts of Grottewitz, near Nerchau. The last 20 years were overshadowed by illnesses, including a brain tumor. The temptations associated with this could not take away his childlike, cheerful faith. He was happy to bear witness to this when he recently reported vividly on his path to the ministry at the seminar day in Leipzig in September 2024.

He now sees what he had believed. The eternal light shines for him!

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:
                                     some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.                                     
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
(Daniel 12:2-3)

Submitted by Gottfried Herrmann and Michael Herbst

 

February 24, 2025, marked the three-year anniversary of the invasion of Russia into Ukraine. Recently, Bishop Vyacheslav Horpynchuk reported to WELS about the effects of the war on the Ukrainian Lutheran Church (ULC). His report is being shared here since the condition of the ULC is a concern for everyone in the CELC. 

Bishop Horpynchuk first reported on the size of the ULC. There are 14 congregations, 12 pastors, and 5 deacons, serving 655 members.

He then reported on how the war has dramatically affected life for everyone in Ukraine and in the ULC. There is widespread destruction, death, and deprivation. Three congregations of the ULC have had to temporarily suspend services due to attacks in their areas. The pastor for the congregation in Tokmak had to leave the city after Russians started arresting Protestant pastors, and many members left as well.

In the midst of this chaos, however, the churches of the ULC have had the opportunity to share aid received from WELS and others in the form of food, medicine, household supplies, clothes, and more. This humanitarian aid has brought many people into contact with churches of the ULC and provided opportunities for sharing the gospel of Jesus as the Savior of the world. 

There are some remarkable evidences of God’s Word at work, for which we can praise God. For example:

• In Kyiv, 90 people have joined the church, and 30 more are taking catechism classes.
• While services in Bereznehuvate had to cease temporarily, once Russian forces were out of the area, the congregation not only resumed regular worship but also started a mission in Snihurivka, with an average of 100 people attending each week.
• Throughout the ULC, there are about 150 new communicant members, and about 100 more are currently studying Luther’s Small Catechism. 

The entire unedited update from Bishop Horpynchuk can be found here. Everyone associated with the CELC can be encouraged to pray that God would graciously end the war, that he would watch over the members of the ULC, giving them comfort and strength through the good news of God’s love in Christ, and that he would continue to spread his kingdom through the faithful witness of our brothers and sisters in the ULC. 

Information shared first in the WELS Together e-newsletter