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FELSISA Witness VELSISA Boodskapper

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The English Lutheran Fellowship (ELF)<br />

world will always win. But the church<br />

has something unique to offer,<br />

something the world cannot give:<br />

forgiveness, real peace that comes<br />

with being justified by Christ’s blood,<br />

and the strengthening of your faith.<br />

This is what church is all about, and<br />

this is what drives us at the Englisch<br />

Lutheran Fellowship.<br />

In its short existence, ELF has already<br />

experienced many ups and downs. We<br />

have had to face financial difficulties<br />

and the challenges of being without a<br />

permanent pastor after 10 years of<br />

stability. This has had a huge effect on<br />

the congregation and we are still<br />

finding our feet again. As we go into<br />

2013 we hope, with the help of God, to<br />

The newly installed ELF church councillors: Joshua Kalisa,<br />

Olga Mamphutha, Annemarie Lewis, and Kurt Schwacke.<br />

6<br />

ELF was founded in 1995, and for the<br />

first five years, the congregation was<br />

served by six retired pastors from our<br />

sister churches in the USA and<br />

Canada.<br />

In 2000 Josef Henning was placed as<br />

vicar to serve at ELF, and after his<br />

second theological exam he received<br />

a call to serve as pastor of ELF.<br />

Pastor Josef was ELF’s first<br />

permanent pastor, serving the<br />

congregation until the beginning of<br />

2011.<br />

During the difficult vacancy that<br />

followed, the congregation was<br />

immensely blessed to have Pastor<br />

Ebel (USA) help out. The congregation<br />

called Pastor Toby Ahlers in July<br />

2011.<br />

continue to be a<br />

c o n f e s s i o n a l<br />

Lutheran voice in<br />

the Randburg area,<br />

sharing the Gospel<br />

with all.<br />

We hope and pray<br />

that in this busy city,<br />

with all its traffic,<br />

noise, people and<br />

distractions, that ELF<br />

can be a quiet spot for<br />

people to come and<br />

find real rest and<br />

lasting peace, for<br />

people to come and<br />

be healed and saved,<br />

and a place where<br />

e v e r y o n e f e e l s<br />

welcome. ■

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