On behalf of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the president bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Rev Mark S. Hanson, has made an 8-day visit to Lutheran ministry sites in West Africa. As soon as Hanson returned to the United States, he expressed his appreciation for the resiliency of the local Africans in face of on-going strife and his full support to the mission of Churches in recovering their countries, according to his interview with the ELCA News Service.

Hanson explained the purpose of his trip, which is "to stand with people who experienced horrific violence, civil war and strife in their countries". As many people in the developed countries may have never experienced poverty, disease and violence, the trip provided a great opportunity for delegates to listen and learn.

The three countries on Hanson’s tour were Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The ELCA synods share companion relationships with each of these local Lutheran churches. The ELCA Upper Susquehanna Synod is a companion synod with the Lutheran Church in Liberia, the Minneapolis Area Synod is a companion with the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, and the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod is a partner with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone. Together the three African churches have 1.24 million members, according to the LWF.

"...the leaders and members of those churches talked immediately about how significant the companion synod relationship was to 'being church together' but also to providing an 'accompaniment relationship' where each gives and receives," Hanson described.

The main event during the trip was a conference entitled "Holistic Mission for the Healing of Africa" held in Nigeria where heads of churches met and worshiped.

Hanson said that he was there to "listen to the stories of what God is doing, [and] to learn about the challenges the churches and people of these countries face as they shape their future." He also said he is also looking forward to deepening the mutual relationship between the LWF and ELCA and West Africans.

Hanson concluded by reflecting on his West African visit. While the Lutheran Church there has been engaging actively in the recovery of the post-war society and providing aid down to grassroots people, Hanson complimented the people of West Africa as possessing a "broadly and deeply holistic understanding of mission."

Not only do they proclaim the crucified and risen Christ in worship, but they take care of each other by offering health care, construct schools for their children, work to develop their communities economically, and seek peace and human rights for all, he said.

"Sometimes I think in the United States we don't quite see the interrelatedness of all of those dimensions of mission," he continued, "That all belongs to the 'cloth' of mission in the world."

When asked to give a message to ELCA based on this West Africa visit, Hanson said, "We who have wealth also have so much to receive in these global relationships of companionship."

"I said in Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone, 'please come to the United States and teach us what it means to be an evangelising church.' I hope that sense of absolute commitment to and delight in sharing the story of Jesus with others will become infectious in the ELCA."

"I think in the ELCA there is a longing to be a global church. I think we've grown in that capacity through lots of relationships: congregation to congregation, synod to synod, and church to church," he added.