Em 28 de junho foi celebrado na Igreja da CEL Paz de Interlagos, São Paulo-SP, um culto de gratidão a Deus pelos 105 anos da Igreja Evangélica Luterana do Brasil, sínodo ao qual a Congregação Evangélica Luterana Cristo Rei é voluntariamente filiada.
Sínodo vem do grego, derivado do verbo “viajar em caravana”, e significa “caminho comum”. Portanto, a IELB é a comunhão de congregações cristãs, o corpo de Cristo em determinada localidade, que se unem “no mesmo caminho” de levar Cristo para todos. As congregações luteranas unidas como IELB tem por objetivo preservar a verdade do Evangelho, como exposta nas Confissões Luteranas de 1580, se auxiliar mutuamente na formação de pastores e realizar a missão de Deus no mundo.
O início da IELB tem a ver com a imigração alemã no Rio Grande do Sul, iniciada em 1824, e os esforços do pastor Johann Friederich Brutschin, pastor de uma congregação luterana independente (sem filiação a um sínodo) de Novo Hamburgo-RS.
O pastor Brutschin estava prestes a voltar à Alemanha e, tendo contato com a Igreja Luterana – Sínodo de Missouri, dos Estados Unidos (fundada em 1847), pediu que esta denominação enviasse um pastor para atender a sua congregação que ficaria vacante. Ele queria que a congregação de Novo Hamburgo fosse atendida por um pastor, cujo ensino fosse de acordo com a fé cristã evangélica luterana.
Em 1900, foi enviado o pastor Christian Broders para Novo Hamburgo, com o objetivo de, por dois anos, ver as possibilidades de missão na região. Ele encontra uma situação precária entre os imigrantes – não davam a devida importância à Palavra de Deus e a salvação; as igrejas eram clubes recreativos, com salões enormes para festas e bailes, ao lado de capelas simples, com pouquíssimas condições de celebrar o culto a Deus; e havia falsos pastores, os quais não tinham qualquer formação teológica para liderarem a Igreja de Deus.
Quando estava terminando o seu período no Brasil, o pastor Broders encontra uma colônia com cerca de 10 mil alemães no interior de Pelotas e São Lourenço-RS. No mercado de Pelotas, ao encontrar um homem da vila São Pedro, região de Pelotas, Broders se apresenta como pastor evangélico luterano. O homem encontrado no mercado leva o pastor para a vila, a fim de ser testado pelo seu líder espiritual, August Gowert – que não era um pastor – para ver se de fato o pastor Broders era um pastor realmente luterano. Após passar no teste de perguntas acerca do Catecismo Menor de Lutero, o grupo de August Gowert aceita o pastor Broders como pastor luterano e funda a primeira congregação confessional luterana no Brasil, filiada a Igreja Luterana – Sínodo de Missouri. A missão do Sínodo de Missouri consistiu em arrebanhar luteranos e imigrantes alemães sem vínculo religioso, e assim formar congregações.
Um ano depois, em 1901, vem ao Brasil o pastor Wilhem Mahler, como Diretor de Missões para a América do Sul, para liderar o trabalho local. No decorrer dos anos, algumas congregações luteranas independentes do interior de Pelotas e São Lourenço chamam pastores do Sínodo de Missouri. O grupo de congregações de confissão genuinamente cristã-luterana vinha crescendo. Foram construídas escolas paroquiais para a educação do povo e um seminário para a formação de obreiros, em 1903.
Então, em 1904, por ocasião de uma conferência dirigida pelo pastor Louis Lochner, presidente do Departamento de Missão Interna do Sínodo de Missouri, que estava visitando a missão luterana no Brasil, foi fundada o Der Brasilianischen District der Deutschen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten (O Distrito Brasileiro do Sínodo Alemão Evangélico Luterano de Missouri, Ohio e outros Estados). Foi no segundo dia da conferência, em 24 de junho de 1904, com a participação de oito pastores, oito líderes leigos e um professor.
On June 28 it was celebrated in the church of Paz Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Sao Paulo-SP, the 105th anniversary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB), synod to which Cristo Rei is voluntarily affiliated.
“Synod” has its origins in Greek and means “common way”. Therefore, IELB is a communion of Christians congregations, Christ´s body in certain place, which gather together “in the same way” to bring Christ for all. The Lutheran communities united as IELB have an objective preserve the pure Gospel, as exposed in the Lutheran Confessions of 1580, help each other in the education of pastors and to put into effect God´s mission in the world.
The beginning of IELB has to do with German immigration into Rio Grande do Sul state, begun in 1824, and the efforts of pastor Johann Friederich Brutschin, pastor in an independent (not affiliated with a synod) Lutheran community in Novo Hamburgo city.
Pastor Brutschin was about to go back to Germany and, having got in touch with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, from the United States (founded in 1847), asked this church body to send a pastor to take care of his congregation, which would be vacant. He wished the congregation in Novo Hamburgo to be tended by a pastor whose teaching was in accordance with the Christian Evangelical Lutheran faith.
In 1900, LCMS sent the pastor Christian Broders to Novo Hamburgo, for a period of two years, to check the possibilities of mission in the region. He found a very bad situation between the German immigrants – they did not consider the importance of God´s Word and salvation; the churches were like entertainment clubs, with large halls for feasts and dancing to the side of artless chapel, in poor conditions to render service to God; and there was even false prophets, who had not any theological education to lead God´s Church.
When Broder´s time in Brazil was finishing, he found out a settlement with about 10 thousand Germans in the countryside of Pelotas and São Lourenço do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul state. In Pelotas market, as he met a man from São Pedro village, surround area of Pelotas, Broders presents himself as evangelical Lutheran pastor. The man in the market takes the pastor to the village to be interviewed by his spiritual leader, August Gowert – who was not a pastor – so that they could see if Broders was a real Lutheran pastor or not. After pastor Broders succeeds in the examination based upon Luther´s Small Catechism, the group of August Gowert accepts him as a Lutheran pastor and founds the first confessional Lutheran community in Brazil, affiliated with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. The mission of the Missouri Synod consisted in herding Lutherans and German immigrants with no religious link to plant churches.
A year later, in 1901, came to Brazil pastor Wilhelm Mahler, to be the chairman of missions to South America, to lead the local work. As years go by, some independent Lutheran congregations in the countryside of Pelotas and São Lourenço extend calls to Missouri Synod pastors. The group of congregations with a genuine Christian-Lutheran confession was growing. Parish schools were built for people education and a seminary was founded in 1903 to form pastors for the Lutheran communities.
Then, in 1904, by the occasion of a conference conducted by Louis Lochner, the chairman of the Inner Mission Department of the Missouri Synod, who was visiting the Lutheran Mission in Brazil, was founded Der Brasilianischen District der Deutschen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten (The Brazilian District of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States). It happened in the second day of the conference, on June 24, 1904, with the attendance of eight pastors, eight lay leaders and a parish teacher.
On June 28 it was celebrated in the church of Paz Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Sao Paulo-SP, the 105th anniversary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB), synod to which Cristo Rei is voluntarily affiliated.
“Synod” has its origins in Greek and means “common way”. Therefore, IELB is a communion of Christians congregations, Christ´s body in certain place, which gather together “in the same way” to bring Christ for all. The Lutheran communities united as IELB have an objective preserve the pure Gospel, as exposed in the Lutheran Confessions of 1580, help each other in the education of pastors and to put into effect God´s mission in the world.
The beginning of IELB has to do with German immigration into Rio Grande do Sul state, begun in 1824, and the efforts of pastor Johann Friederich Brutschin, pastor in an independent (not affiliated with a synod) Lutheran community in Novo Hamburgo city.
Pastor Brutschin was about to go back to Germany and, having got in touch with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, from the United States (founded in 1847), asked this church body to send a pastor to take care of his congregation, which would be vacant. He wished the congregation in Novo Hamburgo to be tended by a pastor whose teaching was in accordance with the Christian Evangelical Lutheran faith.
In 1900, LCMS sent the pastor Christian Broders to Novo Hamburgo, for a period of two years, to check the possibilities of mission in the region. He found a very bad situation between the German immigrants – they did not consider the importance of God´s Word and salvation; the churches were like entertainment clubs, with large halls for feasts and dancing to the side of artless chapel, in poor conditions to render service to God; and there was even false prophets, who had not any theological education to lead God´s Church.
When Broder´s time in Brazil was finishing, he found out a settlement with about 10 thousand Germans in the countryside of Pelotas and São Lourenço do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul state. In Pelotas market, as he met a man from São Pedro village, surround area of Pelotas, Broders presents himself as evangelical Lutheran pastor. The man in the market takes the pastor to the village to be interviewed by his spiritual leader, August Gowert – who was not a pastor – so that they could see if Broders was a real Lutheran pastor or not. After pastor Broders succeeds in the examination based upon Luther´s Small Catechism, the group of August Gowert accepts him as a Lutheran pastor and founds the first confessional Lutheran community in Brazil, affiliated with the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. The mission of the Missouri Synod consisted in herding Lutherans and German immigrants with no religious link to plant churches.
A year later, in 1901, came to Brazil pastor Wilhelm Mahler, to be the chairman of missions to South America, to lead the local work. As years go by, some independent Lutheran congregations in the countryside of Pelotas and São Lourenço extend calls to Missouri Synod pastors. The group of congregations with a genuine Christian-Lutheran confession was growing. Parish schools were built for people education and a seminary was founded in 1903 to form pastors for the Lutheran communities.
Then, in 1904, by the occasion of a conference conducted by Louis Lochner, the chairman of the Inner Mission Department of the Missouri Synod, who was visiting the Lutheran Mission in Brazil, was founded Der Brasilianischen District der Deutschen Evangelisch-Lutherischen Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten (The Brazilian District of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States). It happened in the second day of the conference, on June 24, 1904, with the attendance of eight pastors, eight lay leaders and a parish teacher.
