The ripple effect H
By Candice Hill Buchbinder
erman Fink, a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Corsica, S.D.,
said he has “no illusions of being an evangelist.” But for more than 20 years, Fink and others in the South Dakota Synod have shared the gospel through their ministry with people living almost 7,000 miles away. In 1995, Fink was part of a
mission trip to Cameroon to visit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon, a companion of the South Dakota Synod. “Tis was the fastest growing mission field in the world,” he said. “Te church was growing by leaps and bounds.” During the trip they saw village churches being built
from local materials such as rock and brick. But the buildings couldn’t be completed because roofing materi- als weren’t readily available and were too expensive to transport. Fink returned to South Dakota with a mission in
mind. “I’m a cowboy, a nuts and bolts guy,” he said. Describing Fink’s involvement, David Zellmer,
bishop of the South Dakota Synod, said, “He went on that first trip and was actually transformed by that whole thing. He came back and very much wanted to work on the relationship. So he brought a resolution the
next year at the synod assembly that we would begin raising money for roofs and sending people over as soon as possible.” Fink said, “It was something that caught the imagina-
tion of the people.”
Raising the roof with funds Fundraising efforts took off in congregations through- out the synod, resulting in enough for four to six roofs each year. Members also traveled to Cameroon to help build the roofs, which cost approximately $8,000 each. “Working with the local communities and worship-
ing together under those roofs with the vibrant local congregations has an amazing transformational power for those who become involved,” said Natanael Lizarazo, companion synod coordinator, who called them “joyful ambassadors and advocates for this mission project.” Te ministry continued to grow, yet fundraising for
the roofs wasn’t happening as quickly as the churches were being built. By 2013 many churches were still wait- ing for roofs. “We heard of churches that had been waiting seven
or eight years for their roof … something was needed,” said Cathy Larson, former companion synod coordina- tor and a former ELCA missionary in Cameroon. “We were only doing about three or four a year, so at that rate it would take years and years.” As the ELCA’s 25th anniversary approached, Lar-
Both Christian and Muslim refugees received medical care at the Garoua-Boulai Protestant Hospital.
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www.thelutheran.org
son had an idea that she first proposed in a Women of the ELCA synod newsletter. Inspired by the women’s organization’s incentive to “be bold,” she wondered if it would be possible to raise money for 25 roofs. “Wow,
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