Metropolitan Chicago Synod
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Bishop of Central Diocese of
Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Southern Africa Visits Chicago


Bishop Ndanganeni P. Phaswana of the Central Diocese
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, and
former Bishop Paul R. Landahl of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, ELCA

November 13, 2002

Chicago (MCS) - Bishop Ndanganeni P. Phaswana of the Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) is in Chicago for a consultation on the companion synod program coordinated by the Division for Global Mission, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  While here, Bishop Phaswana visited the offices of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod (MCS), ELCA, and met with the staff.  The Metropolitan Chicago Synod is the companion synod of the Central Diocese of the ELCSA.

Phaswana stated that the challenges facing the ELCSA Central Diocese are multifaceted and complex with the greatest being the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  “We are trying to build a family health center,” he said, “to inform people of the pandemic, and also address the issue of domestic violence in the same center.”  Phaswana explained that AIDS is still taboo in many families. “Victims still living with the virus fall victim to fear as parents and spouses chase them from their places of abode.”  He noted that the center would offer temporary accommodations for such people.

Another challenge is education.  “The legacy of apartheid is strongly felt in the field of education,” he said.  “When black children were made to feel inferior, it undermined the culture of learning and teaching.”  Phaswana said that the church will offer moral support to retrieve a culture of learning and teaching.

The low salary experienced by pastors is another issue that the ELCSA Central Diocese is addressing.  The typical pastor receives the equivalent of $300 USD per month.  One way the diocese plans to increase the amount pastors are paid is to build an endowment and use the interest to supplement their salaries.  There is currently a drive to collect $12,000 USD for this purpose.

Despite the challenges, however, Phaswana noted that hope is the last thing to die in the community of faith.  As he visits different parishes in the diocese, he said that the number of people filling the church is gratifying in itself.  Many churches are engaged in building programs because their current spaces are too small to meet their needs.  Other congregations have added services to accommodate the increased number of worshippers.

Bishop Phaswana also wanted to congratulate the Metropolitan Chicago Synod for “the efforts well-done over the past 20 years, in the field of companionship, to acquire houses that people now call homes.  We really feel privileged and honored to have people who are willing to share their resources with their companion synod.”  Phaswana stated that he hopes the companionship can be deepened by developing strong human relationships that can extend to conferences and parishes, as well as continuing the tradition of visits between the diocese and synod.

The Rev. Ndanganeni P. Phaswana has been bishop of the Central Diocese of the ELCSA since 2000.  He is married and has four children.  In 2001, he obtained a Doctor of Theology degree through the University of South Africa.  Before becoming bishop, Phaswana was a Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics at the University of Natal Pietermaritzburg.