During a recent trip to India, Rev. Fandrey gave a blessing to several parishioners at a local congregation.
| As a boy growing up in St. Paul, Minn., James Fandrey never dreamed he’d someday board airplanes bound for countries halfway around the globe. Yet today, Rev. Fandrey serves as the executive director of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, overseeing the incredible work the organization is doing in mission fields worldwide. It’s clear that God used Rev. Fandrey’s early life experiences to prepare him for service at LHF, though it didn’t seem obvious at the time. Rev. Fandrey began his career as a high school teacher and then decided to attend seminary in the mid-1970s. During his years as a parish pastor in Minnesota, Nebraska and Illinois, Rev. Fandrey felt the importance of keeping mission opportunities before his congregations. “I’ve always considered myself a teacher,” he said. “Wherever I go, I want to teach people that missions is always connected to proclaiming God’s Word. As I witness for myself the amazing numbers of people coming to faith in Jesus Christ through the materials LHF publishes, I want to share those stories with congregations supporting the LHF mission.” In his travels to Africa and India, Rev. Fandrey saw how important the books LHF translates and publishes are to the people who could never afford to produce such works on their own. “I had the opportunity to hear inspiring accounts of people coming to the faith through LHF-translated books, and of new Christians standing firm in the face of unimaginable persecution,” he said. “It’s a joy to be able to share these kinds of experiences with congregations, to let them know how their mission gifts to LHF are making a difference in the lives of new Lutherans around the world.” During a recent visit to the former Soviet Union (Russia and Ukraine), Rev. Fandrey was struck by the changes that have occured since the fall of the communist government of the late 20th century. “I grew up during the Cold War. The basement of my school building was a civil defense shelter, and my parents talked about whether they’d build a shelter at home,” he remembered. “Today, we at LHF are reaching out to the people we formerly feared with the Word of God, written in their own language.”
Would your congregation like to hear more?
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Rev. Fandrey’s inspiring accounts of God’s Church persevering and growing under the most adverse circumstances. Contact the Lutheran Heritage Foundation to schedule Rev. Fandrey as a special speaker at your mission event, and find out how you and your congregation can take part in the LHF mission!
E-mail the LHF office, or call the LHF World Mission Center at (800)554-0723.
| Download Rev. James Fandrey's biographical information formatted as a church bulletin insert. PDF: Rev. Fandrey bulletin insert
|