Missions

AFRICA

The Apostolic Lutheran Church of America started working in one African country (Nigeria) in 1965! We now work in seven different countries: Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, and Uganda. Please click on the country names below for more information.

GALLERY

GUATEMALA

We have three churches in Guatemala, located about 125 miles northeast of Guatemala City. These churches are in the cities of Zacapa, Piedras Azulas, and Juan Ponce. These churches are led by Pastor Giovanni Sinay and our full time missionary Ryan Ruotsala. Many other Guatmelans are in leadership of the church as well, such as Salomon Archila and Carlos Cruz.   The ALC Guatemala is working with the children and youth in the hope and prayer that they will develop into the future leaders of the churches in their communities and in the outlying villages, and the future of their country!

Mission trips to Guatemala are conducted at least twice a year. In addition to the three churches, mission work is done in outlying villages and at churches with whom we’ve built relations with over the past years.

We have been traveling to Guatemala, bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ for over 50 years. In 2000, we began taking youth trips to Zacapa. There have been numerous youth trips since the first in 2000. The groups have done many different things, including:

  • Construction work on churches and houses.
  • Distributing many bags of clothes and medicine.
  • Dental crusade to treat those who can’t afford to go to the dentist and to teach them how to brush their teeth.
  • Medical care for the poor.
  • Ministry to the children in many villages.

We are hoping to start bringing more youth groups down in the coming years, so if you are interested, please sign up! Now is the chance, and it will be an experience of a lifetime! The Lord has blessed us greatly on our past trips, and we know He will continue to do it, if we do it in the name of Jesus Christ!

GUATEMALA GALLERY

INDIA

India is a country in southeast Asia. With over 1.2 billion people, India is the second most populous country in the world. India is the world’s largest democracy and the Indian economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Despite this, almost half the population of India lives in poverty and the disparity gap between the rich and poor is growing.

The predominant religion in India is Hinduism (over 80%). Other religions include Islam (13%), Christianity (2%), and Sikhism (2%). Technically, there is freedom of religion in India, but it varies in degree from state to state. Anti-conversion laws have been passed in several states. Persecution toward Christians from extremist groups also exists.

We began our mission work in India in 1994. We are working with indigenous churches to accomplish the following:

  • Instruction, training, and support for pastors
  • Literature translations and distribution
  • Medical care through a Free Mission Hospital and Medical Clinics
  • One children’s home
  • Planting and construction of new churches

We are involved in one state in India: Andhra Pradesh (A.P.). Click on the city/region name below to view a description of the mission work being done in that area.

 

INDIA GALLERY

PAKISTAN

Pakistan is located in Southwestern Asia, between India, Afghanistan, and China. Pakistan is a predominately Muslim country with 97% of the population following that religion. Around 2% of the population is Christian.

We have had contact with Christians in Pakistan since 1995, but we have not visited very often during this time.  The Christians we are in contact with live in the southern city of Lahore. 

We currently are sending Bible Funds for Bibles to be distributed by a very dear and faithful pastor in that country.   We most recently visited Pakistan in 2019 and hope to return again in the near future. 

VOLUNTEER NOW

PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is an island nation located in Southeast Asia. The Philippines is a country of islands: it is made up of more than 7000 islands. The Philippines is home to over 94 million people and over 90% of these people are considered Christians (80% are Catholics and 10% belong to other denominations). Somewhere between 5% and 10% of the population is Muslim. Many of the Muslims live on the island of Mindanao. The Apostolic Lutheran Church of America began working in the the Philippines in 2006. The work there is under the direction of Pastor Bert Senonis. There are three primary areas we work in: the city of Cagayan de Oro and the Kitcharo area, as well as in the very south of the same island of Mindanao. 

Children Feeding programs
Several of the churches in the Cagayan de Oro area have feeding programs for the poor children. It is our prayer that this plants seeds in their young hearts, as well as their parents.

The Philippines people are very welcoming and we look forward to traveling their together with many USA Christians! 

THE PHILIPPINES GALLERY

RUSSIA

Russia is the largest country, by landmass, in the world. It covers more than an eighth of the world’s inhabited land! With around 143 million people, Russia is the ninth most populous country. Those 143 million people are comprised of 160 different ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages. Reports on religion vary drastically. However, due to their communist heritage, somewhere between 15 and 50 percent of the population are atheists or agnostics. The major religion in Russia is Orthodox Christianity. There are also Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews as well as smaller numbers of Catholics and various Protestant denominations.

The Apostolic Lutheran Church of America made initial mission trips into Russia in 1989 and 1991. In 1997 regularly scheduled mission trips were begun. We are involved in many areas of Russia, as you can see below, therefore, trips to Russia consist of a lot of travel! During our trips to Russia, we do a myriad of things including:

  • visit and encourage congregations
  • talk about Jesus with people we meet on the trains and buses
  • speak to students at universities
  • visit and pray for the sick and elderly
  • fellowship with individuals and families
  • visit prisons
  • visit orphanages
  • hold youth camps


English is not widely spoken in Russia and the Russian language doesn’t use the same alphabet as English. If you are considering a trip to Russia, it is a very good idea to study a little of the language before you go.

The Russian people are very friendly and hospitable! They welcome us into their lives and into their homes. We rarely, if ever, stay at hotels while we visit Russia. This is a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with our Russian brothers and sisters.

There are so many people in Russia who still don’t know about their Savior! We ask that you would pray for the mission work there, that God would help us to speak his truth into the vast regions of this beautiful country!

 

 

DONATE

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is a small island located off the southern tip of India. Sri Lanka is a democratic socialist republic. About 70% of the population is Buddhist, 15% is Hindu, 8% is Muslim, and 8% is Christian. Officially, there is freedom of religion in Sri Lanka. In practice, there is a lot of tension between different religious groups and persecution does exist.

We started working in Sri Lanka in 2006. We partnered with an existing church that had contacted us by mail, looking for Christian literature for distribution and pastoral training.

Because of persecution, Christians in Sri Lanka face many hard times. As soon as they become a Christian, their husband or wife usually leaves them, they lose their job, their immediate family will ignore them, and they get harassed and mistreated by hospitals, stores, and anyone they try to do business with.

The ministry in Sri Lanka involves the following:

  • Instruction, training, and support for pastors.
  • House to house ministry, every day visiting and talking to people in their homes about Jesus.
  • Worship services. Some people leave at 4 in the morning and don’t get home until 8 at night, to go to a Sunday church service. This service is something that they look forward to ALL week, waiting for the day they can go and fellowship with all of the other Christians, and hear the precious Word of God, after being persecuted all week.
  • Hospital visits. Bringing the gospel to people that need HOPE in their lives.
VOLUNTEER NOW

VIETNAM

Vietnam is located on the eastern side of the Indochina peninsula in SE Asia. Vietnam is a socialist country and a one-party state. The Communist Party of Vietnam has ruled there since 1975. Human rights abuses including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of association are still being reported in the country.

Over 80% of the Vietnamese people identify themselves as Buddhist. About 8% of the population is considered Christian, with most identifying themselves as Catholic. The Vietnamese government claims that there is religious freedom, but only government-approved organizations are allowed. They are also very suspicious of foreign missionaries in their country. Due to this, most of our work is through personal friendships and in personal homes.

We only visit this country on the same trip as the Philippines, since it is very near. 

Thank you for your interest. If you’d like more detailed information, please contact the Foreign Mission administrator.

DONATE