Baptisms and Confirmations

Ready for membership

Fellowship

The class with Pastor Tanney

On Sunday, June 9, 2 Nepali people were baptized and 27 confirmed at St. Johns Lutheran Church in urban St. Louis. This was one of their largest confirmation classes in the past 70 years.

Five years ago, members of the small but growing Anugrah (Grace) House Church approached Rev. Michael Tanney to request space at St. Johns for their weekly fellowship. It should be noted that Anugrah members were made up entirely of recently arrived refugees from Nepal. What began as little more than a commercial transaction developed into a relationship as a bond with Rev. Tanney began to grow.

When asked, “Why does St. Johns matter to you?” Anugrah leader Nabin Samal will tell you that “the members of St. Johns want us to be there, and they have kind hearts. Not only did they provide us with worship space, they also hosted picnics which always turned into warn fellowship events. Moreover, Rev. Tanney always provided messages of hope and joy whenever we invited him to preach at our worship gatherings.

”In July, 2017, Anugrah Church leaders, Nabin Samal and Bhim Mongar, began a careful study of Luther’s Small Catechism under the guidance of Rev. Tanney. Seven months later, they were accepted as members of St. Johns. In June, 2018, a class for all 35 members of the Anugrah Fellowship was started. The class continued meeting weekly with Rev. Tanney until shortly before their confirmation on June 9.

When asked about the future, Nabin will be pleased to tell you about his plans to work with others to reach out to the more than 1,000 unbelieving Nepali people in the St. Louis area. Additionally, he also hopes to start another missionary effort among Nepali people living in Ohio.

Nabin, Bhim, and six others now meet weekly at the Peace Center in a Leadership Formation class sponsored by Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA). Upon completing this class later this year, they hope to be enrolled in Concordia Seminary’s Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT). In addition to Pastor Tanney and the members of St. Johns, please pray for Nabin, Bhim and all of the recently confirmed Nepali members as they continue their spiritual journey in the multiethnic environment of urban St. Louis.

By Rev. Al Buckman with Rev. Michael Tanney and Nabin Samal