From Montreal to Burundi: Teaching Lutheran Liturgy in a Francophone Context

BURUNDI – Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC)’s Institut liturgique luthérien francophone (ILLF) is sponsoring a liturgy workshop in Burundi—the second prong of a workshop first held in Montreal in May 2023.

From March 15-21, Cantor Phillip Magness will present the newly published Liturgies et cantiques luthériens – Édition africaine (ÉA, 2023). Cantor Magness has previously led three LCC workshops in Canada, as well as others throughout Africa.

Church leaders and musicians from Congo-East and three Lutheran church bodies in Burundi are invited to attend the five-day event. Burundi was selected in response to a request from Bishop Emile Nkurunziza of the Église évangélique luthérienne de l’espérance (ÉÉLEB) for teaching in Lutheran liturgy. The relationship between LCC French Ministries and the ÉÉLEB was first established five years ago, when Rev. Matt Anker (now President of Lutheran Mission–Australia), who has supported the ÉÉLEB since the church’s founding in Burundi, requested French-language theological resources.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the ÉÉLEB are contributing toward the expenses of the workshop.

LCC’s first French-language hymnal, Liturgies et cantiques luthériens, was first printed in the fall of 2009. Support for the hymnal project came from the Marvin A. Schwan Foundation, Concordia Publishing House, a generous anonymous donor, the work of LCC pastors Rev. Dr. David Somers and Rev. Dr. David Saar, and dedicated volunteer revisers and proofreaders. Revenue from the first printing enabled a second printing in 2010.

The hymnal gained traction globally leading to the development of ÉA in partnership with the LCMS Africa Team as well as African churches.

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