Madagascar Update
Pastor Melissa L. Stoller
Director for Evangelical Mission & Assistant to the Bishop
melissa.stoller@elca.org | 412-367-8222
The world had been navigating the pandemic for over a year when regions of Madagascar began to suffer a series of natural disasters, adding layers of struggle to an already struggling economy. For years, the Southwestern PA Synod has been in companion synod relationship with the Tulear Synod and neighboring Malagasy synods, and when the leaders of these communities asked for help, the church answered. In the summer of 2021 the synod council sent an immediate gift and then invited our synod to match another gift later that summer. The response was overwhelming, and in partnership with the Malagasy Synod, seminary, the larger Malagasy Lutheran Church leadership, Global Health Ministries, and current and past ELCA Global service staff, we have been able to not only respond to the immediate needs of our siblings in Christ but also accompany them in growing new projects and initiatives to build capacity to withstand future disasters.
Within the Church in the World Committee, a Madagascar working group has formed to renew the companion synod relationship. I spoke with Pastor Brandon Johns, the chair of the working group, about their work to joyfully engage relationship building with our siblings in Madagascar.
What first drew you to engage with the Malagasy Lutheran Church?
Before coming back to Southwestern PA, the congregation I served as pastor had strong global mission connections and a culture of partnership and accompaniment. This led to my interest in wanting to be a part of that ministry—it felt like a call to me. When I returned to Southwestern PA, I saw the open letter from Bishop Kusserow inviting people to meet the new presidents in Madagascar. It spoke to me, this spiritual connection.
What do you remember about your travel in Madagascar?
The sense of hospitality. So many of the people in the places and communities we visited were very impoverished, but they were incredibly hospitable. It reminded me of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, when he spoke of the people of Macedonia who gave generously and joyfully even in their poverty. When you showed up, people had gifts and songs of praise to welcome you. Their church didn’t have a roof, but they gave things to you because you were their gift. I witnessed how the body of Christ is the world around, even in places where people do not speak the same language as you, and cannot even drink the water, but there they are: praying, listening and relying on the same God as you.
One difficult thing for me was all of the churches that had some sort of need and were hoping that we may be able to financially support them. We weren’t prepared to do that in the moment, to do all the things asked of us. I remember our delegation had conversation afterwards, looking at all the asks and thinking, there’s no way in the world we could raise up this kind of money to support all these things. And then, just a couple of years later, the generosity of our synod and beyond grew the gifts. With God there is a way!
How did the synod appeal for Madagascar come into place?
We were getting word that there was famine and drought. It was the worst it had been in recent memory and the human suffering was vast. They were still reeling from the effects of Covid, starvation was widespread, and
children couldn’t be in school because they had to find food. We had synod funds we could send right away as an emergency response, and we had $5,000 to offer as a match. The response was incredible, we were able to raise more than $70,000 from people and congregations in our synod and beyond.
It is amazing! How were the funds used?
We have been in conversation and partnership with the leaders in Madagascar about this. Half went to support the Bazaha seminary; seminarians always have hunger issues because they cannot work while studying. The seminary also used these funds to ensure safe drinking water. We recently received word that the projects have been very successful, and they would like to install a second water tower which would help them become water independent. We approved the project in its entirety. We did not send all the money we raised at once because the leaders shared with us that it would not have been healthy to do so without a plan, it would destabilize them and our relationship, so we are partnering together in this relational system.
The other half we initially sent to relieve the suffering that resulted from the famine and drought. We have continued to work with Malagasy, the ELCA, and global partners to relieve human suffering as a result of poor medical conditions and lack of water. In partnership with local teams and leaders, we are working with Global Health Ministry in southern Madagascar to construct deep wells with water for drinking and drip irrigation for crops. In addition to training folks to maintain the wells, GHM also partners to provide community health clinics. The goal is total well being.
There are a lot of partners working together to support the Malagasy Lutheran Church, aren’t there?
Yes. In addition to our synod, there are three other U.S. synods that have relationships with Malagasy Lutheran Synods. Representatives gather online every few months to meet with ELCA representatives, current and former Global Mission personnel and Malagasy representatives when possible. This group and our synod’s companion synod team are looking forward to continuing to nurture the hospitality and relationship with our Malagasy sisters and brothers. And we are hoping to host the president of our companion synod here in the fall of 2024.
Why do you think is it important to nurture these relationships?
It is the same reason the prayers of intercession are important: they open us up to the wider needs and joys of the world. These companion synod relationships lift us up and help us to see God at work in a bigger way.
There was a moment, when I was in Madagascar, riding in a van, where I saw a young mother on the side of the road with a child on her hip. I thought that kid is the same age as mine, in fact she and I are the same age, and we both want the same thing, abundant life for our kids. That is the human connection, that is the call—to see God in our neighbor, not just the neighbor who looks like me. For in the face of our neighbor—here God already was, is and will be.