Ludwig Nommensen
Missionary to Sumatra
Apostle to the Batak
BORN
FEBRUARY 6, 1834
(at Schleswig-Holstein, a district long disputed between
Denmark and Germany, and at that time Danish)
DIED
MAY 23, 1918
After
training at the Barmen missionary school of the German Rhenish Missionary Society
and a brief period of training in Holland, Ludwig Nommensen landed on the Indonesian
island of Sumatra on June 25, 1862.
After landing on the northwest coast
of Sumatra and climbing a tall, green inland mountain Nommensen looked out over
the valley where the Batak people lived. As he prayed there, Nommensen had a vision
of the people of that valley pouring into churches.
Kneeling on that spot,
Nommensen vowed he would share the gospel and his life with the Batak. "To
live or die," he prayed, "allow me to stay among these people for the
expansion of your Gospel and your Kingdom." Nommensen died and was buried
in Sumatra 56 years later, having spent the rest of his life ministering among
the Batak.
Today, the 3 million-member Huria Kristen Batak Protestan
(HKBP) church traces its roots to this man and that moment on the mountain. The
church around the world commemorates Nommensen and his amazing ministry on May
23 of each year.
The Indiana-Kentucky Synod is a companion synod with
the HKBP. In December of 2002 a delegation from the I-K Synod visited Indonesia
to begin exploring what shape our companionship will take. Together, the HKBP
and I-K Synod have designated May 23, when we hear Jesus' call to love one another
as he has loved us, as a day of prayer for one another and for our companionship.
The following prayers may be used in personal or family devotions or may
be used in the public worship of the congregation as a way to deepen the spiritual
companionship we share with our sisters and brothers of the HKBP in Indonesia.
"God
of grace and might, we praise you for your servant Ludwig Nommensen, to whom you
gave gifts to make the good news known among the Batak people of Indonesia. Raise
up, we pray, in every country, heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, so that
the world may know the immeasurable riches of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen"
Pray:
"Gracious
God, we pray for the people in Indonesia as they work to create more jobs for
a growing population and meet the needs of the people spread across the islands
in Southeast Asia. Strengthen them in their efforts and help them find ways to
unify their communities through your love and everlasting guidance. Amen"
