Global Missions in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod:

Indonesia:
Huria Kristen Batak Protestan Church
Used Seminary Books Donation

We are walking together with our fellow Lutherans on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia!

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing to you as the Chairperson of the HKBP Sub-committee of the I-K Synod Global Mission Committee.

Our brothers and sisters in Indonesia have requested used books (in English) suitable for their seminary libraries, especially since one of the seminaries cannot get accredited because they do not have the minimum number of volumes in the seminary library. We are requesting donations of used books for seminaries of the Batak Church.

It is critical that donations include only books useful to the seminaries of the HKBP. If the content of a book is set in North America or the Western hemisphere, it probably is not helpful. Paperbacks are okay, but only if their content is helpful.

Useful books for a seminary library of the HKBP fall into four categories:

1. Bible scholarship and history: commentaries, both recent and older are helpful. Monographs are fine. Biblical archeology is very useful. So are concordances of the Bible, Greek and Hebrew Bibles and word books. (This means that books like Barclay's Bible Study volumes, devotional materials, and even Bible studies with an American or Western setting are not very useful.)

2. Church history: classical church histories are needed - Latourette, Walker, Nichols, and the like, plus writings like the work of Bonhoeffer are desired. Also helpful would be the documents and studies prepared by the LWF or the WCC.

3. Theology and philosophy: both contemporary and earlier: Tillich, Barth, Douglas John Hall, Luther, Bonhoeffer, Hans Kung, Calvin, Kant, Hegel, Moltmann, Kagawa, Lilje, Kierkegaard, Aulen, and so on.

4. Classics: especially appreciated are writings like the Church Fathers, Josephus, Augustine, and including literary classics like Shakespeare, Dante, Milton, Goethe, and so forth

Books on pastoral care or Christian education are often set in American culture, and usually are not useful. Since it will be costly to ship them, it would be poor stewardship for you and the HKBP to ship devotional materials and other mass-produced items designed for use in American churches which are not that useful in Indonesia.

If a congregation or pastor has books they'd wish to provide to the Pematangsiantar Seminary, please use this following procedure:

Mark the box as "English Library Books" and send them by surface mail. Use only the US Postal Service to avoid excessive import duties for the seminary library in a Muslim nation. Limit each box to 25 lbs. maximum weight. Use the following address:

Dr. Jamilin Sirait,
Rektor STT,
STT-HKBP,
Jln. Sangnawaluh No. 6,
Pematangsiantar 21132,
Sumatra Utara,
Indonesia

It will cost about $2 to $3 per pound to ship the books. The heavier the box, the lower the cost will be per pound.

Please contact me by mail or e-mail (put "HKBP books" in subject matter line) when a box is sent, including the return address from which it came. I can then let the Seminary know what is coming and when to expect it.

Please send me a list of your donations so that I avoid unnecessary duplications and shipping costs.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me at:

prlowell@joink.com
or at 3590 W. Ottowa Cir., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933,
or by phone at 765/866-1878.

Thank you from your brothers and sisters in Christ on the island of Sumatra!

Pr. Lowell L. Anderson