The Gulf Coast Synod (GCS) has two global companions, the Lutheran Church of Peru and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic (ELC-CAR).
Over the years, we have made a number of trips there, and they have sent people here this post lists those trips. They represent 7 trips (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2013, and 2023) over 15 years, an average of almost one every 2 years. They also represent 9 times that people from the CAR were invited to come here (2000, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) over 16 years, and our age of a little over once every 1 1/2 years.
Late 1990’s – The GCS companion synod relationship with the Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic was inaugurated under Bishop Paul Blom in late 1990s. The GCS had had several missionaries in CAR, including Pastor Andrew and Barbara Hinderlie and Pastor Boyd Faust.
2000 – Pastor André Zoulé, President (Bishop) of the EEL-RCA, visited our synod in the fall.
2004 – Pastor Antoinette Yindjara Beanzoui, first ordained woman pastor from CAR, visited our synod in July.
2005 – President André Zoulé (who served 1998–2006) and Madame Simone Baigo-Dari, President of FCC (Central African Women for Christ, equivalent of WELCA), visited our synod in October to raise support for the Women’s Center to be built in Bouar, CAR. Attended Women of the ELCA meeting in Brenham, spoke at Christ the King Houston Adult Forum, met with Global Mission Team at Living Word.
2008 – Pr. Steven Cauley, Associate Pastor, Advent Houston, and Carolyn Jacobs, Christ the King Houston, traveled to CAR in February with the ELCA tri-synod Companion Synod Trip and attended the dedication of the Women’s Center.
2010 – President (Bishop) André Golike (who served 2006-2015) visited our synod Jan. 26 – Feb. 2 for the Tri-synodical Theological Conference and congregational visits.
2010 – Carolyn Jacobs represented the three U.S. companion synods at the International Partners Meeting held in November in Bouar.
2011 – Bishop Michael Rinehart, Lucky Sahualla, Pr. Emmanuel Jackson, Mark Warpmaeker, and Charles Short traveled to CAR with others from END and WND in April.
2012 – Anatole Nanga, CAR youth, attended the summer Camp Counselor program in Wisconsin. We sent $300 toward expenses.
2012 – Mr. Frédéric Vouti Samba and Ms. Ornella Golike Ama visited our synod July 22-30, following their attendance at the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans.
2012 – Peggy Hahn and Lucia Morales traveled to CAR Feb. 17-Mar. 1 to attend the FCC Women’s Conference held in Carnot.
2013 – Pr. Alan Kethan traveled to CAR in November with Pr. Paul Schauer (WND) who was rep to the Partners Meeting with Gordon and Bette Olson. Their son, Timothy was the construction engineer for St. Timothy‘s Lutheran Church in Bangui. He was killed by bandits, and the church was named St. Timothy’s in his memory.
2013 – Charles Short, retired professor of veterinary science, traveled to Cameroon in March to meet with EEL-RCA about a proposed veterinary project and to attend the Partners Meeting.
2014 – In May, President (Bishop) André Goliké visited our Synod Assembly in Baton Rouge and spoke about the CAR civil war. The entire Assembly laid hands on him in prayer in a tearful moment.
2015 – Yvette Ari and Modeste Nagbata visited our synod in July prior to attending the Youth Gathering in Detroit.
2016 – President (Bishop) Samuel Ndanga-Toué (who served 2015–2021) visited the GCS in August and attended Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans.
2023 – In November, Véronique Eberhart of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston and Bishop Michael Rinehart traveled with Bishop Tessa Moon Leiseth of the Eastern North Dakota and Bishop Craig Schweitzer of the Western North Dakota Synod, and Allison, Richard, ELCA, Director of companion, Synod relationships, to the CAR for the 100th anniversary of the ELC–CAR.
