Racist backlash angers City Lutheran pastor

WORSHIPPERS at the Martin Luther Congregation in Khomasdal were shocked on Sunday when instead of delivering his sermon on Mothers’ Day, the pastor lashed out at certain members of the church, whom he accused of racism.

Pastor Abraham Kheibeb fumed that he had been labelled a “hotnot pastor” responsible for bringing in rituals not in line with Lutheran tradition. After making this speech, Kheibeb walked out of the building.A guest preacher continued the service.In an interview with The Namibian yesterday, Kheibeb explained his reasons for acting as he did.He had been transferred to the Windhoek congregation from Arandis three years ago, Kheibeb said, “to a wonderful reception”.However, a decision last year to bring in a number of changes with the intention of attracting more young people to the congregation did not sit well with some of the more traditional members, he said.”I wanted to bring transformation, but without throwing away the traditions and doctrines of the Lutheran Church.So I brought in some slight changes, like a worship group,” he said.This worship group would perform at the start of a sermon in order to liven up the atmosphere.”Already there I started experiencing some division.People started to say that I’m trying to turn us into a Pentecostal church,” he says.Another problem some members of the congregation seem to have is that the pastor started communicating with other church leaders in the area to form a group called the Khomasdal Ministers’ Fellowship.”I believe we have a broader purpose of bringing together the community, so despite the fact that we might have different church dogmas and traditions, (the fellowship) doesn’t concentrate on dogmas,” he said.He admits that many members of the church were caught off guard by his statements on Sunday, and says that he received a multitude of cellphone messages and phone calls from members and has also had discussions with several people who could not believe what they had heard.”Many people were caught off guard.I tried to handle the situation quietly and deal with it amongst the leadership, but we’ve been unable to come to a solution,” he said.”So I decided to take this platform, and I did mention to my leadership that I wanted this issue addressed,” he said.”To me, racism is just like murder.It’s a sin, and we cannot negotiate with sin.While we have to remain calm, we must be ready to go to the battlefield against it.””It’s not just Government and the media who have to address tribalism.The church is where this has to be addressed first, because once it evolves from there, it becomes government’s job to deal with it,” he said.A meeting was scheduled for last night, where the leadership of the church would have tried to find consensus on the matter.After making this speech, Kheibeb walked out of the building.A guest preacher continued the service.In an interview with The Namibian yesterday, Kheibeb explained his reasons for acting as he did.He had been transferred to the Windhoek congregation from Arandis three years ago, Kheibeb said, “to a wonderful reception”. However, a decision last year to bring in a number of changes with the intention of attracting more young people to the congregation did not sit well with some of the more traditional members, he said.”I wanted to bring transformation, but without throwing away the traditions and doctrines of the Lutheran Church.So I brought in some slight changes, like a worship group,” he said.This worship group would perform at the start of a sermon in order to liven up the atmosphere.”Already there I started experiencing some division.People started to say that I’m trying to turn us into a Pentecostal church,” he says.Another problem some members of the congregation seem to have is that the pastor started communicating with other church leaders in the area to form a group called the Khomasdal Ministers’ Fellowship.”I believe we have a broader purpose of bringing together the community, so despite the fact that we might have different church dogmas and traditions, (the fellowship) doesn’t concentrate on dogmas,” he said.He admits that many members of the church were caught off guard by his statements on Sunday, and says that he received a multitude of cellphone messages and phone calls from members and has also had discussions with several people who could not believe what they had heard.”Many people were caught off guard.I tried to handle the situation quietly and deal with it amongst the leadership, but we’ve been unable to come to a solution,” he said.”So I decided to take this platform, and I did mention to my leadership that I wanted this issue addressed,” he said.”To me, racism is just like murder.It’s a sin, and we cannot negotiate with sin.While we have to remain calm, we must be ready to go to the battlefield against it.””It’s not just Government and the media who have to address tribalism.The church is where this has to be addressed first, because once it evolves from there, it becomes government’s job to deal with it,” he said.A meeting was scheduled for last night, where the leadership of the church would have tried to find consensus on the matter.