Where is Namibia and Why would a young woman like Kate Stockly go there?

Located primarily in the north of the country, the ELCIN was originally initiated by Finnish missionaries in 1870. The ELCIN became autonomous in 1954. It has 522,000 members and is based in Oniipa in the far north.

This church suffered much during the occupation of Namibia by South Africa, including having its church printing press destroyed twice and many of its people fled to neighboring Angola and Zambia. The task of rebuilding the church and country began in earnest with the independence of Namibia in 1990.

The present priorities of the ELCIN are Christian education, mission work and urban work. Christian education, centered around the church's two high schools--Oshigambo and Nkurenkuru-- is being strengthened because of the rapidly changing situation in the society. Urban work has brought the church into the cities of central and southern Namibia. Outreach also is happening among other ethnic groups within the country.

The ELCIN, in cooperation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia, relocated its Paulinum Seminary from a rural site to the capital Windhoek. This is a project that received some assistance from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Enrollment is about sixty women and men.