# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1981_S301 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 302 SOCIAL MINISTRY the people who are helping and being helped in two of the most poverty-stricken areas of our country made our board and staff more aware of human problems and of the kind of help that is needed. Members of the staff have visited institutions, agencies, and projects within our country as well as Brazil, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Philippines, and Hong Kong. Our staff has participated in meetings with Indians, Blacks, Hispanics, and welfare and health groups. We have served on the boards of Lutheran World Relief, Heifer Project International, National Interfaith Coalition on Aging, National Council on Aging, National Safety Council, and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, as well as social service, health, and chaplaincy organizations. Through our involvement with national and regional organizations we have become better able to sensitize and help the members of our church body. Sharing Awareness with the Church Helping our church grow more aware of the injustices and oppressive treatment experienced by, and the needs of, our neighbors around the world is an ongoing task. Our staff communicates with our Districts, congregations, agencies. chaplains, and other individuals by means of two newsletters. “Sharing” informs about world relief/ world hunger needs and “Social Ministry Spectrum” provides information about the whole spectrum of social] ministry activities. Regular articles in the Reporter and the Lutheran Witness help reinforce synod- ical programs and services. Members of the staff delivered sermons on human needs in congregations in various parts of the country. Workshops on such subjects as world hunger, alcohol and drug dependency, Project Compassion, parish social ministry programs, ministry to older persons, refugees volunteer ser- vices, and other social ministry subjects were conducted in several Districts and metropolitan areas. The question has often been asked, “Have the future leaders of our church been given the opportunity to become acquainted with the social ministry programs of our church?” During 1980 a two-day “Social Ministry Awareness’ seminar was con- ducted by our staff at Concordia Teachers College, Seward. Early in 1981 “Social Ministry Awareness” days were held at Seward; Concordia Seminary, St. Louis; and Concordia College, Bronxville, with staff members providing the leader- ship. We are pleased that our colleges at Seward, Bronxville, and Portland have developed social work programs that lead to an undergraduate degree. The graduates are available for service in Lutheran agencies and in congregations or clusters of congregations interested in a director of social ministry (DMS). Congregations Extend Their Caring The mandate given by our Lord to His churchis threefold. It includes (1) preaching the Good News of salvation through faith in Christ, (2) teaching the truths of Scripture, and (3) healing the hurts of people. This threefold responsibility of the church has always been clear: but the method of carrying it out at times has been obscured, sometimes fragmented, and often difficult. The Board of Social Ministry and World Relief during its 30 years of existence has sought to assist our Districts and parishes in extending their ministry of healing. Agencies Are Extensions of Congregations’ Caring A knock ona parsonage door in St. Louis and a letter witha ten-dollar bill led to the creation of the first institution of our Synod, a children’s home in 1868. Since that time, institutions for the aged and children, hospitals, homes for the retarded, counseling centers. nursing homes, housing for the aged, and agencies that offer family life education programs and other types of social services have been established by LCMS congregations. For 50 years the social service programs were not a part of the Synod’s official program, and consequently many of the agencies functioned quite independently. In 1950 the Synod established the present social ministry structure, which provided official recognition for the ministry of the 59 agencies and institutions that have been granted ‘church affiliate status” with the LCMS. These agencies of our congre- gations comprise one of the largest ministries of our Synod in terms of dollars, staff, and numbers of people reached. Through the development of Lutheran Social Service System (LS. 3) by our department together with the social ministry boards of The American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America, the relationship of our agencies with the congrega- tions and Districts has been strengthened. The creation of LS/3 has resulted in adoption of unified criteria for church affiliate status, analysis of fiscal reports with financial consul- tation where necessary, resources for program and manage- ment assistance, and opportunities for staff and board train- ing. Dr. Weber is chairman of the LS’3 Policy Committee; and Mr. Virgil Fuchs, ACSW, is our representative on the Collegial Staff. Congregations Reach Out Through Chaplaincy Programs The Scriptures make it plain that visiting the sick and the troubled is not an optional matter for the church. Jesus will call attention to ministry to the sick and the imprisoned when He returns on Judgment Day. Today our Synod counts 175 full- time institutional chaplains and 45 pastoral counselors who are carefully trained for specialized ministry among the sick, imprisoned, infirm, and troubled. In addition to full-time chaplains, there are more than 300 pastors who are providing part-time service in a variety of institutions. A year of clinical pastoral education is required of our chaplains in addition to theological education and experience in the parish. Scholar- ships for this training have been offered through our Chap- laincy Services Committee, funded by grants from Wheat Ridge Foundation and Aid Association for Lutherans. During the past year our chaplains provided pastoral care to more than a half million people in approximately 1,000 institutions. Chaplains serve in general medical-surgical hospitals, mental health centers, geriatrics facilities, homes for the develop- mentally disabled, and correctional facilities. Trained lay people in our Project Compassion program provide excellent assistance for our chaplains. Regular workshops and confer- ences are arranged by our department for chaplains and pastoral counselors on an annual basis to provide continuing education opportunities. The Chaplaincy Services Committee, which is advisory to the staff and board, includes chaplains James Ehlers of Madison, Wis.; Del Thies of Jacksonville, I].; Arthur Bickel of Chicago, I]l.; Pastoral counselors Ervin Brese of Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Neal Pape of St. Louis, Mo.; and Robert Zimmer of Chicago, Il. Congregations Reach Out Through World Relief When Jesus commissioned His disciples to share His Gospel and demonstrate His love, He placed no limits on their outreach. In fact, He told them to go to the ‘‘uttermost parts of the earth.” For years our World Relief and World Hunger programs have reached out in the name of Jesus to more than 35 countries, including the United States and Canada. Hunger, malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, and poverty have been the enemies that have claimed more than five million people each year, most of whom have been children under the age of five. In 1970 we began to provide help for domestic needs, and since then we have given about 20 percent of our support for projects located in our various Districts. It was at that time that we also began assistance to the American Indian people. Through funds contributed to our Indian Concerns Account and World Relief, we have made grants of approximately $75,000 each year for projects processed by the National Indian Lutheran Board and endorsed by our Districts. In our overseas relief, rehabilitation, and development efforts we have used the channels of our partner churches; Lutheran World Relief, the inter-Lutheran agency with offices in New York; Lutheran World Service with offices in Geneva; Canadian Lutheran World Relief with offices in Winnipeg; and Heifer Project International with offices in Little Rock, Ark. Each of these groups has reliable representatives in the areas where we provide help. Thus we have the assurance that our help reaches the people for whom it is intended. All domestic projects must have the endorsement of the District in which they are located, and all overseas projects are carefully reviewed with the appropriate staff member of the Board for Missions. Our World Relief Committee, which is advisory to staff and board, screens the project applications and offers suggestions regarding our policies and procedures.