# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S34 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 34 OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS deaconess ministry. In 2015, LCMS OIM received a grant of $50,000 from LWML and $21,000 from CLM. Church of Lithuania, his two youth leaders, and two youth participated. •• The Lutheran Church of Philippines successfully introduced full-time deaconess studies at their Lutheran Theological Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines. Prior to this, an advanced deaconess program started as well. The exciting news is that in May 2018, one deaconess student from the residential program and two from the advanced program graduated and were commissioned. The two deaconesses who graduated from the advanced program are serving as parish deaconesses, and the residential student is serving at a diaconal center. •• In the fall of 2016, we were invited by Rt. Rev. Dr. Solomon Rajah, Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia, to speak at Diocesan Women’s Convention, focusing on their convention theme “Beautifully Rooted in Christ,” at Perak, Malaysia. The three-day seminar was well attended. In 2018, three students were consecrated as deaconesses, by Rt. Rev. Bishop Rajah. •• By God’s mercy, Lithuania and Nigeria incepted the deaconess program in building up the ministry, thereby encouraging the women of the church to serve the Lord in various vocations, particularly a deaconess, or diaconal leader. For the past two years, with His continued blessings, both programs are progressing well. •• We continued to support the spiritual programs for women of Silesian Diakonia of the Lutheran Church of Augsburg Confession in Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic. The Silesian Diakonia continue to look upon LCMS to learn from various ministries, thereby incorporating some of the techniques in their outreach. •• Thanks be to God! The Silesian Diakonia have successfully completed the translation of the book Christ Have Mercy, authored by Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison. The translated book is given as a gift by the diakonia to their pastors and diaconal and lay leaders. The LCMS funded the project. Thanks to Concordia Publishing House for the copyright. •• •• •• We initiated contact in the areas of international outreach to a non-partner church in Malawi organizing a women’s seminar to understand “The Role of Women in the Church,” which may pave the way for the church body to consider implementing a deaconess program. Another outstanding memorable occurrence was that five students graduated from the residential deaconess program from Lutheran Theological Seminary, Lutheran Church in South Africa. Out of the five students, two are natives of South Africa, two are from Zambia, and one is from Liberia. Once again, we thank God for His gifts. A big thank you to Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and Concordia Lutheran Ministries for their continued support and encouragement towards 2019 Convention Workbook •• We continue to support teaching deaconess studies in 11 countries—Indonesia, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, and South Africa. We are blessed that more than 110 ladies are in training. The work of our triune God keeps increasing and bringing people to us to nurture and train them in theological deaconess formation. •• We thank CLM for funding “Deaconess Student Mercy Mission Trips.” For this project, we coordinated with the deaconess directors of all the three programs. In 2017, three students from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, ventured to Peru; and seven students from Concordia University Chicago made a trip to Dominican Republic. In 2018, eight students from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, went to Dominican Republic. On all the trips, the respective program directors accompanied the students. LCMS Director of Deaconess Ministry was able to accompany and lead them on two trips. •• We continue to support all deaconess programs in five regions of the LCMS, not only the partner churches but also other non-partner Lutheran churches who are keen to maintain a Lutheran identity. •• We would like to honor and recognize the dedicated service of late Diakonisse Adelheid Hahn, who received the crown of eternal life in February 2017. She served in our partner church SELK at Naiomi-Wilke foundation for 70 years as a deaconess nurse. Thank you, Diakonisse Uberin, for your faithful services to our Lord and His Church! Amen. New Triennium Major Goals •• Plans are in progress to assist partner churches in Hong Kong and Korea to consider training of women in leadership roles, especially as deaconesses. •• Plans are in progress to help, assist, and build deaconess program in Ethiopia. •• We plan to continue visiting once a year the SELK deaconess mother house in Gubin, Germany, and also continue to assist with the women refugees where SELK congregations are engaged. •• We plan to continue to engage and inform the districts and congregations by promoting, identifying, and advocating the diaconal needs with special relevance to deaconess ministry. •• We plan to continue to build relationships with partner churches to assist, coordinate, and direct their deaconess studies by coordinating with OIM Regional and Area Directors, theological educators, and LCMS Church Relations, focusing on Lutheran doctrine and Confessions and other diaconal needs.