# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1995_S142 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 142 RESOLUTIONS Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in convention express its objection to medical personnel having any part in actively inducing death, even at the pa- tient’s request or at the request of the family; and be it fur- ther . re -. Resolved, That the Gospel be applied to situations of suf- fering and depression as opportunities to help, heal, en- -courage, and provide hope; and be it finally . Resolved, That the Synod speak out against any attempt to legalize physician-assisted suicide and encourage its pas- tors and people to do the same. Action: Adopted (10). “. (The floor committee changed the word Legislation to Legal- ization i in the title. By common consent the words Lord who gives were substituted for gift of in the first whereas. The fifth whereas was‘added by amendment. An amendment to modify the last re- solve to read, “Resolved, That the Synod in convention encourage its pastors and people to speak out against any attempt to legalize physician-assisted suicide as citizens of this nation” was declined. i ’ The words or at the request of the family were added by common consent to the first resolve.) ‘To Give Thanks to God for Ministry of Dr. Jean Garton RESOLUTION 6-03 © Overture 6-09 (CW, p. 221) WHEREAS, The Lord has blessed His church with the gifts and service of Dr. Jean Garton for many years; and WHEREAS, Dr. Garton, through her written and spoken words, has touched the lives of millions of people around the world with a prophetic message about the sanctity of all human life from conception until natural death; and Wuereas, Dr. Garton, especially in her public work as chairwoman of the President’s Commission on Women and as founder and president of Lutherans for Life, has exem- plified the indispensable contributions and unique compe- tencies that Christian women offer the church; and WHEREAS, Her efforts in the pro-life movement have re- sulted in lives saved for time and for eternity, to the eternal credit of our gracious God to whom is due all glory and honor forever and ever; therefore be it _ Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in convention give thanks with Dr. Garton to our gracious God for her many years of active, volunteer service to her church in a variety of capacities; and be it further Resolved, That we express our thanks to Dr. Jean Gar- ton for her dedication to life; for speaking in defense of those who have no voice, especially the unborn child; and for awakening thousands of clergy and laity across this na- tion to their responsibility for defending the littlest of Christ’s brothers and sisters; and be it finally Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod honor Dr. Garton with a lasting legacy by faithfully main- taining in its witness and work the divine principle that all life is precious and must not be willfully destroyed by human hands because all life is God’s gift. Action: This resolution was referred to Resolution D. To Commend, Instruct, and Encourage Board of Managers of Worker Benefit Plans RESOLUTION. 6-04A. Report R6-02 (CW, pp. 98-96); Overtures 6-12-18, 6- 20-25 (CW, pp. 221-24); L5-32 (TB, p. 19) Rationale: | Thirty years ago, our Synod wisely created the support system known as the Worker Benefit Plans, with the ex- press purpose of “serving those in His service.” Currently, more than 50,000 pastors, teachers, lay workers, retirees, and dependents are enrolled in the Concordia Plans. Areas | of support include Concordia Health Plan, Concordia Re- tirement Plan, All-Cause Accident Insurance Program, Concordia Disability and Survivor Plan, the Pension Plan for Pastors and Teachers. In addition, to ensure minimal levels of support for eligible members and their dependents, the Board of Managers of the Concordia Plans has provided supervision of the Supplemental Benefits Program and the Special Assistance Program for needy retired pastors and teachers and widows of such workers. During the 30-year period of the Concordia Plans’ exis- tence, enormous changes have occurred, brought about by many factors, including legislation, health-care costs, and other economic factors. In the face of these changing cir- cumstances, the Board of Managers has sought to continu- ally maintain and improve the level of support and service to those who are enrolled in the Concordia Plans. The days and years ahead will bring additional changes and chal- lenges that will require the creative and wise response of the Board of Managers of the Concordia Plans. The man- agement of the Worker Benefit program rightly belongs to the elected Board of Managers empowered for this task. Resolved, That this convention heartily commend the Board of Managers of the Concordia Plans for faithful and effective stewardship of the responsibilities entrusted to it; and be it further Resolved, That we instruct the Board of Managers to continue to explore all options in providing the best possible and most cost-effective health-care coverage for our work- ers, including the possibility of out-sourcing the health-plan coverage with reliable insurance carriers and administra- tors, and by continuing to emphasize the importance of pre- ventive health care; and be it further Resolved, That we instruct the Board of Managers to continue to seek ways of increasing benefits for our retired workers, including health care, dental care, and annual cost-of-living adjustments; and be it-further Resolved, That we encourage the Board of Managers, while seeking adequate benefits for the workers, to do its utmost to continue to control costs to our congregations, in- stitutions, and active and retired workers; and be it further Resolved, That we ask the Board of Managers to specifi- cally review and respond to the issues addressed in Over- tures 6-23-25; and be it finally Resolved, That we ask the Board of Managers to con- tinue to be responsive to the special needs of survivors and dependents and members facing unique circumstances as