# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S431 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) APPENDIX I Other Reports The following reports come from sources which do not have the privilege of access to the convention under the Bylaws but which fall under the statement: “May be required or permitted ... by the President to report to a convention.” The Bylaw goes on to state, however: “A report shall not include an overture unless the report is submitted by someone authorized (in the following paragraph 2) to submit overtures.” Report of International Lutheran Laymen’s League God willing, the Lutheran Laymen’s League will hold its 56th annual convention in Tulsa, Okla., July 28 to Aug. 1, 1973. The Fairmont Mayo will serve as the convention hotel. The opening Lutheran Hour Rally service and the convention sessions will be held in the Tulsa Assembly Center. The theme of the convention is “Plant and Reap.” The Rev. Harold Brockhoff, President of the Oklahoma District of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, will deliver the keynote address. Aims and Objectives The Lutheran Laymen’s League continues to serve the Synod in word and deed. We strive to inform and equip the laity to be God's reconciling witnesses to all the world. The League challenges the laity of the church to respond crea- tively and responsibly to the opportunities of service to God and man in a changing world of tremendous scientific ad- vancement. We seek to enable and enthuse the laymen of the church to be a vital part of the parish life of the local congregation in reaching out to the community with Christ's message of love and forgiveness. Membership The league now numbers 153.000 individual members who support the cause of the league with an annual voluntary contribution. Some 1,700 local clubs or chapters espouse the program of the league in addition to sponsoring meaningful projects in the local parish, such as evangelism, Bible study, visitation of the sick and the shut-ins, working with the youth, witnessing to and enabling one another to be better stewards and disciples of Christ through sharing their per- sonal Christian experiences, topic studies, workshops, lead- ership training and church management clinics. Service to Congregations We are a service organization. In our desire to serve all congregations within the Synod the league offers its mate- rials and services to any and every congregation. They are yours for the asking. These include, among others. an Annual Planning and Resource Guide. It contains a brief history of the Missouri Synod as well as of the Lutheran Laymen’s League. A fea- ture of the planning and resource guide is 12 timely topics. They deal with joy and thanksgiving, appropriate for the anniversary year of our league and Synod. They address themselves to youth as well as adults. Try them in your Bible classes, church councils, and discussion groups. You'll like ‘em. The League produces worship materials for Rogate Sun- day, Laymen’s Sunday, Advent and Christmas, Lent, and Easter. The Operation Mercy manual contains timely sug- gestions for social ministry to the parish and the community. You will find the evangelism tools very helpful for your parish outreach. Study cassettes in personal evangelism are relevant and timely. You will find our 64 evangelism ads to be interesting and effective. Our church management workshops are being well re- ceived. They train, equip and enthuse laymen for leader- ship and effective parish outreach. 415 The League's Preaching Through the Press program continues to elicit increased response. The booklets pro- vided help answer the problems of frustrated people, lead them into the Scripture, and confront them with Christ. The Lutheran Hour The blessings of God still continue to rest upon The Lutheran Hour. now in its 40th season. Each week more than 40 million people in 142 countries, in 46 languages, hear the blessed Gospel invitation, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” Eighteen hundred stations around the world carry The Lutheran Hour each week. Eleven hundred are domestic and 700 are overseas broadcasts, The special Christmas and Easter broadcasts continue to flourish. In 1972, 2600 stations carried the special Easter broadcast and 3,200 stations aired the special Christmas message. This year’s Easter special, “The Wide, Wide World ot Easter,” featured Colonel James Irwin, moon astronaut, and an interview of Dr. Paul Maier by Dr. Oswald Hoff- mann. The 1973 special Christmas program will feature “Christ- mas in the South Pacific.” It includes an interview with King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, King of Tonga, and Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV, Prime Minister of Western Samoa, by Doctor Hoffmann. People continue to ask, “Are we reaching people for Christ?” Here’s what a listener wrote recently: “Today I heard your inspiring message. God spoke to me through your message and I saw how foolish I have been. I have failed to see until now that a life dedicated to God and lived for Him every day preaches a greater sermon than words. I vow today that I will let Christ into my life as Lord and Savior and will stand up, work and live for Him no matter what. May God continue to bless you and others in and through this ministry.” Responses like this convince the Lutheran Laymen’s League that we must continue and even expand this mighty evangelistic miracle of God's grace, The Lutheran Hour. Last summer, through the generosity of the Aid Associa- tion for Lutherans, nineteen overseas branch managers vis- ited in Saint Louis to exchange ideas, to study new tech- niques, and to develop expertise in getting the Word out to a spiritually starving world. Each manager told of one personal experience after another of how people are finding Christ through The Lutheran Hour. Each overseas manager is using a program indigenous to his country and its people. Yet the message remains the same: “Christ and Him cru- cified, your Savior and mine.” God continues to open doors for the Gospel outreach. Stations are becoming available to beam The Lutheran Hour into mainland China, India, Russia, Africa and South America. We solicit your prayers. We plead for your con- tinued support. The league offered a new Bible correspondence course this spring on a limited number of radio stations. It is en- titled ‘Man Alive.” We are excited about it. We believe it will be well received. We are confident it will lead many souls to Christ and into the Kingdom of Grace. In Conclusion We pray God's gracious benediction upon our beloved Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. We are proud to be a part of it. We are grateful for the privilege to serve. We