# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1979_S21
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

SER pea SARA OLED Es LOTR SEALE a RN ee cian i

Opening Service

The opening service of the53rd regular convention of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod was held July
6. 1979, in the Alfonso J. Cervantes Convention and
Exhibition Center, St. Louis, Mo., with Dr. George
Wollenburg, Fifth Vice-President of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod, serving as the preacher and
Dr. Samuel Goltermann, pastor of Trinity Lutheran
Church, St. Louis, Mo., serving as presiding minister. In
his sermon Dr. Wollenburg stressed the fact that wecan
never forget that we are gathered as church. People
throughout the world have sought many answers for
opening doors which are closed in various ways, but
none have been successful, and all of the ways followed
have led to a dead end. Through the death and resurrec-
tion of Christ, the One who holds the keys of death and
hell, who opens and no man shuts, God has placed
before us an open door. He asks us to accept the
responsibility, to go through that open door which He
has placed before us, and to accept the challenge which
is ours.

Session 1
July 7, Morning
Opening

The opening devotion of the 53rd regular convention
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod was con-
ducted by Dr. J. A. O. Preus, President of the Synod, and
began with the singing of the hymn “With the Lord
Begin Thy Task.” Dr. Preus based his remarks on Acts
14:27, which are the words on which the convention
theme is based. He stated that the theme, ““God Opens
Doors . . .,” should be etched indelibly on the hearts,
minds, intentions, and desires of the delegates. The
process began when man closed the door through his sin
and closed it so effectively that it could not be climbed
over or broken through in any way. Nevertheless,
through Christ God has made a door which no man can
close. It is the single purpose of the church that through
Christian testimony and lives of love its members are to
say to the world, “The door is open. Come with us and
enter into the opportunities which God has placed
before us.”

Registration and Credentials

Rev. Harold Huber, chairman of the Committee on
Registration and Credentials, was called upon to report
on the number of registered delegates and guests pre-
sent.

Convention Gavel

Prior to hearing the report on registration, Dr.
August Suelflow, Archivist of the Synod, presented Dr.
Preus with a gavel made from a log of the cabin in Perry
County which served as the first seminary. The gavel
was first presented to Dr. Pfotenhauer and used by him
in 1911. Subsequently it was used by Dr. Behnken in

21

MINUTES OF THE CONVENTION

1935 and the following years of his administration, by
Dr. Harms in 1962 and the years of his administration,
and by Dr. Preus since 1971. The gavel is inscribed with
the faces of Luther and C. F. W. Walther and includes the
words of Romans 3:28. It also contains Luther’s coat of
arms, across, and a depiction of the log-cabin seminary.

Registration and Credentials

Chairman Huber of the Floor Committee on Registra-
tion and Credentials introduced Mrs. Lorraine Smitt,
chairman of the local Registration Committee, who
reported the following in attendance: voting pastors—
501, voting lay delegates—525, for a total of 1,026 voting
delegates. After hearing the report of the committee, Dr.
Preus, using the historic gavel presented earlier, de-
clared the convention opened in the name ofthe Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.

Announcements

Following the opening of the convention, Dr. Preus
introduced Dr. Mark Steege and Mrs. Mabel Stickel,
who will serve as parliamentarians for the convention,
as well as Dr. Herbert Mueller, Secretary of the Synod,
and Dr. Walter Rosin, convention secretary.

Welcome

Dr. Paul Spitz, President of the Missouri District,
brought greetings to the delegates from the 286 congre-
gations of the District and welcomed them to Missouri.
He urged the delegates, while they were present in St.
Louis, to visit historic places related to the origin of the
Missouri Synod.

Dr. Alvin Kollmann, President of the Southern
Illinois District, which is cosponsoring the convention,
also brought greetings to the delegates. He spoke of the
fact that God has opened doors to life, forgiveness,
eternal life, mission, and has also opened the doors of
faith, love, and fellowship. He concluded by saying that
the door of welcome is open to the delegates at the
convention.

Dr. Ralph Bohlmann, president of Concordia Sem-
inary, St. Louis, welcomed the delegates to the city
which has been home for most of the 140 years of the
seminary’s existence. He stressed the fact that God has
opened doors in many ways. He has done it through
teachers like Pieper, Stoeckhardt, and others, as wellas
through the students who will be pastors in the future
and through missionaries who have gone out into the
world.

Mr. Carl Muhlenbruch, a member of the Board of
Directors, responded to the greetings, thanking the
Districts and the seminary for the preparations which
had gone into the convention. He concluded by saying
that the best way to thank our hosts is to geton with the
Father’s business.

Registration and Credentials
Chairman Huber of the Floor Committee on Registra-