LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 304

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

SOCIAL MINISTRY 303

The following have served with distinction during the past
biennium: Mrs. Marie Sump, Clarinda, Iowa, chairperson; Mrs.
Viola Coleman, St. Louis, secretary; Rev. Martin Poch, D.D.,
Virginia Beach, Va.; Rev. Robert Trautman, St. Louis, Mo.;
Rev. Norman Walter, Los Angeles, Calif.; Rev. Michael
Trinklein, Boonville, Mo.; Mrs. Elnora Briggemann, Iuka,
Kans.; and Mr. Marvin Tank, Chicago, III.

Our congregations and individual donors contributed more
than eight million dollars during the past five years for World
Relief, World Hunger, Indian Concerns, and Disaster Assist-
ance. In addition to this generous financial support, many of
our members made blankets, kiddie-kits and activity-kits, and
contributed usable clothing.

Congregations Prepare for Disasters

Since 1974 Lutheran bodies have responded to domestic
disasters through the joint Lutheran Domestic Disaster
Response Board. Working together with a member of the
LCUSA staff, the churches are ready to offer emergency
assistance in time of a major disaster such as a tornado,
hurricane, earthquake, or flood. This assistance includes
deploying trained persons to help the local people in their
recovery effort. A grant from Aid Association for Lutherans
helped finance preparedness workshops in the southern
California area, the Southwest, and the Southeast. Other
workshops in disaster-prone areas of our country are in the
planning stage. Dr. Weber and Pastor Witt are the LCMS
representatives on the LDDRB Policy Committee.

Board Helps Congregations Minister to Older Persons

A consultation on a comprehensive approach to the
problems of older persons brought together representatives of
the various boards of our church to help us all become aware of
the opportunities for ministry to, for, and with older persons. A
result of this session is a Congregational Resource Kit for
Ministry to Older Persons. It is not difficult to tell that the
number of older persons in our congregations and communities
is rapidly growing. More than 23 million people are 65 and
older, and there are 1.8 million who are above the age of 85.
Only about five percent of our older population are in institu-
tions. This means that 95 percent are in our communities. Our
congregations must not lose sight of them. A research projecta
few years ago reported that the elderly make up the largest
unchurched group in the communities where the research was
done. What a challenge to our congregations! Who cares? Do
you?

The Board of Social Ministry and World Relief believes that
our church must recognize the potential for increased ministry
by and to older persons, and must create a department within
the board to give attention to this needed area of work.

The International Year of the Disabled

Everyone is handicapped. With some people it is more
noticeable than with others. The year 1981 has been designated
by the United Nations as the International Year of the
Disabled. Religious groups including our own church have
been asked to take an active role in efforts to mainstream
persons with disabilities. Approximately one-sixth of the
population are congenitally disabled or causally handicapped.
Congregations are urged to make their churches accessible in
architecture, communication, and attitude so that persons with
handicaps may also join in ministry along with others whose
disabilities may not be so obvious. Disabled people are persons
no less than others and should be accepted whether the
disability be the loss of an arm, a leg, or hearing, or whether the
handicap is cerebral palsy, retardation, or blindness. It is
imperative that we proclaim from the deepest Christian con-
viction the rights of people, including the rights of the handi-
capped within the wholeness of society.

Congregations Participate in Project Compassion

Ten years have passed since the Board of Social Ministry
and World Relief launched our volunteer visitation program
now known around the world as Project Compassion. More
than 80,000 kits giving guidance and suggestions for visiting
the sick, the elderly, the homebound and others who are
experiencing difficulties have been distributed. Our chaplains,

pastors, social service people, and LWML leaders have
recruited and trained more than 40,000 people who are actively
involved as Project Compassion visitors. Requests for our
material have come from Europe, South America, Australia,
and other countries, as well as from all major denominations.

Board Provides Resources

The Board of Social Ministry and World Relief and its staff
has no goal other than that of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came
to serve people in need. Through our multifaceted program, we
endeavor to assist our District boards of social ministry—that
they in turn may provide guidance to our congregational
committees who give leadership in each parish. Printed
materials, telephone calls, manuals, letters, ideas for projects,
consultations, sermons, Bible class material, films and film-
strips are some of the resource material made available to our
Districts and parishes. Members of the staff welcome invita-
tions from Districts and groups of congregations to interpret
the vital nature of social ministry as an integral part of the
ministry of the church. Staff members who have been a
resource to the church during the past two years are Rev. Leslie
F. Weber, D.D., executive secretary; Rev. Eugene C. Gunther
(retired December 1979), secretary for District and Parish
Social Ministry; Rev. Paul A. Volz, secretary for District and
Parish Social Ministry (as of February 1981); Rev. Melvin E.
Witt, secretary of World Relief; and Mr. Virgil Fuchs, ACSW,
secretary for Agencies and Institutions. Part-time staff persons
are Rev. John Schroeder, associate for Communications and
Interpretation; Rev. Eugene C. Gunther, supplemental staff for
Refugees; Rev. Albert Erickson, executive secretary, Lutheran
Housing Coalition; and Mr. Julian G. Hoffmann, management
consultant. Giving valuable assistance to professional staff
and board is the clerical staff of Charlotte Carter, Gale Carr,
Wilma J. Rabenau, and Sandra Thurman.

A special advisory committee for our program to deal with
alcohol and drug dependency includes chaplains Edward
Eggert, Milwaukee, Wis.; Merrill Kempfert, Chicago, II1.;
Robert R. Montz Jr., M.D., Los Angeles, Calif.; Mr. Patrick Hu,
ACSW, Fort Dodge, Iowa; and Rev. Charles Knippel, Wood
River, Il]. Our Committee on Housing Concerns included Mrs.
Robert C. Gooch, St. Louis, Mo.; Mr. Franz Vidor, Baltimore,
Md.; Mr. Dallas Martin, Pasadena, Calif.; Mr. Lerov Zimmer-
mann, ACSW, St. Louis, Mo.; Mr. Julian Hoffmann, St. Louis,
Mo.; and Rev. Albert Erickson, Minneapolis, Minn.

The staff and board are concerned about the quantitative
dimension of our congregations’ caring ministry. The next
years will see many people whose needs are being ignored.
Government and public agencies, hampered by economic
cutbacks and political considerations, will not provide the
resources and assistance that will effectively combat hunger,
ill health, poverty, racism, and injustice. If there was ever a
time for the church of Jesus Christ to practice compassion and
to reach outin love as our Lord has commanded, it will bein the
years ahead. Then social ministry will truly bring a plus into
the lives of hurting people. There will be quality in the caring
that is given.

We believe that eight key problems of a social ministry
nature will have a critical bearing on the work of our church
and its institutions in the 1980s. They are:

. The changing form of the family

. The great impact of the changing role of women

The changing population patterns

Chronic unemployment and underemployment
Alcoholism and drug abuse

. The lack of functional skills of adults

. Medical technologies and techniques that will have a
bearing on health and well-being

. Malnutrition and hunger

oO NPowpwwre

With confidence in almighty God, with commitment to
Jesus Christ, the world’s Savior and Redeemer, and with
enlightenment by the Holy Spirit, the Board of Social Ministry
and World Relief and its staff invites and challenges the 38
Districts and 6,000 congregations of the Synod to demonstrate
a ‘faith that works by love,” so that people in need will be able
to see that ‘‘we care.”

Robert H. Mugge, Chairman
Leslie F. Weber, Executive Secretary