LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 310

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9. SPECIAL AND SUNDRY MATTERS

9-01
Report of Armed Forces Commission

Introduction

The Armed Forces Commission serves as an extension of
the local LCMS congregation in meeting its responsibility for
ministering to its members and for providing an outreach to
nonmembers. On behalf of the local congregation the AFC
provides a ministry to “all of the Synod’s military personnel;
dependents of military personnel overseas; civilians and their
dependents overseas at or near military installations; and
patients in Veterans Hospitals” (Bylaw 15:23 a): Thus the AFC
serves the local parish by providing a spiritual ministry to
members whose geographical location or special circumstances
preclude or limit the parish’s ability to provide such ministry.
In carrying out this mission it is incumbent upon the AFC to
provide as effective and complete a ministry as possible to the
people under its spiritual care, with special emphasis given to
the preaching of the Word and the administration of the
sacraments. In addition to providing a spiritual ministry tothe
lay membership, the AFC views its mission as providing
ministry and support also to its member chaplains, who are
brethren in Christ uniquely beset with stresses to their spiritual
life yet often deprived of close synodical support (congregation,
Circuit, District).

Whenever possible the AFC will minister to the needs of our
people and will facilitate the ministry of chaplains by means of
program support, consultation, correspondence, and by the
encouragement of the chaplains’ professional growth. The
AFC will make itself available to chaplains as advisor/
counselor in matters of a personal or professional nature and
will pastorally supervise the chaplain in his calling. The AFC
will provide well-qualified personnel to represent the Synod as
chaplains and as religious-education directors; interpret synod-
ical concerns to the chaplains as these affect the military
chaplaincy; interpret the unique character of the military
chaplaincy to the Synod; in general, demonstrate the love,
concern, and commitment of the church at large to the
specialized ministry provided by and through military
chaplains.

In the world of today there is the ever-increasing demand
for the church’s spiritual support of those serving our nation in
all parts of the world. Lutheran congregations and individuals
have had the opportunity to share in the ministry to those in
uniform and their families by contributions to the AFC’s
annual Mother’s Day offering and by providing the names and
addresses of their members who are in the Armed Forces. And
the continued support by congregations in carrying out our
programs cannot be overemphasized. There also remains the
urgent need for our church body to recruit seminarians and
pastors for the chaplaincy programs in all branches of the
Armed Forces and the Veterans Administration. The commis-
sion screens all applicants in its effort to endorse and call only
the best-qualified pastors as chaplains.

Military Chaplains

On Jan. 1 our church had 94 military chaplains on active
duty in the Army, Navy and Air Force. An outstanding
ministry has been performed also by our 123 ready Reserve
chaplains on inactive duty, who are assigned to reserve
training units in their areas and often participate in difficult
active duty for training. Here they become familiar with the
situations confronting the military members of their church
and so become better prepared to minister to their own
parishionérs who are related to the military community. They
are also ready when called by their church to serve as military
chaplains in time of national emergency. Lutheran military
chaplains have maintained a close working relationship with
Lutheran contact pastors, who are civilian Lutheran clergy
located near military installations and are available to assist
Lutheran military personnel whenever possible. During 1980
alone the LCMS chaplains on active duty conducted 5,138
worship services, 280 baptisms, and 151 confirmations.

309

Veteran’s Administration Chaplains

Chaplains from our church are serving many of our
country’s veterans in Veterans’ Administration Hospitals.
There is an increasing need to provide pastoral care and
ministries to Lutheran veterans who are patientsin the 170 VA
Hospitals in our country. The Synod has 9 full-time, 12 part-
time, 8 intermittent, and 36 visitation pastors in the Veterans’
Administration Chaplaincy Program.

Civil Air Patrol

Another important ministry of our church has been
accomplished by chaplains in the Civil Air Patrol. An oppor-
tunity to provide a Christian ministry and to conduct religious
services for our nation’s youth has been afforded our church
through this program. A total of 15 of the Synod’s pastors now
serve in the CAP chaplaincy.

Directors of Religious Education

There has been opportunity for qualified Directors of Chris-
tian Education to serve chapel centers of military establish-
ments. Such lay personnel from our church have been assigned
to chapel programs in the states and overseas.

AFC, LCMS Records

This program of the Armed Forces Commission serves as a
depository for the records of all baptisms, confirmations, and
weddings of Lutheran personnel overseas who are unable to
forward them to a home congregation. These members also
receive our Ministry-by-Mail materials for their families. When
a transfer to a civilian parish becomes possible, our commis-
sion forwards their records, as requested, to their new home
congregation.

Ministry-by-Mail

The AFC Ministry-by-Mail program to our Lutheran mili-
tary personnel and their families has constituted the largest
supportive service among all churches. It includes an initial
packet containing a Lutheran Service Prayer Book, a Lutheran
identification cross, a pocket calendar, a roster of-Lutheran
chaplains, a directory of Lutheran worship services, and
selected devotional materials. LCMS service personnel become
part of the master mailing file as soon as their names are
submitted by their home congregations to the Armed Forces
Commission, Ministry-by-Mail, Box 8934 Jefferson Memorial
Station, St. Louis, MO 63102. In its regular mailing each month
more than 8,000 personnel receive Loyalty-Christ and Country,
Portals of Prayer, the Lutheran Witness with an Armed Forces
Commission supplement, and other devotional literature. Also
included in these mailings are those whose names have been
submitted as patients in VA Hospitals, military dependents,
civilians overseas, and cadets at military academies.

Leland R. Stevens, Chairman
M.S. Ernstmeyer, Executive Secretary

9-02

Report of Department of Archives
and History
Concordia Historical Institute

Forward in Remembrance has been the theme, if not the
slogan, of the synodical archives since their official establish-
ment by convention resolution in 1847. Remembrance has
motivated those who have deposited invaluable and irreplace-
able records and resources in the Concordia Historical Insti-
tute, the Department of Archives and History of the Synod.

It has been said long ago: To know nothing of the past, is to
understand little of the present and to have no conception of
the future. A nation, a church, a people, or even an individual
without a knowledge of the past is often confused by present
complexities and unable to meet future challenges. Grave