LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 11

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MISSIONS, EVANGELISM, AND SOCIAL MINISTRY 11

provision of opportunities for professional growth. The board
through this arrangement provides well qualified personnel to
represent the Synod as chaplains and directors of religious
education. It interprets the unique character of the military
chaplaincy to the Synod and, in general, demonstrates the
love, concern, and commitment of the church at large to the
specialized ministry provided by military chaplains.

In the world of today there is an ever-increasing demand for
the church’s spiritual support of those serving our nation in all
parts of the world. Lutheran congregations and individuals
share in this ministry through the annual Ministry to the
armed forces offering and by providing the names and ad-
dresses of their members who are in the armed forces. There isa
continued need to recruit seminarians and pastors for the
chaplaincy programs in all branches of the armed forces and
the Veterans’ Administration. The SCMAF screens all appli-
cants in its effort to endorse and call only the best qualified
pastors as chaplains.

Military Chaplains

In 1983 our church has 101 military chaplains on active
duty in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. An outstanding
ministry has been performed also by our 115 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
parishoners 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. During 1982 alone the
LCMS chaplains conducted 6310 worship services with total
attendance of 478.622 and performed 348 baptisms and 100
confirmations. About 40 seminary students at St. Louis and
Fort Wayne have been granted “ecclesiastical approval” for
participation in chaplain candidate programs.

Veterans Administration Chaplains

Chaplains from our church are serving many of our coun-
try’s veterans in the 170 Veterans Administration hospitals.
There is an increasing need to provide such pastoral care. Our
full-time, part-time and intermittent VA hospital chaplains
made more than 79.000 pastoral bedside visits during the past
year.

Civil Air Patrol

Another important ministry of our church is being accom-
plished by chaplains in the Civil Air Patrol. An opportunity 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 16 of the Synod’s pastors now serve in
the CAP chaplaincey.

Ministry-by-Mail

The Ministry-by-Mail program to our Lutheran military
personnel and their families is the largest supportive service of
its kind among all churches. This service provides for an initial
packet containing a Lutheran Service Praver 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. In its regular mailing
each month, more than 8,000 personnel receive Loyalty-Christ
and Country. Portals of Prayer, the Lutheran Witness witha
Ministry to Armed Forces edition. and other devotional litera-
ture. Also receiving these mailings are patients in VA hospi-
tals. military dependents. civilians overseas. and cadets at
military academies.

‘“‘Nehemiah Plan”

Him We Proclaim—The Good News of reconciliation be-
tween God and man through Jesus Christ moves His people to

apply and demonstrate His love to people in need. The “‘Nehe-
miah Plan” is an innovative approach to the problem of
blighted urban areas and the challenge of Christian ministry
in such areas.

Developed by the East Brooklyn Churches (a coalition of 36
churches, including three LCMS congregations: Risen Christ,
St. Peter, and St. Paul) the plan has the approval of the city of
New York. The land on which the homes are to be built has
been donated, and a $10 million grant for reducing down
payments on the homes has been promised by the city.

The first phase of the program calls for construction of 1,000
single-family, owner-occupied homes. Construction is sched-
uled to begin in May 1983.

The heart of the plan is a $12 million construction loan,
supplied by the denominations which are supporting the plan.
Through the BFMS, the LCMS made the first commitment ofa
$1 million loan, interest free, for five vears. The LCEF approved
the request of the BFMS to use the $500,000 gift, designated at
the 1977 Dallas Convention for church extension funds over-
seas, interest free, for the “Nehemiah Plan.” The Board of
Directors of the Synod also approved the use of this $500,000
and requested the Project Committee for North American
Missions (PCNAM) to approve the remaining $500,000 from
FIR funds. Within five vears the entire amount will be returned
to the Synod to be used for the original purposes.

Forward in Remembrance ~

There are a number of references in this report to the
marvelous ways in which God has enabled our church to move
ahead in mission because of the generous outpouring of gifts in
the Forward in Remembrance effort. In allocating funds from
these gifts to various needs, the Board for Mission Services has
been careful to follow the FIR Mission and Ministry Statement
and the guidelines of the “Forward in Remembrance Policy
Manual for Release of Funds." For example, for North Ameri-
can Missions and Ministries. the following areas are clearly
defined:

a. Establish New Missions

b. Strengthen Existing Congregations
c. Ministry to People of Other Cultures
d. Ministry to People with Special Needs
e. Develop New Approaches to Ministry

For distribution of North American Forward in Remem-
brance funds, the Board for Mission Services considers for
approval the projects recommended for funding by a regionally
elected representative committee called Project Committee for
North American Missions (PCNAM). The BFMS executive
secretary and the associate executive secretary for North
American ministries attend the once-a-year meetings of
PCNAM. In evaluating projects for funding the following
criteria are considered:

The project should:—

1. reach people in an effective witness to the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and contribute to the growth of the church:

2. meet a pressing and unmet need:

3. be ready for implementation at the time funds are
requested;

4+. challenge and involve people of the area with a sense of
ownership;

5. involve significant local funding in addition to FIR
grant:

6. be effectively completed by the end of the funding period
or have continuing funding assured;

7. be considered only if all other avenues of funding have
been explored.

For world missions outside of North America, the Board for
Mission Services follows the Mission and Ministry Statement
and the guidelines of the “Forward in Remembrance Policy
Manual for Release of Funds” and has established the follow-
ing five defined areas for evaluating and allocating FIR funds:

a. New mission fields

b. Establishing church extension funds
c. Matching grants

d. Preparation of national clergy