LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 46

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46 PARISH, YOUTH, AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES

Board of Parish Education resolution resolved in part “that
every parish of our Synod be urged to plan a constructive
program to strengthen the Christian home; That our agencies
for Christian education be urged to work more effectively with
parents through cooperative planning; .. . That courses in
Christian Family Life and Parent Education be taken up by
Bible classes, men’s and women’s groups, and parent-teacher
associations; That every family of our church be encouraged to
work toward meeting more and more the Biblical standards of
a Christian home” (1947 Proceedings, p. 311).

In 1948 the committee appointed by the President of the
Synod to study marriage, divorce, and remarriage was merged
with the Family Life Committee of the Board of Parish
Education by the President of the Synod. In September of 1948
representatives of the committee met with Sylvanus and
Evelyn Duvall to get guidance on the direction that the BPE
committee should go in its work. The Duvalls advised the
committee members that leadership training is fundamental
and that it should begin with the pastor. They emphasized
working with local groups who establish their own needs
rather than imposing programs from the top down, and that
programs should be preventive in nature.

The Family Life Committee of the Board of Parish Educa-
tion functioned from 1948 into the 1970s and made a signifi-
cant contribution to family life education throughout North
America. The committee’s budget for 1919 was $545: $375 for
three to four committee meetings per vear. $30 for participation
in family life associations, $15 for subscriptions to journals,
$50 for conducting a national workshop. and $75 for attendance
at significant family life conferences.

The 1981 synodical convention established the Standing
Committee on Bible Study and Family Life Education. The
three members appointed to that committee for the 1981—83
biennium are Rev. Oliver Schultz, chairman; Dr. Rudolph
Harm. secretary; and Dr. Martin Haendschke. The committee
has begun carrying out its function of being advisory to the
Board for Parish Services in the areas of Bible study and
family life education.

The 1981 convention directed that the third Sunday of each
January be set aside as Pro-Life Sunday. Responsibility for
Life Sunday was assigned to the Board for Parish Services.
The Life Sunday Committee consists of members from the
Board for Parish Services, Board for Youth Services, Board for
Social Ministry Services, and the Commission on Theology
and Church Relations. Others involved in the Life Sunday
observance are the Lutheran Witness and Reporter, Lutheran
Women’s Missionary League. International Lutheran Lay-
men’s League, and Lutherans for Life. All are committed to the
mandate of the 1981 synodical convention to aggressively
promote the sanctity of life and speak against abortion on
demand, infanticide, and euthanasia.

Life Sunday materials for 1983 were advertised through the
Reporter as being available from the Board for Parish Services
and Lutherans for Life. Many more congregations observed
Life Sunday in 1983 than in 1982. The goal is to get Svnodwide
participation.

Because the program has achieved its objectives. Effec-
tiveness Training for Lutherans terminates June 30, 1983.
after 10 years as a Board for Parish Services project. Effec-
tiveness Training for Lutherans was funded by a grant from
the Aid Association for Lutherans from June 1973 through
December 1979, when it became self-supporting. AAL con-
tinued to provide member scholarships for participating in
ETL classes until June 30, 1983. Deep appreciation must be
expressed to AAL for their generous support of this significant
program for 10 vears.

While Effectiveness Training is a parenting program that
teaches communication skills and mutually satisfying prob-
lem solving methods. it is useful to people in a variety of work
and social situations. Combined with Biblical principles of
parenting, ETL offered LCMS members a way of improving
relational skills for parents, pastors. and teachers.

More than 33,000 people completed ETL-sponsored classes
in the United States and Canada. Over 800 LCMS pastors.
teachers. and lay people were trained as instructors. These
instructors have been involved in many formal and informal
programs in churches and schools that have helped improve
relationships among all sorts of people. ETL has directly and

indirectly positively affected families, youth programs, and
practically any kind of activity in which the saving Gospel of
Jesus Christ is shared. Although Effectiveness Training for
Lutherans is terminated as a formal program of the Board for
Parish Services, the benefits of ETL will continue for many
years.

Marriage Enrichment Experience, a Christ-centered pro-
gram for married couples conducted as a weekend retreat or as
a week-night series, entered a new phase in 1983 with the
preparation of a leaders manual and participants packets
funded by Concordia Mutual Life. Some of the areas covered in
an experience are spiritual life, communication, conflict, roles,
and goal setting.

A Marriage Enrichment Experience is a way to help equip
couples to live in growing Christian marriages. Couples from
all over North America report that their marriages have been
strengthened through Marriage Enrichment Experience and
that they are better able to cope with crises when they arise.

Marriage Enrichment Experiences and Leadership Train-
ing events have been conducted on the Concordia Seminary,
St. Louis, campus for married students for the past three years
with good success. In addition engaged couples and single
students were involved in the experience and report that it was
beneficial to them also. After being involved in marriage
enrichment many couples want a similar event for the whole
family.

The Family Enrichment Experience is the answer because
it involves both parents and children. It is modeled after the
Marriage Enrichment Experience, but is designed to be held in
a church basement or school gymnasium at a very low cost to
participants. Several modified Family Enrichment Experi-
ences were held 1981—83 at camps and retreat centers. These
camp events allow God's people to come together to learn and
engage in healthy recreation with one another. —

Many Districts have sponsored premarital pilot workshops.
Some researchers are predicting that one out of every two

marriages contracted will end in divorce and that this willbea _

social reality rather than a mere statistic. This indicates that
there is a need for a good premarriage program which can be
easily used by professional church workers and which can be
combined with a postmarriage program such as the Marriage
Enrichment Experience.

There is a growing awareness, too, of the need for ministry
with singles: divorced, widowed, and never married. Family
life educators today recognize that any programs and mate-
rials they develop must also have relevance to the single life-
style. A growing number of LCMS Districts now have singles
consultants and singles committees. There is a growing list of
resources for ministry with singles in the LCMS. For example,
the now completed 12-volume Christian Parent Series (Con-
cordia Publishing House) contains a booklet titled Single
Parents which has been well received by single parents.

An area of ministry which has been revived in the past two
vears is Board for Parish Service's Leisure Ministry Com-
mittee. which works closely with Outdoors Ministry—LCMS.,
an association of LCMS camp directors. Outdoors Ministry is
dedicated to upgrading the status of camp directors and
personnel, joint recruitment. and the sharing of programs and
information.

In 1982 the National Lutheran Parent Teacher League was
granted listed service organization status by Synod's Board of
Directors and relates to the LCMS through the Board for
Parish Services. With the encouragement of the BPS. the
National Lutheran Parent Teacher League continues to pro-
duce many valuable resources for use in schools and congre-
gations of the LCMS. In addition. it is cosponsoring an
intergenerational family life event with the Michigan District
in Albion, Mich.. during June 1983, patterned after the event
cosponsored with the Northern I]linois District in 1981.Itisa
bonanza of learning and growing for whole families as well as
for professional and lay church workers.

Since many congregations cannot sponsor formal events,
or send individuals and couples to programs offered around the
country, the Bible Study and Family Life Education depart-
ment prepares information bulletins to assist parishes in
promoting Bible study and in developing their own programs
with singles, married couples, parents, and families.

Concordia Publishing House continues to publish excellent

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