LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 308

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

308 OTHER REPORTS

in the January—March 1983 issue of the American Baptist
Quarterly.

A second Lutheran-Reformed dialog, sponsored by the
division and the Caribbean and North American Area Council
of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, began in October
1981 and is continuing over three vears. The purpose is to
rediscover the common roots in the two confessional families
and to break down erroneous stereotypes.

Lutheran-Jewish matters have centered on participation
with the Roman Catholic Graymoor Ecumenical Institute and
the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B'rith in annual fall
conferences. The ‘81 event focused on “Dimensions of Jewish
Prayer’ and the ‘82 conference on “Torquemada, Luther, and
the Jews.” ‘‘Lutherans and Jews—A New Climate” was con-
sidered at a meeting cosponsored with the American Jewish
Committee in October 1982. It led to planning of a fact-finding
conference on ‘Martin Luther, Jews, and Judaism” to be held
in 1983 and followed by a series of regional consultations at
which the findings of the conference are to be shared.

Lutheran Resources Commission—Washington

Assisting in finding funding. identifying potential funding
sources in governmental and private sectors, sponsoring semi-
annual resource development conferences, and publishing a
30-page monthly bulletin giving information on grants and
other resources are the basic services of the LRC—W, and
adjunct agency of the Lutheran Council.

The commission was begun in 1969 by the LCMS, ALC, and
LCA. Since then the Presbyterian Church in the U.S., the
United Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church,
and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.,
have become associate members. In addition the commission
currently has service contracts with Aid Association for
Lutherans, Lutheran Brotherhood, Vesper Society, and Lu-
theran Laymen’s Movement for Stewardship.

From its beginning through September 1982, LRC—W has
logged 1.774 requests for assistance and helped its clients
obtain $32.257,781 in funding.

Lutheran Social Service System

Since its beginning in 1976 as an adjunct agency of the
Lutheran Council, LS’3 has concentrated on making on-site
studies of the management and programs of the 275 social
service agencies, homes. and institutions affiliated with the
LCMS, ALC. and LCA. Purpose of the “‘Cycle I’ program,
completed in the summer of 1982, was to affirm that the
agencies. homes, and institutions do, in the main, meet the
criteria for affiliation adopted by the three church bodies.
Needed changes are being made in the few cases that were
exceptions.

Over the next four years under a “Cycle II” program the
LS.’3 staff will serve as facilitators, consultants, and resource
brokers in helping the national and regional social ministry
units of the church bodies to define their common mission and
develop a plan for working together to carry out that mission.

Effective in January 1982 LS’ 3 became a sponsor-member
of the Council on Accreditation, made up of such national
social service organizations as the Child Welfare League of
America and the National Conference of Catholic Charities.
LS. 3is now represented on the COA board of trustees and will
help determine the standards and practices for accreditation of
social services, mental health services, and other service
programs for individuals, families, and children. The relation-
ship allows affiliates of LS’3 to secure voluntarily COA
accreditation at a reduced cost and establish national recog-
nition for their quality of service and leadership.

LS, 3 is seeking to implement findings of its Sunbelt
Resource Mobilization Project conducted during 1979—80 and
spelled out in a 131-page report. Area task forces looked at the
situation in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida. Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi. North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Texas, and Virginia and made a number of recommendations
having this overall goal: “Lutherans will by the year 2000 have
affected the population of the ll-state . . . area through
Lutheran-supported social ministry programs by improving
quality of life for all people in some demonstrable manner.

At an LS’3-sponsored conference in March 1981 the par-

ticipants issued a “call to the church” on behalf of develop-
mentally and otherwise disabled persons, emphasizing ways
and rationales for integrating disabled persons more fully into
church and community life. A conference report is being
prepared.

In November 1982 under LS/3’s initiative the Lutheran
Association of Housing Ministries was brought into being by
representatives of 62 such ministries. It is to help communi-
cation among the members, provide technical services and
consultation for congregations interested in developing hous-
ing ministries, and develop and promote quality standards for
such ministries. The charter membership period is open to
September 1983.

Reuben T. Swanson, President
John R. Houck, General Secretary

X-02
International Lutheran Laymen’s League

Greetings on behalf of the International Lutheran Lay-
men’s League, its officers, members, and staff, to all delegates,
officials, and other participants in the 1983 convention of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We thank all of you for the
unique cooperative relationship that continues to exist between
the LCMS and the Int’! LLL. We are sincerely grateful for the
support and encouragement given to us by President Bohl-
mann and all officials of the Synod and by congregations and
pastors throughout the church. It is this generous support that,
under the blessings of God, makes possible our ministry
through radio, television, print, and personal witness.

We also thank God that, as an auxiliary of the LCMS, we
can assist our Synod in the proclamation of the Gospel and in
ministering to people. We therefore praise God for the many
opportunities He has given us over the past two years to share
Christ with people all over the world.

30 Years of Lutheran Television

“Celebrating God’s Gifts” was the theme chosen for the
celebration of the 30th anniversary of Lutheran Television
during the 1982—83 broadcast season. It was in September of
1952 that the LCMS premiered its “This Is the Life” series on
two stations of the Dumont Television Network. By 1953 “This
Is the Life” was being seen over more than 100 stations.
Currently, “This Is the Life” is being carried on about 160
stations throughout the United States and Canada and is
being carried by Trinity Broadcasting Network to 140 cable
stations and 27 additional cable networks each week. Among
episodes produced for Lutheran Television’s 30th anniversary
season was “Project Compassion,” for which production
money was generously provided by the LWML.

Overseas coverage of “This Is the Life’ continues to
increase dramatically. The series is telecast weekly in Antigua
and the Bahamas, carried regularly throughout the world on
the Armed Forces Television Network, shown in 18 countries
over independent networks, and is being telecast weekly over
three channels in Lebanon with English sound and subtitles in
Arabic and French. One hundred episodes are also being
dubbed into Portuguese by a commercial station in Brazil for
showing there, and the Spanish-language version is being
telecast biweekly in Peru.

Lutheran Television’s animated and dramatic specials
continue to attract large viewing audiences each year. During
the 1982 Christmas season the League's three Christmas
specials were shown 1,245 times in the United States and
Canada, and “Christmas Is” was shown on 3,000 cable
systems in the United States via the CBN satellite network.
One or more of the programs was also telecast in the United
Kingdom, Guatemala, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand,
the Caribbean, and throughout the Middle East.

The five-hour miniseries “Yeshua” is currently in post-
production and efforts continue to place the program on
network television. Production and marketing were funded in
part by generous grants from AAL. The documentary series,
which features Dr. Oswald Hoffmann as host and narrator,
relates the life and ministry of Jesus to the customs and culture