LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 78

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78 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

Children, Youth and Families, have been made. Numerous
contacts with offices in the Department of Education and
the Department of Health and Human Services have also
been made. The office also arranged a reception in Sep-
tember 1985 for the retiring Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, General John C. Vessey (an LCMS layman), to
which a number of Washington area Lutherans were in-
vited.

Communications with Inter-Lutheran and Inter-Relt-
gious Organizations. Meetings have been held with all of
the Washington-based offices of Lutheran organizations,
including LCUSA’s Office of College and University Serv-
ices, Office of Government Affairs, and the Division of Ser-
vice to Military Personnel, Lutheran World Relief, LIRS,
Lutheran Resources Commission, the Lutheran Diplo-
matic Community, the Luther Institute, and the Lutheran
Public Affairs Seminar. While various synodical offices and
staff have various communication linkages with many of
these offices, there has been proven merit in more direct
communication lines for the office of the President through
OGI. This should be valuable also as the various inter-
Lutheran efforts reorganize in response to the new merged
church body. There are over 50 offices of religious denom-
inations and organizations in Washington, D.C. Such is-
sues as organ donation; tax reform policies for fairness to
families; health and other services needed for supporting
alternatives to abortion; farm legislation; world hunger
relief and development programs and policies; and private,
religious school concerns have been discussed with various
groups. Various coalitional efforts and a better working
relationship with staffs of other religious offices of govern-
ment relations have been developed.

Identifying and Assessing Emerging Public Policy Is-
sues. | have attended meetings on behalf of the staff at the
IC, and reported on the results. I have also shared infor-
mation about meetings and resources, as well as sugges-
tions for possible action strategies. For example, I have
suggested the development of a resource list of human care/
family policy experts in the LCMS from whom we can draw
upon for expertise and advice on various social concerns.
That effort is in process. I have relied heavily on already
existing position statements of the LCMS from which to
assess issues, e.g. prayer in schools, church-state relations,
civil rights, and pro-life concerns.

Communicating Official Synodical Positions to Appro-
priate Governmental Entities. Because the Board of Di-
rectors had determined that, as a general policy, relations
with governmental units should be established through the
office of the President, the work of OGI has followed that
direction. This has been a very sound approach, I feel.
Because the OGI efforts are so modest, coordination with
the President has not been overwhelming, and, indeed, has
been very helpful to me. However, we should take note
that any marked increased level of activity for OGI will
require careful consideration of the limits on the time of
the President and of the staff of the office of the President.
Dr. Bohimann has sent a letter to all of the Lutheran mem-
bers of Congress—there are 23—describing the LCMS ef-
forts to encourage organ donation. He has also sent a letter
to the appropriate Congressional committees relaying the
Synod’s position that “... as persons the unborn should

stand under the full protection of the law for the right to
life, we do not support the use of federal civil rights laws
to force institutions to perform abortions or provide abor-
tion coverage.” This letter was in relation to amendments
to neutralize the current regulatory requirement that any
institution must provide abortion coverage to students or
employees under Title IX of the Education Act and to
strengthen the protection of religious integrity of all in-
stitutions subject to Title IX. Dr. Bohlmann has also taken
the opportunity afforded by the recent Supreme Court de-
cision on a moment of silent prayer to elucidate the LCMS
position on prayer in schools, including an article in the
July 1985 Lutheran Witness. Considerable effort was ex-
pended in seeking an explanation for the procedure used
by LCUSA in filing an amicus brief in a case before the
Supreme Court on “equal access” of religious clubs to
school facilities as other extracurricular student clubs. I
also authored an article describing the Equal Access Act
and the pending Supreme Court case for the August 1985
Alive.

Other Activities. A great deal of time has been spent in
assisting with plans for the August 1986 Youth Gathering
in Washington, arranging Washington briefings for staff
persons and others, attending briefings to gather infor-
mation, establishing liaison with other ecclesiastical gov-
ernment relations offices, and digesting written reports for
sharing with the President and synodical staff. With only
10 to 12 days a month devoted to the OGI, such contacts
have not been as extensive as they might be, but never-
theless have had many positive results.

Policy Development. Reception in Washington to the es-
tablishment of the Office of Government Information has
been positive. The presence of The Lutheran Church—Mis-
souri Synod in public policy discussions is welcomed. There
is supportive expectation by some groups that our contri-
bution and interest in Federal governmental affairs are
needed and will become important. However, when learn-
ing that the current project includes only part-time con-
sulting services and no office or support staff, they are
inspirational in their recommendations of what is needed
to become a more effective presence! I predict that the
opportunities for influencing certain governmental deci-
sions of interest to the Synod will expand with the growing
number of opportunities to be present and actively partic-
ipating in various governmental activities and issues. I
also see an important need for identifying a clear process
for developing position statements on matters of concern
in the lives of our members.

Conclusion. I have enjoyed the opportunity of estab-
lishing and serving the LCMS Office of Government In-
formation. I am grateful that the Board of Directors has
provided for an expanded role for the office in the 1986—
1987 fiscal year, for that will surely permit us to serve the
Synod more effectively in a number of key areas.

Candace P. Mueller
Washington, D.C.
March, 1986

(The list of pastors and teachers who entered into rest during the
past triennium ts found in appendix 5-O1c of the Convention Work-
book (pp. 173-74). It is repeated at the end of these Proceedings.)