LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Sheet 112

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GREETINGS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN CANADA 111

der the aegis of this commission and with financial help
from the Aid Association for Lutherans, a video and print
tool is being prepared to assist congregations to adequately
minister with disabled persons. This tool is going to be
available shortly from the Lutheran publishing houses, at
least by the end of this year.

As I noted in my remarks when I addressed you on
behalf of the Lutheran Church in America, each of our
church bodies has been willing to risk something to work
with others in the areas of ministry where there has been
no need for compromise of principle. As a result we are all
the better for the experience of Lutherans who have joined
together in heart and hand in the work of our Lord.

Some inter-Lutheran cooperative work is going to sur-
vive into the next decade—agencies such as Lutheran
World Relief and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Ser-
vice, to which Bishop Preus made reference, where Mis-
souri is going to join with the new church. The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America will carry forward the tra-
dition of cooperative work that we are doing together. And
who knows what other opportunities will come before us
as the years pass by? Who knows what the Holy Spirit will
lead us to do?

Our history has told us that cooperation follows prec-
edent. And we pray, do we not, that God will show us the
needs in the future as He has in the past and that we
might have early warnings of those situations and in-
stances of dire need on the world’s agenda that may yet,
even at this moment, be hidden from eyes that we can
address cooperatively as Lutherans.

The Lutheran Council is a part of this Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod, and you are a part of it. In many
ways it has served this church body well, as it has likewise
served the other four member church bodies. On behalf of
the colleagues of that common agency, I again express ap-
preciation, not only to your leadership, but to all of you for
the work in which we have shared together where we could
do so without comprising the integrity of our individual
church bodies and fulfill ministries that, I believe, are
pleasing to God, that are church building, that are pro-
ductive in the Kingdom, that are spirit filled, and that are
in accord with the will of God that we serve Him and His
people. May God bless you as you continue the delibera-
tions of this convention.

Reuben T. Swanson, D.D.

7. Greetings of the President of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

President Bohlmann, delegates, visitors:

I've never in my life seen so many Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod people all in one place. You look very Lu-
theran to my eyes, very good. I am pleased to bring the
greetings of the newly formed Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Canada, the result of the merger of the Lutheran
Church in America—Canada Section and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Canada. It occurred officially on Jan-
uary 1 of this year, which makes us today 6 months and
20 days old, so we are very young in terms of our life to-
gether and our mission. Yet we also feel a little older than
those number of months and days by virtue of the labors
that we enter into, as well as the ministries and relation-
ships which are now to continue.

While we have been absorbed in the usual organiza-
tional details that belong to a merger process, and they
are many, a high priority has been given to our church’s
constitutional purpose which deals with other churches
and is stated in this way: “This church will have relation-
ships with other Lutheran Church bodies and with other
Christian churches for the furtherance of its mission.” We
have begun already, continuing the dialogs that were
started with the Anglicans of Canada. We now have a re-
port for our careful study and response.

With respect to other Lutherans we have approved a
working agreement with the proposed Evangelical Lu-
theran Church in America. In the area of world missions
I am pleased to say that we have a partnership agreement
with three overseas churches. Specifically with regard to
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod our church council