LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1992, Page 50

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50

Response to Gulf War

Although the war in the Persian Gulf in early 1991 has
receded into the memories of most of us, it should not be
forgotten that the congregations and pastors of the Synod,
and especially our military chaplains, responded in a most
commendable fashion. More than 30 LCMS chaplains were
at one time deployed to the Middle East. The Synod can
be especially proud of our chaplains and the ministry they
carry out to the men and women of our armed forces on
our behalf. For many decades, Missouri’s military chap-
Jains have been recognized as among the finest. What isn’t
always understood is that the qualities for which they are
commended in their military ministries are the same pas-
toral qualities that characterize pastoral ministry
throughout the parishes of our church body. We are truly
grateful for our tradition of seminary education and for
the models of pastoral ministry given us by our fathers, as
well as the strong support and assistance rendered to pas-
tors by the wonderful people of our Synod.

During the Persian Gulf crisis, I was privileged to meet
‘with President Bush and several of his top advisors on two
occasions, not only to discuss the relevancy of just-war
questions to the Gulf War situation, but to express our
Synod’s appreciation to our national leadership for contin-
uing to provide for the spiritual needs of the men and
women of our Armed Forces during this conflict.

Although the war itself concluded several months ago,
the quest for peace in the area continues, and the need to
minister to the victims of the war remains as strong as

ever. Our Synod is involved in such efforts through its .

appropriate agencies,
International Visits

During this triennium, I have represented the Synod
in six overseas visits with church leaders. In September
1989, the International Lutheran Conference met in Seoul,
Korea. The meeting was attended by 25 church bodies in
partnership with our Synod. I also serve on the Contin-
uation Committee of this group and served as its acting
chairman in 1990 and 1991. The ILC has become the major
instrument for fostering strong theological and missions
relationships between our church body and confessional
Lutherans around the world. Unfortunately, illness pre-
vented me from attending the October 1991 meeting in
Hong Kong, but we were ably represented by Drs. Samuel
Nafzger and Glenn O’Shoney. Reports on this meeting
were carried in the Lutheran Witness.

In May 1990, I visited with the leadership of The Lu-
theran Church in the Philippines in an effort to ascertain
the nature of difficulties in our relationship and to do ev-
erything possible to deal with the serious tensions that
have existed for a number of years.

In October 1990, I convened a meeting of partner-
church representatives in Berlin to explore mission op-
portunities in Eastern Europe and then represented the
Synod at a meeting of our partner church in former East
Germany, sometimes known as the “Old Lutheran” church,
as it voted to merge with our West German partner church,

- the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In November 1990, I represented the Synod at a Latin

REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

American Theological. Education Conference of our part-
ner-church presidents and seminary leaders held in Sao
Paulo, Brazil.

In May and July 1991, accompanied by SELC President
Albert Marcis, Dr. David Daniel, and Pastor Dusan Toth,
I visited with the Lutheran bishops and church leaders of
Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Silesia in
an effort to establish a basis of friendship for providing
possible support to these churches. I also visited the con-
vention of our partner church in West Germany (the In-
dependent Evangelical Lutheran Church) on the occasion
of its officia) merger with the “Old Lutheran” church.

Many more visits should be made to the partner
churches, as well as other Lutheran churches around the
world, than budget and time permit. The LCMS, both be-
cause of its size and resources, remains the acknowledged
leader among confessional Lutheran churches worldwide.
We have much to give to our partners around the world,
but we have much to learn from them, too.

Opportunities in Eastern Europe

Few of us could have anticipated the tremendous
changes that have taken place in Eastern Europe during
this triennium. These changes have brought unparalleled
opportunity for the Synod and its people to respond, and
strong efforts have been made to do just that. After initial
contacts generated by our Board for Mission Services, I
visited with the heads of a number of European churches
not in fellowship with the Synod, but known to be eager
to maintain a confessional] Lutheran witness, The response
to these visits has been almost overwhelming. In Czecho-
slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Silesia, the Synod has re-
ceived numerous invitations to assist those church bodies
in the proclamation and teaching of the Word of God. In
the Lutheran Church of Slovakia, for example, the Synod
has been providing all Sunday school material, aided by
the generous support of Concordia Publishing House. Rep-
resentatives from our Board for Parish Services have con-
ducted a workshop dealing with Sunday school
administration and instruction for representatives of the
entire church body, and more than 6,000 primary packets
have been furnished to the 300 congregations of that
church body. More recently, our Board for Communication
Services sponsored a communications workshop to assist
Lutheran congregations in Czechoslovakia and Silesia in
the production of materials. The Board for Mission Ser-
vices, through Dr. David Daniel, who serves us on a part-
time basis from Bratislava, has provided invaluable coun-
sel and support. Pastor Dusan Toth, an SELC pastor from
Toronto and a native of Czechoslovakia, has served my-
office as an assistant for Eastern European church rela-
tions and has enabled us to make valuable contacts. CPH
President John Gerber and staff colleagues recently ac-

‘companied Pastor Toth to Czechoslovakia and Poland to

explore additional publishing opportunities. And the list
goes on and on! The Board of Directors, in an effort to
encourage more financial support for these opportunities,
has authorized special funding for Eastern European out-
reach, but funds received to date have not been sufficient.

In addition to these efforts, the International Lutheran
Laymen’s League has undertaken a number of very excit-