LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1992, Sheet 171

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HUMAN CARE 169

Healing Ministries be encouraged to design a retreat mod-
ule for other married professional church workers and a
second module addressing the unique circumstances and
needs of single professional church workers; and be it
finally

Resolved, That we give thanks to God the Father for all
His gifts, especially His grace in Jesus Christ, the gifts of
the Holy Spirit, and all those who serve Him as profes-
sional church workers.

Action: Adopted as amended (12).

{In the second resolve, the words “and that, in consultation
with the BHE, a church worker recruitment emphasis be incor-
porated in the Affirmation Sunday observance” were added after
the words “using materials provided through the entities tisted
above.” '

A motion to add two whereases stating,

“Wuereas, An ever-increasing number of our congre-
gational professional church workers’ time is devoted to
counseling an ever enlarging number of the members on
a wide range of topics; and .

Wuereas, A majority of these servants of the church
have minimal, or no, familiarity with the topic and little,
or no, guidance material for use in counseling situations;
therefore be it”

and a fourth resolve stating, :

“Resolved, That the 58th convention of LCMS request
the appropriate boards, standing committees, or commis!
sions and CPH to

1. conduct a literature search to identify the existing
material which is in consonance with the LCMS theological
position and useable in counseling situations for such top-
ics as abortion; abnormal sexual behavior; incest; AIDS;
substance, fellow human, and sexual abuse; euthanasia;
and other similar topics; and :

2. cause to be prepared, published, and publicized to the
professional church workers the materials available or
needed to assist a counselor in serving and showing loving,
compassion for the hurting fellow Christian” was ruled not
germane to the resolution.)

To Encourage the Participation
of Persons with Disabilities in the
Church’s Life and Ministry

RESOLUTION 7-04A
Overture 7-04 (CW, pp. 283-84) .

Wuereas, Congregations of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod, Districts, and the Synod benefit from and
need the efforts, talents, and services of all members; and

Wuereas, There is a large untapped resource of persons
who are physically, sensory, developmentally, and/or men-
tally disabled, who are not given the opportunity fully to
participate in the life of the church using their gifts to serve
others; therefore be it

Resolved, That each District of the Synod appoint a dis-
ability resource team to facilitate inclusive ministries by

congregations, clergy, and other church professionals by
a. developing awareness of the abilities and needs of

persons with disabilities and their families and/or care giv-
ers within congregations;

b. seeking out ‘and including people with disabilities in
the full life and ministry of the congregations, Districta,
the Synod itself, and its schools and agencies; and be it
further :

Resolved, That the disability resource team should

a. address, but not be limited to, the following areas of
concern:

* Chronic mental illnesses

* Emotional/behavioral disorders
* Hearing impairments

* Learning disabilities

* Mental retardation

+ Physical disabilities

+ Visual impairments

b. involve persons with one or more of these disabilities
to serve as resource persons; and be it finally
Resolved, That congregations of our Synod be encour-
aged to advocate
a. the tearing down of attitudinal barriers which prop-
agate our own fears;
_ b. the elimination of architectural barriers;
‘¢. the availability of adequate forms of communication
for individuals with disabilities;
d. the inclusion of all people in as many aspects of the
church’s life and ministry as possible;
‘e. the establishment of support groups, as appropriate,
for each congregation.

|
(Action: Adopted (14).

To Support Housing Ministries
RESOLUTION 7-05
Report R7-01 (CW, p. 138).

Wuereas, The needs of the homeless and those poorly
housed in rural and urban areas of the United States con-
tinue to be a matter of critical urgency; and

Wuereas, The opportunity to share the Gospel in word
and deed is abundantly manifest in targeted housing and
shelter ministry; and

Wuereas, The Lord richly blessed synodical involve-
ment in the Nehemiah Plan, not only in the establishment
of a housing ministry which has proven exemplary in the
U.S. (witness the Nehemiah Housing Act of 1987) and not
only in its financial success (a return of $1,750,000 on a
$1,000,000 loan), but also in a harvest of souls for the
kingdom in New York; and

Wuereas, The LCMS Housing Task Force continues to
identify and support locally developed housing/mission
projects throughout the country; therefore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS assembled in convention
thank and praise God for the realized mission and ministry
potential of the Nehemiah Plan in New York; and be it
further .

Resolved, To support the efforts of the LCMS Board for
Human Care Ministries’ Housing Task Force to encourage