LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1962, Page 13

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14 STATEMENTS

critical battlefront! May our all-wise God — even
through controversy, if He wills it—lead us deeper
and deeper into the clear fountain of truth opened to
us by His revelation! May He keep us steadfast, faithful,
and true to His Word!

Ultimately our help and our hope lie in our gracious
God and in His Son Jesus, in whom we believe by the
power of the Holy Ghost. He will guide us and keep
us. He will move all the members of the Synod to do
what He desires. His blessings, in keeping with His
promises, will come. And I most sincerely beseech all
of you and all of our fellow members to pray for me.

I pray that God may keep me loyal “to the Holy
Scriptures as the inspired and inerrant Word of God
and the Symbolical Books of the Lutheran Church
as a true exposition of the Scriptures.” (Synodical
Handbook, 4.19 c) ;

In the confidence that I shall have the cooperation
of all the individual members, congregations, teachers,
pastors, and professors of the Synod, in the certainty
of divine guidance from the Triune God, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, I accept the presidency of The Lu-
theran Church — Missouri Synod in the name of the
same Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Closing Address by Dr. J. W. Behnken
(Read to the convention Tuesday afternoon, June 26, 1962)

The approaching closing hour of our convention na-
turally touches and moves me deeply. I face it with
mingled feelings, with gratitude, and with prayer.
I humbly thank God for permitting me to serve. That
the good Lord deigned to use such an undeserving per-
son as I am convinces me all the more of His marvelous
grace and mercy. I am especially grateful that God ever
led me to accept for my personal life and to emphasize
for our beloved Synod the very heart and core of the
Christian religion: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

I am grateful to our Synod for the undeserved honor
bestowed on me. It was far more than an honor, for it
enabled me to experience the great joy of service to
my Savior. Well do I realize that this service was far
from perfect. I made mistakes. I fell far short of what
my Synod and my Lord and Savior had a right to ex-
pect of me. Wherever I failed, wherever I did anything
amiss, wherever I offended, I plead for forgiveness.

Throughout my years of service my Synod placed
at my side faithful, loyal, consecrated, and efficient
co-workers. I would not want to conclude my years of
service without expressing my heartfelt gratitude to
every one of them. I shall often think with great joy
of this faithful service and what it meant for me and for
our Synod. May God graciously reward them all. Next
to God the credit for any success depends on them.

I shall never forget the many assurances of prayer
in my behalf given me by ever so many of our people.
Because I knew and firmly believed God’s promise:
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail-
eth much,” I was greatly encouraged in thé work, espe-
cially in days of difficulties and disturbances. I sincerely

Honorary President J. W. Behnken delivers his farewell address.

thank all who remembered me in their prayers. These
prayers contributed mightily to whatever successes God
bestowed.

You will not misunderstand me, I am sure, if I men-
tion that my now sainted wife stood loyally by my side
and ever encouraged me by her genuine humility and
kindness and conscientious fulfillment of duties in the
home.

Furthermore, I am grateful to all my children, who
by their many kindnesses and their work in the Savior’s
kingdom have been a real encouragement to me. May
God graciously bless them and keep them faithful to
His Word.

To the new administration, the President and Vice-
Presidents, the Board of Directors, and all boards and
commissions I offer my hearty felicitations. May God
give you a rich measure of His Holy Spirit to guide and
direct you in all the important assignments given you
by our Synod. Above all may He keep you ever faith-
ful and loyal in guarding and preserving the wonderful
heritage which He has entrusted to our Synod. And
you, my beloved fellow members in Synod, I sincerely
urge you to pray fervently for our new administration
and support it wholeheartedly in its extremely important
work. I shall gladly join you in such prayer and also
my wholehearted cooperation when desired.

And now as a final thought spoken to you as your
retiring President, permit me to use a farewell spoken
by the apostle St.Paul at Miletus to the elders of the
church at Ephesus:

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to
the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up
and to give you an inheritance among all them which
are sanctified.”