LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1965, Page 5

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

+ The forty-sixth regular convention of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod was held in Detroit, Mich.,
June 16—25, 1965, hosted by the Michigan District with
the assistance of English District congregations in Mi-
chigan. The local Convention Arrangements Commit-
tee had made excellent preparation to have adequate
meeting facilities and hotel rooms available for the
delegates and demonstrated Christian hospitality at
its best.

The opening service took place on Wednesday eve-
ning, July 16, with Trinity Lutheran Congregation, the
mother congregation of our Synod in the Detroit area,
acting as host congregation. The sermon was delivered
by the Synod’s Vice-President, Dr. George W. Witt-
mer, the officiant was the Rev. Gilbert T. Otte, pastor
of the host congregation, and Pastor Paul T. Heinecke,
chairman of the Convention Arrangements Committee,
served as celebrant. The Michigan and English District
clergy of the area, together with the Synod’s officers,
as well as members of synodical boards and faculties,
formed an impressive processional. The Holy Sacra-
ment was distributed at 16 tables to 4,150 persons, many
members of our Detroit congregations communing with
the delegates to the convention. A mass choir, under
the direction of Mr. John T. Miller, participated in the
service, and Mr. Donald A. Busarow presided at the
organ. The closing service took place immediately after
adjournment shortly after noon on June 25 with Vice-
President R. Wiederaenders delivering the sermon.

Convention Sunday, June 20, found the more than
one thousand delegates and visitors attending services
in the various Detroit churches, many of whom had
invited guest pastors to deliver the sermon. The after-
noon of this day was set aside for a mission rally which
emphasized the mission of the church vs. the mission
of nihilism — “Christ or Chaos.” The Synod’s reelected
President, Dr. Oliver R. Harms, was the main speaker.
A feature of the rally was the presentation of repre-
sentatives working in various fields of mission en-
deavor and the introduction of the administrative
divisions of the Synod.

All of the 21 sessions, as well as the opening service
and the mission rally, were held in spacious Cobo Hall.
President Harms and occasionally one of the Vice-
Presidents presided at all sessions. An attitude of fra-
ternal concern was usually evident throughout the
sessions even when conflicting points of view were
expounded vigorously. Throughout the sessions there
was noticeable an eagerness to determine “what saith
the Lord?” and to exhaust all legitimate avenues of ap-
proach to find the answer to this all-important question.

The convention delegates had quite generally pre-
pared themselves well for participation in the discus-
sions based on recommendations submitted by the 19
floor committees, many of whom had done some pre-
liminary work during the days before the convention.
Open hearings scheduled by some of these floor com-

FOREWORD

mittees before and during the convention proved help-
ful to many delegates in clarifying issues that required
far-reaching policy decisions.

Every session was opened with a devotional ser-
vice which followed the orders of worship as prepared
by Michigan’s District President (now one of the Syn-
od’s Vice-Presidents), Dr. W. Harry Krieger, centering
daily on an appropriate convention-related theme. The
devotion on Tuesday afternoon, June 22, was a me-
morial service. The musical arrangements for all the
devotions had been made the responsibility of Mr. John
T. Miller, who had secured organists for all of the devo-
tional periods and also occasionally the participation of
choirs.

Six well-prepared and stirring essays were delivered
by Dr. Paul W. Streufert — a newly elected Vice-
President of the Synod—under the general heading
“The Church Ever Lives in the Afterglow of Easter.”
These essays have been made a part of the PROCEEDINGS.

At various times written greetings were received
and announced from the following: Brooks Hays in be-
half of President Johnson; The Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Australia, Inc.; Eastern District, American
Lutheran Church; St. Paul’s Lutheran Congregation,
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Congregacién San Pablo,
Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto Concordia de Sao
Paulo, Brasil; Lutheran Free Church of Finland; Die
Evangelisch-Lutherische Freikirche, Germany; Evan-
gelisch-Lutherische (Altluth.) Kirche, Germany; The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod Hong Kong Mis-
sion; Executive Committee — Lutheran World Federa-
tion; Wabag Lutheran Church Convention, Sirunki,
New Guinea; Lutheran Church in the Philippines.
These greetings were in addition to the personal mes-
sages delivered by representatives of church groups
which are noted in the minutes.

Between sessions convention delegates and friends
had the opportunity to attend a “Mission Theater” and
to visit exhibits giving a visual demonstration of the
work carried on by the boards and committees of the
Synod, as well as of the activities of church-related
groups. — The very ample cafeteria in Cobo Hall of-
fered meals to delegates and guests and helped to con-
serve precious time.

Daily tours to interesting and historic places had
been arranged by the Committee on Special Conven-
tion Activities for the guests attending the convention.
This courtesy was appreciated by many of the guests
and visitors.

The President’s Dinner on Saturday evening, June
19, gave opportunity to the delegates and members of
our congregations in the area to meet synodical officials
through formal introductions.

* * *

The Rev. Herbert Mueller of Dundee, Ill, again
served as Assistant Secretary (Brother Mueller was
elected Secretary of the Synod), with the particular