LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 131

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

SYNOD REPORTS
Thies, a wonderful LCMS Mission Awareness Developer. The convention continued its partnership with the emerging Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Sudan through LCMS World Missions, with the
intention to partner further with various LCMS agencies to help this
emerging church to grow. During the convention the district realigned
its circuits and added a new circuit in the Lincoln area bringing the
total number of circuits to 23 in four regions. The district’s board of
directors has sought the Lord’s guidance to develop and monitor a
strategic plan for resourcing its congregations, schools, missions, and
professional church workers in their mission to disciple the saved and
reach out to those without Christ.
It was a joy for the convention to meet in the newly completed
arena of the Health and Human Performance Center on the campus
of Concordia University in Seward, where students are prepared for
servant leadership for the church and world. The Nebraska District
and Concordia University, Nebraska continue a strong partnership
in the Gospel.
Nebraska District President Emeritus Eugene Gierke and his wife,
Linda, were also present and were recognized and thanked by the convention for their faithful service. President Emeritus Gierke currently
serves as the Promotions Director for the Nebraska District Lutheran
Church Extension Fund.
The Nebraska District is blessed with 247 congregations, 41
Lutheran elementary schools, 4 Lutheran high schools, and 39 preschools. Thanks be to God for the dedicated members of Northeastern
Nebraska who have labored to open a new Lutheran School on the
Winnebago Native American Reservation where the district has had
an outreach and preschool ministry for 15 years.
God continues to provide amazing opportunities to share His grace
in the person and actions of Jesus Christ. All areas of Nebraska have
many people who are in need of the saving news of salvation from
Jesus. Nebraska is experiencing some population growth in a few
communities, as well as a growing population of Hispanic, African,
and Asian immigrants. The African Sudanese population in Nebraska
has become the largest in the United States, and Sudanese Lutherans
participating among Nebraska District churches continue to be great
blessings. Campus ministries in Nebraska offer to university and college national and international students the Good News of salvation
in Jesus.
Nebraska District congregations and schools continue to be
moved by the Holy Spirit to be involved in personalized mission.
Youth and adults are active in mission servant events in the district
and on international mission fields. Pastors, teachers, and directors
of Christian education are teaching and serving on various mission
fields. Nebraska District pastors who serve as military chaplains have
been deployed to war zones and disaster sites. The Orphan Grain
Train, based in Norfolk, Nebraska, continues its worldwide SYNOD
REPORTS ministry. The Nebraska District and Iowa District West
partner to involve congregational members and church workers in
personal mission prayer, financial support, and servant events through
the work of Mission Awareness Developer Gary Thies and Mission
Central in Mapleton, Iowa.
The Nebraska District is also working together with the Nebraska
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to offer quality SYNOD REPORTS service through Lutheran Family Services
of Nebraska.
The four district vice-presidents and 23 circuit counselors assist
the district president in his supervision and services for the professional church workers, congregations, schools, and missions of the
district. The district also provides church worker health care to its

131

ordained and commissioned professional church workers through
Rev. Mark Rockenbach, who serves as Executive Assistant to the
President for Church Worker Health.
The LCMS Foundation Gift Planning and Lutheran Church
Extension Fund are special blessings in the Nebraska District. The
district has participated in a pilot project of the Synod to test a model
for planting churches called the Association of Related Churches. The
district is also participating in the Transforming Churches Network
for revitalization of the congregations.
Christian stewardship is once again being emphasized around the
district. The District Stewardship Committee has hosted special stewardship equipping conferences during 2008 and 2009. The Nebraska
District participated in Synod’s Fan into Flame campaign to support its Ablaze! outreach emphasis. The Nebraska District has been
amazed by the Lord’s outpouring of generosity among its congregations and individual members. Nebraska District gifts and pledges
total $3,520,772, of which congregations contributed $1,448,772 and
individuals $2,072,000. Gifts returning to the Nebraska District thus
far as part of the Fan into Flame campaign are $136,302.14. The
gifts are being used for new work to help revitalize congregations,
plant new churches, provide Lutheran education scholarships, and
assist the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan. All praise to God!
Many rural and small town areas of Nebraska are experiencing
population decline. Still, opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus
are present. But this is not without challenges, which call for reliance upon the Lord.
The District continues it Lay Leadership Program in partnership
with Concordia University in Seward to train congregational members for special service in assisting their pastors, teachers, and DCEs.
The Nebraska District continued to host its Ablaze! events called
“Prairie Fire” in order to provide a large selection of equipping workshops and seminars for laity and church professionals for Christian
outreach. Keynote speakers included Synod President Rev. Gerald
Kieschnick and Rev. Scott Snow, former Director of Outreach for
LCMS World Mission
As the Nebraska District looks to the future, congregations,
schools, pastors, missionaries, teachers, other commissioned workers, and lay leaders are asking the Lord to make us wise in the way
we act toward outsiders; making the most of every opportunity to let
our conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that
we may know how to answer everyone.”
Russell L. Sommerfeld, President
R7-02-18

New England District
The 15th regular convention of the New England District truly
lived out its theme, “Ignited in Christ to be Ablaze in HIS Mission!”
The atmosphere and spirit of our 2009 convention was truly one
of unity in being about the mission of making disciples. A total of
87 percent of our congregations were represented by their voting
participation.
The convention adopted the five-year “Mission Blueprint for the
New England District,” approved by the Board of Directors during
the last triennium. The blueprint was created to formulate the vision,
craft the strategy, and identify the resources that will guide and focus
the district’s mission through the year 2012.
The blueprint has three vision categories. The first vision is a culture change on the district, congregation, and pastor levels that places
mission outreach as a priority. The second vision is the development
2010 Convention Workbook

2010 Convention.indb 131

4/15/10 2:39 PM