LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 15

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
a community of faith and service providing the young adults of the
LCMS with opportunities for full-time service work with Lutheran
congregations, campus ministries, and community organizations.
Lutheran Young Adult Corps will provide service opportunities for
young adults, ages 18–26. The program will launch in St. Louis and
Philadelphia, and participants will serve full time for either 3 months
or 11 months depending on their interest and availability. Focusing on
the core values of faith, service, and community, the Lutheran Young
Adult Corps promises to be a tremendous blessing to the young adults
of the LCMS.
OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL MISSION (OIM)
Unit Executive Director, Rev. John Fale
The Office of International Mission plans, coordinates, and executes
LCMS international mission and mercy work in order to expand and
sustain the global confessional Lutheran community.

At the very core of our planning and operations is the Great
Commission of our Lord Jesus, who commanded His Church to make
disciples of all nations. Everything that we do and everyone who is
employed or called to the OIM—whether working in the St. Louis
office or in various parts of the world—works in service to this mission of making disciples of Jesus.
Our Most Valuable Resources
I was called to serve as OIM Executive Director in May 2015.
The most rewarding part of my service is getting to know our missionaries, hearing of their work and their challenges, and praying
for them. As I listen to their stories of how they became missionaries and the daily work that they do, I never cease to be amazed at
how our Lord provides for the mission of His Church. God calls men
and women from all walks of life and equips them for His service.
Some report to me that they had envisioned becoming a missionary
since they were young children, particularly after they heard a missionary speak at their congregation. Others had never imagined that
they would live in a foreign country and need to learn an entirely new
way of life and culture, yet they accepted a call or solemn appointment to serve when asked. Still others grew up in the mission field as
children and now wish to return to continue the work of their parents
or grandparents. Missionaries make personal and professional sacrifices to leave immediate and extended families, excellent paying jobs,
and the comforts of living in the United States to embrace what their
church has called them to do, often in conditions that can be isolating, lonely, and hard. Whatever their story, the LCMS is blessed by
our Lord with men, women, and children throughout the world who
serve His mission faithfully. OIM employees and missionaries are
our most important and valuable resources.
Prayer and Thanksgiving
I also have come to appreciate in a new way the importance of
praying regularly for both our mission and those who are called to
serve this mission. As I prepared to preach on Ephesians 6:10–20
recently, I had a rather sobering epiphany. At the same time that I
was preparing to preach on this text, I was working with missionaries to address a significant problem in the field. The apostle Paul’s
words from verse 11 captured my attention. The missionaries and I
were dealing with the wiles of the devil. And we were no match. We
needed the armor of God outlined in this epistle, not to fight, but to
withstand the attacks of Satan through various means. I also came to
realize that I do not pray as Paul instructs at verse 18, “praying always
with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this
end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” I now
make it a point to begin and continue my day in prayer for our employees, missionaries, and our collective mission in the LCMS. I pray that
by God’s grace we are able to stand against the wiles of the devil and

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that our Lord gives to those who are called to preach and teach the
faith “utterance” that they may boldly make known the mystery of
the Gospel (v. 19 KJV). Prayer is, perhaps, one of the most important things that I can do to support our missionaries and our mission.
Dear 2016 convention delegates, the LCMS needs to continue
putting forth resolutions that encourage diligence in prayer for those
who serve in our mission fields. I summarize comments made by a
returning missionary who recently implored a group gathered in the
chapel at the International Center: “Please don’t stop praying for all
missionaries. There are forces and powers of darkness that are constantly attacking the missionary and the missionary family. You can’t
imagine the daily struggles and challenges. Without God’s help, we
would not be able to stand one moment. So please keep praying.”
Amen to that.
There is much to thank God for while in convention, for the many
blessings that He richly and daily provides in the OIM “out of pure,
fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness
in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey
Him.” As OIM Executive Director, I am absolutely humbled by the
dedication and positive attitude of the International Missions staff in
St. Louis. In the midst of increased workloads associated with doubling the number of career missionaries in the field, we have added no
additional staff in St. Louis. They work hard. They have fun together.
They know that their vocational calls are critical to the mission of the
LCMS. I thank God for them often. We have a story to tell of how
God has raised up new missionaries within the LCMS, enabling us
to nearly reach our goal of doubling the number of career missionaries over the last triennium (ref. 2013 Res. 1-11, “To Recruit and
Place More Career Missionaries”). We have a story to tell of what
God is doing as people hear the Gospel that Jesus has set them free
from their sins and has given them life. We have a story to tell of how
God is using merciful acts of kindness to give people an opportunity
to receive His compassion in the midst of suffering and need, which
provides an open door of inquiry as people ask us why we are loving them when they have done nothing for us. Our story is a story
of God’s gracious activity in a sinful world through His Church in
mission. It is your story, because the LCMS is your church. You will
catch a glimpse into this story as you read the OIM’s Detailed Reports
and Commentary (provided below) from our office in St. Louis, our
regional and area directors throughout the world, our Director of
Ministry to the Armed Forces, and from our mercy program directors.
Engaging in Mission
It is remarkable to me how the paradigm for engaging in mission
in the LCMS has changed over the years. It wasn’t too many years
ago when nearly all international mission work was done through the
Synod’s international mission office. However, as God has blessed
our world with improved technologies in the airline industry and
worldwide communication networks, it is relatively easy for congregations, districts, recognized service organizations, and mission
societies to develop personal connections with Christians throughout
the world and to engage in various witnessing and mercy activities
throughout the world. And they are! I do not see zeal and support for
international mission in the LCMS declining. Not at all. In fact, I see
it growing by leaps and bounds. People of the LCMS love to become
personally involved in supporting mission and mercy work, whether
it is through joining a local short-term team to work in orphanages
or building schools and churches, or financially sponsoring projects and sending money overseas to support a pastor, or becoming
a Together in Mission (TIM) partner to sponsor an LCMS missionary, or supporting projects on the ground. The LCMS, collectively,
brings untold capacity to international mission and mercy work. As
it has become easier to make meaningful and personal connections
2016 Convention Workbook