LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 39

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
•

We continue to support all deaconess programs in five regions of the
LCMS, not only the partner churches but other non-partner Lutheran
churches who are keen to maintain a Lutheran identity.

New Triennium Major Goals:
•

•

•

•

•

•

Plans are in progress to assist partner churches in Japan and Korea
to consider training of women in leadership roles especially as
deaconesses.
Plans are in progress to help, assist, and build the deaconess program
in Ethiopia. Also, we would like to visit Tanzania to see their deaconess mother house.
We plan to continue visiting once a year the SELK deaconess mother
house in Gubin, Germany, and to continue to assist with the women
refugees where SELK congregations are engaged.
We plan to continue to engage and inform the districts and congregations by promoting, identifying, and advocating the diaconal needs
with special relevance to deaconess ministry.
We continue to build relationships with partner churches to assist,
coordinate, and direct their deaconess studies by coordinating with
regional directors and area directors of OIM, theological educators,
and the Director and Assistant Director of Church Relations, focusing on Lutheran doctrine, confessions, and other diaconal needs.
Work is in progress for bringing out a Deaconess Ministry DVD, coordinating with all three deaconess programs of the LCMS.

Today, more deaconesses serve in the United States and around
the world. We are particularly blessed in the LCMS with a strong and
growing corps of women who have been theologically trained and
who, like the women of old, continue to work hard, laboring in the
Lord’s harvest fields, serving alongside the office of pastor, helping,
and supporting the office by using their gifts to bless and serve others.

•

•

•

Past Triennium Major Accomplishments:
•

•

During the last years, we had the privilege of leading several different
conferences throughout the various regions on Disaster Preparedness.
The intent has been to raise up leaders in our partner churches and
give guidance to our missionaries on the ground as it relates to mercy
work in the church in general and Disaster Response in particular.
Trainings were held in Santiago, Chile (12+ partner churches across
Latin America were represented), Dominican Republic, Guatemala,
Argentina, and Madagascar.
We also held the 2014 International Disaster Response Conference
at the seminary in Fort Wayne. With more than 142 individuals in
attendance, it was a wonderful success. Of the attendees, 34 were considered “International,” including nine guests from Latin America,
eight from Africa, five from Eurasia, three from Asia Pacific, one
from Southern Asia and Oceana, one from North America, six from
Lutheran Hour Ministries, and one from Luther Academy. Overall, 22
different Lutheran church bodies (including the LCMS) were represented at this historic conference. Discussed at the conference were
the responses to the typhoon in the Philippines, the earthquake and fire
in Chile, and Hurricane Sandy. Other notable topics were worship in
time of disaster, speaking the Gospel in time of disaster, and a theology of mercy by President Harrison, among others. Many connections
were made to further our relationships with these other church bodies
during time of disaster.

In response to natural and man-made disasters—
•

In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines. Disaster
Response was on site for a week working with the Lutheran Church
of the Philippines (LCP). It was coordinated by Disaster Response,
regional area staff, and leaders from the LCP. We provided emergency
grants to the LCP directly, as well as to Lutheran World Relief and
Orphan Grain Train. These were for basic food and medical supplies
and shelter kits. While on the ground, we established an action plan

with the LCP and determined what our continued assistance would
consist of. A cash-for-work program and livelihood projects were
also put in place and a number of visits from Disaster Response staff
ensured that each of the projects were carried out according to plan.
We also led a conference for church workers and their families on selfcare and critical incident stress management. Finally, our established
relationship with the LCP allowed us to schedule a number of conferences (for church-worker care) in collaboration with DOXOLOGY
and Luther Academy. We committed to three years of a yearly conference on Mercy and Disaster Response. Our part in this conference
will end in November 2016, and Luther Academy has committed to
continue those conferences with an eye toward theological education
and more generalized topics. In total, we granted more than $525,000
in response to Typhoon Haiyan.
There were also several significant disasters across the Latin American
region, including earthquakes and fires in Chile, mudslides in Peru, and
hurricanes in Mexico and the Caribbean. Numerous visits to affected
areas were carried out by Disaster Response staff. Training was also
provided to seminary students from Argentina who then spent several
days walking the affected areas in Chile, providing spiritual care to
the families who were still dealing with the disaster. A mercy center
was purchased via the granting process ($38,000) and is the location
where a new church plant has formed.
The Ebola crises killed thousands of Africans in 2014–15 and brought
fear to much of the Western world. In response, Disaster Response provided grants (nearly $100,000) to our Lutheran partners in West Africa
to provide health supplies and education.

New Triennium Major Goals:
Training and preparedness (including theological education)—

Disaster Response—Rev. Ross Johnson, Director

Training and preparedness (including theological education)—

39

•

•

Over the next three years, we intend to host/lead two yearly conferences on disaster preparedness with the same goal as our previous
conferences. Since our recent conferences were focused in the Latin
American region, these next three years will focus instead on the other
regions of OIM operations.
We are tentatively planning on our next International Disaster
Response Conference for 2017 here in the United States. We will
again invite leaders from our partner churches throughout the world
to share this time with us.
In partnership with the LWML, $80,000 was granted to enlarge the
seminary in the Dominican Republic as a mercy education center. It
will serve as a site for the ongoing training of missionaries, church
partners, and Latin American seminarians, and as a resource center in
time of disaster.

In response to natural and man-made disasters—
•

•

Our goal over the next three years is to maintain a quick engagement of
international partners (LCMS and other Lutherans) on the ground and
deploy to the region if necessary. Our ability to assist in the development and implementation of Disaster Response plans greatly increases
our efficiency and ultimately provides for a greater stewardship of the
resources available.
We also intend to continue providing grants to our partner churches to
help build their capacity and effectiveness ($400,000 budgeted).

Life and Health Ministries—Stephanie Neugebauer, Director

Life Ministry: Life Ministry carries the banner both in our church
body and the culture at large that all life is sacred from conception
until natural death. Through a variety of resources, publications, and
programs, Life Ministry supports and encourages life as made in the
image of God.
Life Ministry is currently in partnership with several overseas projects. The Hope Family Counseling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia,
serves men and women by providing counseling on marital issues,
unplanned pregnancy, and spiritual concerns. Hope also provides
help in obtaining prenatal care for pregnant mothers, clothing and
food for families, and on-site computer classes for job training. The
2016 Convention Workbook