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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 22

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

education is our emphasis and something done together. Fifteen
districts of the LCMS and more than 200 partners such as the
Lutheran Hour, LWML, and many RSOs and congregations
support this effort.
Teaching the Gospel is at the heart of OIM and as such
her missionaries are the primary carriers of the Gospel as sent
by the LCMS to foreign lands. All our efforts focus around this
core of making Jesus Christ known for the forgiveness of sins to
this generation for the sake of bringing yet others into His kingdom by His means. As such, we are dedicated to spreading the
Gospel far and wide, planting Lutheran churches by the leading
of the Spirit in His Word, and being a merciful people to our
surrounding communities.

LAC Region Projects
Luther Academy—OIM LAC fully supports Luther Academy, which has been an excellent means to strengthen the pastorate across Latin America. More than 60 conferences have
been held in the past 6 years in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama,
Venezuela, Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.
Concordia Seminary the Reformer and Mercy Center—
founded in 2018 in Santiago, Dominican Republic, after planning that began in 2010. This is a 4-year program including
vicarage. The men are prepared as Evangelists, Shepherds, and
Teachers. Professors and students alike spend 10–15 hours a
week as evangelists in church planting, with the objective of
having planted a church. Greek and Hebrew alike are a staple
of the seminary.
Residential Seminary—There are 10 men in residence from
Chile, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, and Spain. Five men graduate
this May.
SMP—25 men are studying SMP online with students
from an additional 8 countries. Four men graduate this May.
Deaconess—Deaconess regional intensives were launched
in fall of 2018 in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, and
the Dominican Republic, with 115 women participating. Courses are taught in the spring and fall, with online classes in development. An online Greek class is in development.
Mercy Center—The Mercy Center is an institute of Concordia Seminary meant for laity and church workers alike. The
center seeks to prepare the church to be the hands and feet of
Jesus in mercy towards neighbors. Every One His Witness has
also been translated so that a good sturdy witness of the Gospel is given alongside of loving one’s neighbor. Partnerships are
with Lutherans For Life, Hogares Luteranos Buen Pastor, and
Ambassadors of Reconciliation, amongst others. Eight conferences are planned throughout Latin America and the Caribbean
Region.
Lutheran Hymnal—The new Spanish hymnal will include
five complete orders of Divine Service, Matins, and Vespers, the
Psalter, Small Catechism, and 600 hymns. It is projected that the
hymnal will be received in more than 15 Spanish-speaking countries. Lord willing, the hymnal will be released in spring 2020.
The last complete Spanish hymnal was completed by LCMS in
the 1950s.
VDMA—The average Lutheran pastor had access to three
Lutheran books. Today, thanks to our online VDMA project
and the work of many translators and editors, we have released
18 books, various issues of Journal of Lutheran Mission, Logia, Good News, and others. 195 Spanish-speaking pastors have
2019 Convention Workbook

access to this online literature via phone, tablet, or computer.
Books are prepared for pastors in preaching, Bible studies, academic books, and journals.

LAC Missions and Partner Churches
••

Argentina (partner church)—Iglesia Evangélica
Luterana Argentina (IELA)—This mature church
body has over 250 congregations and 80 pastors
serving throughout the country. Concordia Seminary,
founded by LCMS missionaries, is today served by an
all Argentinian faculty and is 80 years old. In recent
years, the IELA has founded new Lutheran schools
and has more than 10 elementary and high schools.

••

Belize (LCMS mission)—Missionaries have been in
Belize for two years. We will celebrate the confirmation of our first Belizean on January 24, 2019, in
Seine Bight. Reynelle Gonzales has been associated
with the Belize Mission Society for many years and
Missionary Duane Meissner has been working with
her for several months. We rejoice at this celebration
after almost two years of work in the country. Vicar
Benjamin Flores continues to instruct another lady
in Seine Bight in Spanish, and she will become our
first Spanish-speaking confirm and when ready. Vicar
Flores has also made inroads into the community in
Riversdale with kids’ club activities. As we endeavor
to center our work more around the hub in Belmopan, the capital, participation in worship and kids’
club at Banana Bank Ranch continues to grow. We
also provide regular ESL classes to Spanish-speaking
participants in Valley of Peace (an UNHCR refugee
settlement). Ties with a group in Orange Walk continue to strengthen as we include a family of Peruvian
Belizeans in our short-term activity planning and
Belize FORO.

••

Bolivia (International Lutheran Council, ILC, partner church)—Iglesia Cristiana Evangélica Luterana
(ICEL)—Bolivia is a landlocked country divided
between its mountainous west and lowland east, with
a strong indigenous culture. The ICEL has sought
theological and continuing education resources for
her pastors from the LCMS, and men preparing for
the ministry in the ICEL are attending Seminario
Concordia in the Dominican Republic. A primarily
rural church, the ICEL hopes to move the seminaryformed future pastors into urban church-planting
contexts.

••

Brazil (partner church)—The Igreja Evangélica
Luterana Concórdia (IELB) is a mature church which
was planted by 102 LCMS missionaries from 1901
to 1976. Today, the IELB has over 2,000 congregations and more than 800 pastors. The IELB is the
first daughter church of the LCMS to purposely
work overseas in western Portuguese-speaking Africa
planting churches. Eleven pastors were ordained
two years ago, and more than 90 churches have been
planted. Additionally, the IELB has bought a compound and founded a seminary as well.