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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 401

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

FLOOR COMMITTEE REPORTS AND OVERTURES ASSIGNMENTS

3. Mercy
REPORTS
R1, R1.1, R1.2, R1.3, R7, R8, R14, R20,
R57, R60, R61
OVERTURES
Ov. 3-01

To Commend LCMS Life Ministry
WHEREAS, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Life
Ministry has conducted National Life Conferences in conjunction
with the March for Life in 2013, 2015, and 2017; and
WHEREAS, LCMS Life Ministry prepared a National Life
Conference in conjunction with the March for Life in January of
2019; and
WHEREAS, LCMS Life Ministry has prepared an informational
campaign known as Eyes of Life (eyesoflife.org) to help each person
see the God-given value of all human lives; and
WHEREAS, LCMS Life Ministry is working closely with the
newly formed Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty (LCRL) to
advocate for life-affirming policies and practices within the civil
realm; therefore be it
Resolved, That we, the Central Illinois District in convention
assembled, commend LCMS Life Ministry for its work in
advocating for the life, dignity and health of all people from
conception to natural death, particularly mothers, unborn children,
those who are gravely ill, and those who are dying; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage each circuit of the district to send
at least one pastor, one lay adult, and one youth representative to
the 2019 Life Conference; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage each congregation of the district to
avail themselves of the resources available through eyesoflife.org to
encourage their members toward a more life-affirming outlook; and
be it further
Resolved, That we encourage each congregation of the district to
utilize the work of the LCRL in effecting change toward more Godpleasing policies and practices in our federal, state, and local
governments; and be it finally
Resolved, That we memorialize the Synod to adopt the above
resolution.
Central Illinois District
Ov. 3-02

To Commend Lutherans For Life
WHEREAS, Lutherans For Life is a pan-Lutheran organization
serving the congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod (LCMS); and
WHEREAS, Lutherans For Life has attained recognized service
organization status within the LCMS; and
WHEREAS, Lutherans For Life advocates for people at all stages
of life through various educational and service activities; and

401

WHEREAS, Lutherans For Life is organized at the local level in
chapters organized within congregations or groupings of
congregations; therefore be it
Resolved, That we commend Lutherans For Life for its efforts;
and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage each circuit within the Central
Illinois District to have at least one Lutherans For Life chapter; and
be it further
Resolved, That we give thanks and praise to God for the work of
Lutherans For Life by standing and singing the common doxology;
and be it finally
Resolved, That we memorialize the Synod to adopt the above
resolution.
Central Illinois District
Ov. 3-03

To Provide for the Adequate Training
of Our Synod, Districts, Seminaries,
Pastors, and Congregations in the Area of
Mental Illnesses and Disorders
WHEREAS, Our Lord commands us to love our neighbor as
ourselves (Mark 12:31); and
WHEREAS, Paul, the apostle, reminds us, “If one part [of the Body
of Christ] suffers, every part with it; if one part is honored, every
part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26); and
WHEREAS, Paul, the apostle, also reminds us, “Carry each other’s
burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal.
6:2); and
WHEREAS, Jesus, in fulfilling the Scripture, quoted Isaiah saying,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to
the captives and recovering the sight of the blind, to set at liberty
those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”
(Luke 4:14–21); and
WHEREAS, According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI), an estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older,
about one out of five adults, suffer from an array of diagnosable
mental disorders in a given year—that one of our churches with a
membership of 100 has an estimated 20 persons with a mental
illness; that 10 percent of children aged 5–16 have a clinically
diagnosable mental health problem and 70 percent have not had
appropriate interventions to treat them (National Mental Health
Foundation); that diagnosable mental disorders range from
traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, bi-polar disorder,
depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and
schizophrenia and include addictions and eating disorders like
bulimia and anorexia with other disorders on the increase that
include autism and Alzheimer’s Disease; and
WHEREAS, Mental illness and mental disorders have a downward
spiral effect in families and among people that may include
behavioral malfunctions, addictions, marital problems leading to
divorce, loss of job, incarceration, and suicide; that it is estimated
that 90 percent of people committing suicide suffer from a
diagnosable mental illness (The American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention); and
WHEREAS, There is stigma among and against the mentally ill to
understand mental illness and a fear of being identified with a
2019 Convention Workbook