LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 120

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120

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

God has blessed the Wyoming District with riches beyond measure. Our congregations are robust in their worship life and teaching. They have God’s rare and precious treasure of His Word purely
preached and His Sacraments administered according to His command. Our pastors meet regularly in their Winkels for the study of
Scriptures and the Confessions and for doctrinal application to their
pastoral concerns and opportunities. Pastoral conferences and the
pastors’ biannual continuing education courses are rich in content
and well attended.
District youth events (summer camp, regular regional gatherings, and annual district-wide events) are characterized by excellent catechesis, sound Lutheran worship from our hymnals, and
lasting relationships among the youth. The district evangelism conference that is held annually continues to draw a large gathering for
worship, excellent speakers, and opportunities for building strong
bonds of love among attendees.
Our classical Lutheran schools have grown to six, with three of
them presently offering high school. These schools are marked by
daily chapel, rich biblical content, strong Lutheran culture, instruction in Latin, and the restoration of the best of the history, literature,
culture, and wisdom of Western civilization. The district now also
supports the growing number of our homeschools with an annual
summer conference. The district encourages and promotes classical
Lutheran education in the conviction that this education equips the
next generation to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures
and transmits to them the riches of Christian knowledge, works,
and virtues.
In 2020, in response to a growing call for a Lutheran alternative to other classical colleges, some pastors, laymen, and congregations of the LCMS joined together to establish Luther Classical
College (LCC) on the campus of Mount Hope Lutheran Church
in Casper, Wyoming. The college, which will admit its first class
in 2025, will offer a general education core curriculum along with
tracks for preseminary, teaching, and parish music. The vision
statement of LCC reads, “Luther Classical College offers A.A. and
B.A. programs in which students learn the truth of the Christian
faith as professed in the Lutheran Confessions; are encouraged in
genuine Lutheran culture; and are prepared for life in the home,
the church, and the community—cherishing the Western corpus of
literature, philosophy, music, art, scientific discovery, and Christian theology, and preserving the use of classical languages.” See
lutherclassical.org for more information. Although LCC is not formally associated with the Wyoming District, the district president
will provide ecclesiastical oversight and the district congregations
will enjoy the benefits of the college in their midst.
The Wyoming District supports a strong campus outreach to
the University of Wyoming in Laramie. We have continued to provide a missionary to the Wind River Indian Reservation, though
that ministry has been severely reduced because of governmentimposed health restrictions on the reservation. Our district has also
been blessed with strong leadership in our interaction with civil
government and communities regarding natural law issues of marriage, life, family, and morality, as well as defending the freedom of
Christians and churches to live according to God’s Word.
The challenges the Wyoming District faces are not new, but they
continue to grow. Many of our communities are declining and aging, and so also are the congregations that serve them. Nevertheless,
the members of our congregations demonstrate their deep commitment to God’s Word with their attendance in church, their love for
their pastors and for one another, and their financial support to their
2023 Convention Workbook

congregations and to the district. In our smaller parishes, pastoral
compensation is burdened by the fact that health insurance now
comprises a full third of the congregation’s financial outlay to care
for the pastor and his family. This matter will demand more of our
attention in the coming years. As finances become tighter, more
congregations are considering or preparing to join in multi-point
parishes. Our pastors are committed to doing the extra driving and
time commitments required to provide full pastoral care to all our
congregations. We thank God for our faithful congregations and
their faithful pastors!
The Wyoming District response to COVID-19 varied from congregation to congregation. Most of them returned to full, in-person
worship by May 2020, and many of them not only weathered the
crisis but grew and strengthened. District events were continued as
previously scheduled by early June and were very well attended.
We observed with amusement that our Wyoming and Nebraska
Panhandle congregations—located in rural, small town, and frontier communities—had always observed social distancing. But in
fact, many of our members found that they loved gathering together
as Christ commanded for worship and for encouraging and building one another up (Heb. 10:23–25).
We observe with deep concern that civil government has intruded so deeply into the worship life of Christ’s Church and into the
homes which God Himself created through marriage. Our district
response included a meeting with the Wyoming governor. In light
of these events, we are preparing ourselves against future transgressions against church and home, and for the intensification of the
persecution of Christian homes and churches, by studying God’s
Word together and by strengthening our lives together as the Body
of Christ.
We recognize that under the moral evils of our day is the rejection of the one true God and of the preaching of Christ Crucified.
But this is no time to be sad or to complain. It is a time of great
opportunity for the Church and all her members. “But even if you
should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no
fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the
Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone
who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:14–
15). It is the time for great joy, the time to rejoice. Jesus Christ,
who was crucified, is risen again! “But rejoice insofar as you share
Christ’s sufferings, that you may rejoice and be glad when his glory
is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13). Thanks be to God!
John E. Hill, President
R56

International Lutheran Laymen’s
League (Lutheran Hour Ministries)
The International Lutheran Laymen’s League/Lutheran
Hour Ministries serves as a grassroots auxiliary of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod and Lutheran Church—Canada and
is proud to extend the mission and ministry of these two church
bodies by focusing our energies on a mission of Bringing Christ
to the Nations®—and the Nations to the Church. The International
Lutheran Laymen’s League (Int’l LLL) is the corporate name under
which the organization does business; Lutheran Hour Ministries
(LHM) is the public identity under which we conduct worldwide
Gospel outreach. In fulfilling this year’s convention theme of “We
Preach Christ Crucified,” LHM is a trusted resource in Gospel