LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 116

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118 ACCEPTANCE STATEMENT OF PRESIDENT-ELECT

And I pledge you once again that the serious efforts
of the administration of the church will be given to help
maintain the peace and concord that we enjoy together
in this Synod as we work out the often complex issues at
the local level on the fellowship matter.

I want to commend the President of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod before I return to my seat. Dr.
J.A.O. Preus has been a very colorful, dynamic, often
controversial leader of this church. But I dare say that
history will record his 12 years in the presidency as
having been among the most remarkable in the history
of American church leadership for many centuries.
Why? Because his presidency has been marked by the
reversal of a trend toward a more liberal theological
position that has characterized many church bodies.
That trend, under his leadership, and with the blessing
of Almighty God, has been reversed, but reversed in
such a way that this church body remains whole, intact,
and committed to the Great Commission. I want to
thank him, my friend of many years, and his dear wife
Delpha for their continuing kindness and friendship to
my wife Pat and to me. But more important, I want to

2. Greetings of the Bishop of The American Lutheran Church

Dear Friends in Christ:

On behalf of the congregations of The American
Lutheran Church, I greet you in the name of our
crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. In Him we have
our life and being, and through Him we have been called
into the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. As
fellow citizens in that household of God, we extend to
you our heartfelt greetings.

In bringing such greetings, I offer three special
congratulations:

1. Congratulations to you, President Preus, Jack, on
your upcoming change of address and work. We
hope that Delpha and the family, the Ozarks, and
Martin Chemnitz—in that order—will fill your
life with joy.

2. Congratulations to you, Dr. Bohlmann, on your
election as the new President of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. We pray God’s guidance
and blessing on your life and leadership. I look
forward with hope to our future associations.

3. Congratulations to all of you in the LCMS for the
remarkable success of your “Forward in Remem-
brance” effort. “Forward in Remembrance” is
another sign that U.S. Lutherans intend to be in
the front line of those saying “yes” to God’s call to
mission.

The American Lutheran Church is grateful to God
for the many ways in which the LCMS and ALC have
enriched each other.

We are grateful for the deep and abiding fellowship

in Christ, church, and confession that is shared

express my deep sense of appreciation, on behalf of thi
church body, for his leadership, for his commitment tg
the confessional position of our church body. And I fee
much more comfortable as I assume the awesom
responsibilities of this office, knowing that I can callon -
him for a word of counsel now and then.

Finally, I look forward to serving together with my:
friend of many years Dr. Robert Sauer and the other -
officers you will elect in this convention. I pray that our.
good and gracious God will give me, and all of you, and.
all of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout this.
church, a sense of partnership as we carry out the Great:
Commission of our Lord, and that we will pray without.
ceasing for arich measure of His Holy Spirit, that God:
might keep us faithful to His holy Word, keep us al
centered in the comfort and power of the Gospel of Jesus.’
Christ, and keep us fervent in carrying out His holy will.
to the end that this great church body can indeed
continue to go Forward in Remembrance.

Thank you.
President-elect Ralph Bohlmann, Ph.D. *

Dr. Ralph BohImann and Dr. David Preus

by hundreds of thousands of our people in
American parishes and communities. ;

We are grateful for the many deep personal friend-.
ships that have grown in breadth and depth as we
have come to know and trust each other.

We are grateful for the many areas of joint activity,
in LCUSA and elsewhere, where our ministries
are enriched by being together.

Weare grateful that thousands of us can look to each
other for support and encouragement as we bear
common witness to our Lord and Savior.

We are grateful for the 494 of you delegates who