LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 235

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HUMAN CARE 235

to be coordinated with the Standing Committees on Ministry to
Deaf and Blind.

Minnesota South District

6-30

To Establish Drug Treatment Facilities

WHEREAS, As one contemporary author has put it: “The families
of America are not concerned about philosophical/theological talk,
but are worried about how to protect their young people, their
teenagers, and their young married couples’’ (How Does America
Hear the Gospel? by William A. Dyess, W. B. Eerdmans Pub-
lishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1989, p. 54); and

Wuereas, The drug problem in America has proven to be the
kind of demon that “goest not out but by prayer and fasting’ (Matt.
17:23, 14-23), and the secular institutions have met with very little
success in dealing with the problem; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has oppor-
tunity to give hope where it is most desperately needed, by provid-
ing a viable alternative to the practice of just letting people self-de-
struct; and

WHEREAS, Families are also destroyed and have to rebuild, if
possible, at great cost, and the problem is broader than the affected
individual; the problem is growing; and

WHEREAS, The families in our communities need a place to take
their family members for treatment; and

WHEREAS, Not only is one generation destroyed but in five
years or so when the next group of children come of age this prob-
lem will repeat itself; and

WHEREAS, Damages are not confined to families but extend to
communities and institutions (public schools, local hospitals, etc.)
which are affected to the point that their efforts, resources, and mis-
sions are diverted to the drug problem and its disruptions. In addi-
tion the fiber of our communities, our cities, and the nation is also
threatened; and ‘

WHEREAS, The church has in the past taken the lead in estab-
lishing great institutions that have greatly aided in servicing the
needs of society (Christian hospitals, universities, nursing homes,
etc.); and

WHEREAS, The Synod already has resources in place that could
contribute effectively in the planning of such a project (i.e.,
Lutheran Medical Center, LCFS, LWR, and others); and

WHEREAS, The LCMS needs to use its resources to plan a pro-
gram for drug rehabilitation; and

WHEREAS, If strong leadership in this area continues to be lack-
ing by the church in the face of this great need in society (a prob-
lem that continues to swallow up life and property and leaves vio-
lence and loss behind) our relevancy to the lives of our people
cannot but diminish; and

WHEREAS, Strong leadership by the LCMS would provide
Christ-centered facilities to assist those affected by drugs to change
their lives in accordance with God’s will; and

WHEREAS, The members of the LCMS (the men and women,
teenagers, boys and girls) would with all enthusiasm and great
commitment respond to a Synodwide appeal after the manner of a
Forward in Remembrance campaign, for such a program to deal
with the drug problem; and

WHEREAS, The Synod has worked together with other church
bodies to put up seed money for the Nehemiah Project that pro-
vides low-cost housing for the poor in New York City; therefore
be it

Resolved, That our congregation memorialize the LCMS to es-
tablish at least three drug treatment facilities in the continental
United States as an outreach program; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS give the highest priority to this reso-
lution and have these facilities Operating in record time.

Unity

East St. Louis, IL

6-31

To Encourage Synod to Accept KEYS Ministry

WHEREAS, God’s Word teaches us very clearly that homosexu-
ality is a sin (Leviticus 18:22, 24; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27: 1 Cor.
6:9-10; | Tim. 1:9-10, etc.); and

Wuereas, God’s Word and the church’s message to homosex-
uals, as to all sinners, is “Repent and believe the Good News”
(Mark 1:15) and “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins
may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the
Lord” (Acts 3:19); and

WuerEAs, Dr. Barry’s pamphlet “What about Homosexuality”
listed the KEYS Ministry as a resource for ministering to homo-
sexuals and their families; and

WHEREAS, God would have all to be saved and come to the
knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:9,
John 3:16, 36; etc.); therefore, be it

Resolved, That the 1998 convention of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod choose to adopt the KEYS Ministry as an official
part of its Human Care Ministry; and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod con-
sider financial support for the KEYS Ministry.

St. Peter
Riceville, [A

6-32

To Reaffirm and Encourage Caring
and Biblical Ministry to Homosexuals

WHEREAS, God our Father created man in His image and for
man he created a companion who was called woman (Gen.
1:26-27; 2:22-23); and

WHEREAS, God created the family, consisting of one man and
one woman, and the two becoming one (Eph. 5:31); and

Wuereas, Homosexuality is included as one of the sins con-
demned in | Cor. 6:9, “Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexu-
ally immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor
homosexual offenders ...”; and

WHEREAS, Many homosexuals are hurting and desire healing
and freedom from the bondage of this sin; and

WHEREAS, Many Christians need education and understanding
in how to respond to those involved in the homosexual lifestyle;
therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod affirm
the truth of scriptural teaching about homosexual behavior and ex-
pose the truth about the bondage that it brings rather than the free-
dom it promises; and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage our leaders and members to make
use of Lutheran and other appropriate Christian tools and programs
in learning how to respond in love, mercy, and grace to homosexu-
als.

St. Martin, Birch Run, MI; Board of Directors, Michigan
District; St. Lorenz, Frankenmuth, MI

6-33

To Commend Ministry of Lutheran Disaster Response

WHEREAS, Our Lord has commanded us to love our neighbors
and minister to them in time of need; and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America founded Lutheran Disas-
ter Response in 1988 as the church’s ministry to survivors of com-
munity disasters in the United States: and

WHEREAS, Lutheran Disaster Response works with congrega-
tions and social ministry agencies in relational ministry efforts dur-
ing the impact, relief, and recovery stages of a disaster; and