LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 161

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HUMAN CARE
WHEREAS, Prison and jail ministry includes not only
prisoners, but also ex-prisoners, their families, prison staff,
and victims of crime, which directly affects more and more
of our congregations and church membership; and
WHEREAS, Prison and jail ministry also offers many opportunities to share the Gospel with persons who do not yet
know Jesus Christ; therefore be it
Resolved, That Human Care Ministries be charged to develop resources and training to recruit, train, and equip
clergy and lay volunteers for prison and jail ministry; and
be it further
Resolved, That these resources and training be made
available to all clergy and lay volunteers interested in all
types of prison and jail ministry and be sponsored prior to
the 2004 synodical convention; and be it further
Resolved, That we give thanks for the increased endeavor of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod by way
of the Synod, Districts, and congregations to share the
Gospel of Jesus Christ with prisoners, ex-offenders, families of prisoners, prison staff, and victims of crime; and be it
finally
Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be
used to help carry out “The Great Commission” and shall
not in any way detract or distract from the primary mission
of God’s kingdom here on earth. We will remember 1-02!
Action: Adopted (11)
(The resolution was adopted after brief discussion [yes: 980;
no: 2]. The final resolve is added as required by Res. 1-02, adopted
by the convention in an earlier session.)

To Support Refugee Resettlement
RESOLUTION 6-11
Report 6-01 (CW, p.73)
WHEREAS, The plight of refugees is regularly before us
in the national media as an emergency that demands urgent attention, i.e., millions of uprooted people around the
world seeking a safe haven and new life as the result of persecution and political oppression; and
WHEREAS, Our Lord Himself endured the hardship and
isolation of a refugee in His flight into Egypt and thus compels us to a compassionate ministry on behalf of the uprooted; and
WHEREAS, The orderly admission of refugees to the
United States (as regulated by Congress) is facilitated
through the auspices of the Lutheran Immigration and
Refugee Service (LIRS); therefore be it
Resolved, That the members of the LCMS open their
hearts to the uprooted of the world in the spirit of Christ’s
love; and be it further
Resolved, That we recognize the joy that comes to us,
both as individuals and congregations, as we share with
others of our abundance; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage all our congregations, individually or jointly, to resettle at least one or more refugee
families as soon as possible, utilizing the resources of one of
the local congregations and the expertise of LIRS; and be
it finally
Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be
used to help carry out “The Great Commission” and shall
not in any way detract or distract from the primary mission
of God’s kingdom here on earth. We will remember 1-02!

161

Action: Adopted (11)
(The resolution was adopted after brief discussion [yes: 983; no:
45]. The final resolve is added as required by Res. 1-02, adopted
by the convention in an earlier session.)

To Support Lifelong Sexual Purity
RESOLUTION 6-12
Report 6-01 (CW, pp. 69−74)
WHEREAS, God created mankind as sexual human beings, capable of sexual union for enjoyment as well as procreation in a marriage relationship between one man and
one woman (Gen. 1:27a–28, 31; 2:24; Song of Songs 3:1);
and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly teach that the sexual
expression of love is to be in a marriage relationship between one man and one woman (Heb. 13:4; the Sixth Commandment, Luther’s Small Catechism, pp. 79–82); and
WHEREAS, God’s will for His people is to remain sexually
pure throughout life (1 Cor. 6:18–20; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Matt.
5:28); and
WHEREAS, The sin of cohabitation of unmarried couples
has increased 700% over the last ten years; and
WHEREAS, The church has been mandated to teach all
things God has commanded in His Word (Matt. 28:20); and
WHEREAS, The church has been charged to help its people nurture faith in their homes and families; and
WHEREAS, Most resources and programs presently available through other church bodies and institutions are filled
with Law and very little Gospel, therefore offering no hope
and power (John 6:63; Rom. 1:16); and
WHEREAS, St. Paul reminds God’s people that through
faith in Jesus Christ they have resurrection power, making
it possible for them to abstain from sexual impurity
throughout life (Eph. 1:18–20); therefore be it
Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
in convention encourage its churches to study and teach
God’s truths about sexuality and sex; and be it further
Resolved, That as a church body we clearly state to the
world through available communication channels God’s
Word on sex and thus become a “light” in a world filled with
darkness on this subject (Matt. 5:14); and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod work with CPH (and/or other
auxiliary agencies within the Synod) in developing appropriate programs, resources, and training to equip their people to share these truths about lifelong sexual purity.
Action: Adopted as amended (4)
(The resolution was amended by the addition of the words between one man and one woman after the word relationship in the
first and second whereases. The fourth whereas was also
amended by the addition of the words the sin of prior to the word
cohabitation. By common consent, an editorial change of the word
asked to mandated was made in the fifth whereas. The amended
resolution was adopted [yes: 920; no: 35].)

To Reject the Destruction of Embryos
for Stem Cell Research
RESOLUTION 6-13
Preamble
“Stem cells” are cells that have the potential to become
any other human cell. They are found in umbilical cord
blood, in adults, and also in newly formed embryos. Research
200l Convention Proceedings