LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 71

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 71

Next Triennium Goals and Challenges

¢ Develop crealive partnership between Districts and congrega-
tions utilizing appropriate District executives to identify ways of
enhancing older adult ministry in the local congregations.

* Compile and provide a directory of older adult ministry resources
and share them through our existing communications network.

* Educate and equip congregational leaders in the understanding
and implementation of effective older adult ministry in their con-
gregations and community through workshops, consultations,
and round-table discussions.

* Expand current communication network to sensitize more peo-
ple to the vast opportunittes in all aspects of older adult ministry.

if. LCMS Health Ministries
LCMS Health Ministries promotes the vision of stewardship of
the gift of life and the journey toward the individual Christian’s
wholeness in the context of the community of believers, encourag-
ing the whole church to embrace this vision.

Past Triennium Accomplishments

Co-sponsored a Health Park at the 2001 synodical convention,
available to all convention delegates and visitors, including a
Health Risk Appraisal, LifeStyle Assessment Questionnaire
(LAQ) with personal feedback, blood pressure checks, and well-
ness and exercise opportunities. Supported by a $30,000 grant
from Lutheran Charities Foundation, St. Louis, the Health Park ts
under the joint sponsorship of LCMS Health Ministries, Worker
Benefit Plans, and Wheat Ridge Ministries. It also is a test proj-
ect for utilization at District conventions in 2003.

The Congregational Health Ministries/Parish Nurse Task Force
completed its two-year assignment to help focus on health min-
istry concerns in the LCMS.

Published a revised Congregational Health Ministries/Parish
Nursing Manual, a focused article on parish nursing in The
Lutheran Witness, a supplement in the Reporter highlighting con-
gregational health ministries, and the first directory of congrega-
tional health ministers and parish nurses in congregational set-
tings. All these publications remain available to the church at
large to assist congregational ministry.

The development of parish nursing in congregations 1s ably as-
sisted by Dr. Marcia Schnorr, who is available to congregations
and parish nurses for consultation and advice related to the de-
velopment of such a ministry.

Conducted a major research project on lifestyle and health and
wellness behavior of church workers utilizing a Health Risk Ap-
praisal as part of an inter-Lutheran project supported by both
Lutheran Brotherhood and Aid Association for Lutherans. Our
research partner is Summex Corporation, a leading national
provider of health promotion resources. Results of the research
will be available by early fall and will allow the development of
focused initiatives to target health and wellness behaviors of our
church workers.

Conducted a research project in partnership with the National In-
sututes of Health Care Research to review all contemporary em-
pirical data that measures health and wellness attitudes, behav-
iors, and characteristics of clergy. Both Lutheran Brotherhood
and Aid Association for Lutherans support this inter-Lutheran
initiative. Results will be available also in the late summer or
early fall.

* The Church Worker Health and Wellness Task Force established
an e-mail communication system to give health providers of care
to church workers an opportunity to exchange views and ideas:
sponsored a meeting of physical education and health promotion
faculty from the Concordia University System to discuss the par-
ticipation of these departments in Synodwide health initiatives:
conducted pilot retreats for church workers related to personal
health and relationship concerns; established District staff health
and healthy workplace environments as a major priority for ad-

ditional initiatives; developed a beginning relationship with the
network of spiritual directors throughout the United States.

Participation in the Inter-Lutheran Coordinating Committee on
Ministerial Health and Wellness insures ongoing conversation
and consultation among Lutheran church bodies in areas of
health and healing. Partnership with LCMS World Mission gives
support to our missionaries as they develop healthy behavioral
patterns and care. Participation in the missionary orientation and
the Pathways mid-term seminar (missionaries returning after
their first 18 months on the field) gives ongoing impetus to this
support.

¢ True Hunger Revealed will debut about the time of the conven-
ion. It is a curriculum on nutrition and weight control that is bib-
lically sound and represents the latest accurate information.

* Sponsored employee health and fitness initiatives both on St.
Luke’s Day and on National Employee Health and Fitness Day, in
addition to periodic activities at the LCMS International Center.

¢ In support of active District ministerial health committees,
“Gesundheit.” a bi-monthly newsletter, shares news and re-
sources with more than 300 District ministerial health leaders.

“Cross and Caduceus,” with its focus on wholistic health, is is-
sued three times a year to over 12,000 readers. The editor is Rev.
Howard Mueller.

¢ “Alert.” edited by the Rev. Gerald Garrett and read by over 200
subscribers, has been published several times a year to assist in
the church’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Our partici-
pation in the Lutheran AIDS Network (LANET) supports this re-
sponse.

“Parish Nurse Newsletter,” published four times a year, provides
ongoing resources to more than a thousand persons interested in
parish nursing and health ministries.

¢ Added to our occasional papers were the following: a revision of
“Toward a Description of Christian Mental Health” by Rev. Dr.
William Knippa; “Healing and Redemption” by Rev. Dr. Martin
Scharlemann; “Clergy Mental Health and the Doctrine of Justifi-
cation” by Rev. Dr. Robert Preus; “The Mental Health of Clergy
(and Others) and Practicing the Presence of God’s Grace” by Dr.
John P. Kildahl.

Published and presented to every LCMS church worker was “A
Letter of Peace and Good Health” by Rev. Dr. James P. Wind.
The development of this letter was supported by a grant from
Lutheran Brotherhood in an inter-Lutheran context.

Next Triennium Goals and Challenges

¢ LCMS Health Ministries will give (ull presence to the First Arti-
cle in its full biblical exposition, praising God for the gift of life.
treasuring the many-sided aspects of that life, and committed to a
Holy Spirit-inspired wholeness-embracing lifestyle in the con-
text of the community of God's redeemed people.

¢ We will support health ministry outreach programs and promote
their use in congregations across the Synod.

¢ We will partner with the Commission on Ministerial Growth and
Support and Worker Benefit Plans to advocate for vocational de-
velopment and personal wholeness among our church workers.

¢ We will support doubling the number of congregations who have
a health ministry initiative to a goal of 1,200 congregations.

* We will share healthy lifestyle resources, as available, with other
ministry units both nationally and regionally.

¢ We will publish several additional occasional papers consistent
with our vision statement.

¢ We will support the evangelistic and human care outreach of
LCMS World Mission by continuing to support our workers,
their spouses, and their families.

¢ We will institute a series of health and wellness interventions
based on the research findings of the Health Risk Appraisal study
and measure their efficacy in further research studies.

2001 Convention Workbook