LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 96

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96 SYNODICAL REPORTS

of His Spirit we seek to nurture those inside the church and bring to
the tight of Jesus Christ those perishing in the darkness outside. In
these days of cultural change and diversity we are exploring ways
to more effectively reach the unchurched both within and outside
the Oklahoma District.

The Oklahoma District staff continues to voluntecr their time
in the administration of this ministry. We thank God for the tal-
ented people with which He has blessed us and their congregations
who unselfishly allow them to perform these administrative tasks in
addition to their called ministries.

The people of Oklahoma continue to give generously of the re-
sources entrusted to them by God. Through a strong network of
partnerships around the world these resources serve the purpose for
which God intended them. We thank God for our place in The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The Oklahoma District is a fel-
lowship of congregations committed to lead people into a dynamic,
living relationship with Jesus Christ.

William R. Diekelmann, President

R7-05-26
Pacific Southwest District

The Pacific Southwest District continues to proclaim the Gospel
of Jesus Christ in a rapidly growing, diverse comer of the kingdom.
The five fastest growing counties in the United States are located in
the District creating the challenge of doing ministry in rapidly
changing communities. The challenge is increased with the wide
variety of cultures and languages that are represented by the
growth. Seventy of the 325 ministries in the District worship in lan-
guages other than English. During the year 2000, 14 new missions
were started in southern California. Arizona, and southern Nevada.
In addition to the planting of new ministries. the District continues
to work with established congregations in changing communities
to find new ways to reach the unchurched.

The District has restructured the way it works with and for con-
gregations. The mission statement of the District is “to serve, en-
able, and equip congregations for mission and discipleship.” To ac-
complish this task, direct support to congregations is provided
through four mission and ministry facilitators who are deployed in
the regions of the District.

The District also celebrates the growth in school ministry and
the important role schools play in the mission outreach of the
church. The District celebrates 13! early childhood centers, 81
elementary schools, and 10 high schools with approximately 1,900
teachers helping to share God’s love in this very special way.

Diversity is the theme of the Pacific Southwest District and cre-
ativity is the challenge. The goal is to reach unchurched people,
distracted by a Disneyland mentality, with the love of an unchang-
ing God in a very rapidly changing world.

Larry Stoterau, President

R7-05-27
Rocky Mountain District

With some of the more rapidly growing regions in the United
States, the Rocky Mountain District has great potential for reaching
out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If ever our District needed to
heed the Great Commission of our Lord, it is in the 21st century.
The 2000 Rocky Mountain District convention theme, “Always
Prepared to Give the Reason for Our Hope.” highlighted the
“Houses of Hope” outreach emphasis and fit well with the 1998
LCMS convention resolution calling for a period of preparation to
be followed by a decade of intensive outreach called “Telling the
Good News about Jesus.”

2001 Convention Workbook

The Rocky Mountain District, as with many other Districts in
our beloved Synod, is poised to make an impact on the unchurched
as God’s people proclaim the Gospel through word and deed.

The District is blessed with dedicated and capable leaders in its
executive staff. board of directors. office personnel. praesidium,
and circuit counselors, as well as congregational and circuit leaders
around the District. There were several changes in the executive
staff in this last triennium. Mr. H. Allen Herbst, District execu-
tive—congregational services, and Mr. Martin Barlau, District ex-
ecutive—missions, retired. Their positions have been filled by Mr.
Paul Albers and Rev. Mark Larson, respectively. Mr. Louis Eber-
hard, LCEF promotion director, also retired during the past tricn-
nium. Mr. Gary Johnson is the new LCEF promotion director. The
Rev. Richard Holz, gift planning counselor, left the District for
other opportunities. Mr. Dan Bacon has filled that position.

In the past triennium, we have been privileged to identify and
help organize ministry for Sudancsc in Salt Lake City, Utah: Kore-
ans in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colorado; and Indonesians in
Denver, Colorado. We continue to have active Hispanic ministries
in El Paso, Texas, and Denver, Colorado. While some of these ef-
forts are in their formative stages, thcy are tangible demonstrations
of God working among us, placing in our midst opportunities for
bringing the Gospel to people of all nations in our own backyard.

At the same time that some communities are experiencing a
booming population increase, some congregations in rural commu-
nities face challenges of another nature. Many of these communi-
ties are experiencing stable or declining populations. These people
ot God need to be served and equipped to carry the Good News
about Jesus to the unchurched in their communities. They also have
opportunity to join hands with the rest of the body of Christ in the
District in meeting the opportunities of telling the world about the
Savior's love.

Roger L. Krause, President

R7-05-28
SELC District

The SELC will be celebrating our 100th anniversary during
2002 and 2003.

The Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC) was orga-
nizcd at a September 2-4, 1902, convention in Connellsville, PA,
and was issued a charter from the state of Pennsylvania on April
25, 1903. The original mission of the SELC was to provide a Word
and Sacrament ministry to Slovak immigrants and their families.

Recognizing the need to share the Word of God with all people
meant moving beyond ethnic ministry to national ministry. To re-
flect the rising horizon of outreach, the Slovak Evangelical
Lutheran Church officially changed its name to the SYNOD OF
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCHES (SELC). The SELC
was an international church, with churches and mission starts in 12
states and 2 Canadian provinces. All Synod officers were pastors
and laypeople who continued to work full-time while serving vol-
untarily for the Synod. The SELC was an integral part of the Syn-
odical Conference with the LCMS and the American Lutheran
Church, along with several other “ethnic” Synods.

When the Synodical Conference disbanded, the SELC was in-
vited to become a nongeographic District of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. Because we shared the same contes-
sional standards and, historically. the SELC clergy had been edu-
cated at LCMS schools (though “placed” through officials of the
SELC), the 1971 convention of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran
Churches approved the association with The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod. However, a District could not be called a “synod.”
The decision was made to retain the Ictters “SELC™ as the desig-