LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 60

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60

REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

We are also engaged in dialogue or have had preliminary contacts with the following church bodies:
1. The Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia
2. The American Association of Lutheran Churches
3. Malagasy Lutheran Church (Madagascar)
4. Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church
5. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan
Furthermore, the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations is recommending that this summer’s synodical
convention declare the Synod to be in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya.
It should also be noted that we continue to have many opportunities for contacts with the Lutheran Church of Australia, especially in the International Lutheran Council.
We pray that God will bless all of these relationships as
we seek to strengthen them and deepen confessional unity
in doctrine and practice with other Christian church bodies around the world, in accordance with our Lord’s will as
expressed in His high priestly prayer in John 17:20–23:
I pray also for those who will believe in Me through
their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just
as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in
us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
I have given them the glory that You gave me, that they
may be one as We are one: I in them and You in me. May
they be brought to complete unity to let the world know
that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have
loved Me.

Resolutions Assigned
to the LCMS President’s Office
2001 Synodical Convention
1-06A To Utilize Gifts and Talents of All Members
Action Taken

Considered persons from diverse backgrounds when
making appointments; attended conferences of minority
groups and encouraged engagement of minority members
at congregational, District, and synodical levels.
3-02, 3-03, 3-04, 3-05 Altar and Pulpit Fellowship
with Lanka Lutheran Church, Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Haiti, Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Lithuania, Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Latvia
Action Taken

Implemented fellowship relationship according to the protocol
documents.
3-06 To Reach Out Aggressively to Emerging
Lutheran Churches
Action Taken

Engaged in formal and preliminary talks with several
church bodies around the world.

Additional Church-Relations Matters
As part of the duties of the office of the President, I was
invited to bring greetings to the 2003 ELCA Assembly in
Milwaukee and the 2003 Assembly of The Lutheran World
Federation in Winnipeg. The complete texts of my comments to these two bodies are available at www.lcms.org/
president.
Statements from the Office of the President
From time to time, matters of public or ecclesiastical importance require a public statement from the President of
the Synod. Such statements have been made on a variety
of subjects including, for example, the support of biblical,
traditional marriage and support of the Federal Marriage
Amendment. During the past triennium, public statements
have been issued on 41 occasions, the complete texts of
which are available at www.lcms.org/president.
It is appropriate for me to acknowledge the editorial and
administrative assistance of the staff of the President’s office and the Board for Communication Services in the
preparation and distribution of these official statements.
Without their cooperation and assistance, this important
function of the office of the President would have been
much more arduous and burdensome than it has proven to
be.
2001 Convention Resolutions
Assigned to the President
Following is a succinct summary of the 2001 Convention
Resolutions assigned to the President, together with a report of my actions in response:
2004 Convention Proceedings

3-10 To Express Appreciation to CTCR,
Seminaries, and President for Statements
(Arrange for Discussions with Roman Catholic
Church)
Action Taken

Through the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation, the
LCMS has expressed its desire to rejoin the LutheranRoman Catholic dialogues that the LCMS participated in
from 1965–1992.
6-02A To Reiterate Synod’s Stance on Abortion
(Send Letter Regarding RU-486)
Action Taken

A letter was sent to President Bush requesting a thorough review and reversal of the decision made by the FDA
regarding RU-486.
6-09 To Urge Action to Release Persecuted
Christians in China
Action Taken

Copies of the resolution were sent to President Bush,
Secretary of State Powell, and members of Congress.
6-13 To Reject the Destruction of Embryos for
Stem Cell Research
Action Taken

A letter was sent to President Bush encouraging and
urging him to reject using public funding for research that
deliberately and intentionally kills human beings.