LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 109

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OTHER PRESENTATIONS
1. President’s Acceptance Speech
Thank you, dear friends in Christ, for this expression of
trust and confidence. I am deeply humbled by your vote.
Allow me to share with you a word from the Apostle Paul:
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me
strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me
to His service. (1 Timothy 1:12)

It is my belief that your vote in giving me the opportunity, challenge, and burden of continuing to serve as the
President of our beloved Synod is not so much a vote for me
personally but for the vision I’ve shared these past 3 years
and for the entirety of my 34 years of public ministry. The
vision I hold so near and dear is not simply a six-word
cliché: One Mission, One Message, One People. It is a deeply
held conviction that God’s blessing has been given to our
church for a reason. We have been blessed to be a blessing!
We dare not take that blessing for granted.
It is no secret that we have experienced in our Synod a
period of disagreement these past 3 years, including disagreement among some of the elected officers and leaders of
the LCMS. For the sake of the Gospel, I respectfully encourage you to seek prayerfully the perfect will of our gracious God in electing to the other offices, boards, and commissions of our Synod men and women who not only are
“full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3) but also
individuals who share the vision God has placed on my
heart.
Time is short! Hell is hot! Resources are too precious to
spend on infighting and endless opinions about who has or
does not have contested authority. I pray and trust that the
Spirit will lead, guide, and direct each of your votes in the
remaining elections at this convention.
One final word of thanks and appreciation to my dear
wife, Terry, who has stood faithfully by my side for 381⁄2
years, many of which have been accompanied by stress and
pressure of many kinds. In that regard, few if any of those
years having exceeded the past three. She bears in her
heart a deep respect and abiding love for the church and
for the women of the church, especially the wives of pastors
and other professional church workers. Thank you, Terry,
for your love, support, patience, forgiveness, and faithfulness to me and for your support of the women of the church,
particularly the wives of the Council of Presidents and pastors of our Synod.

Thanks also to the members of our immediate and extended family for their sacrifices these past 3 years in seeing once frequently present parents and grandparents become largely absent from family events and holiday
gatherings. They all live in Texas. My 88-year-old mother;
Terry’s 90-year-old father and somewhat younger mother;
our son, Andrew; and daughter, Angie; her husband, Todd;
and their two children, Kolby and Kayla are near and dear
to us. So are all our siblings and their families. We love you,
miss you, and hold you in our hearts and prayers always.
A final word from the Apostle Paul:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my
prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of
your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until
now, being confident of this, that He who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day
of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3–6)

Thank you and God bless each and every one of you,
dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
Gerald B. Kieschnick, President

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2004 Convention Proceedings