LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 115

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 115

their tongues with songs of joy. Their neighbors saw and heard and
declared, “The Lord has done great things for them!”

Indeed “The Lord has done great things for us!” He sent His
Son, Jesus, to take our sins to the cross. For Jesus’ sake He for-
gives us. In Baptism He claimed us to be His people. In the Lord’s
Supper He feeds us. Still Easter is the greatest surprise of all. Jesus
is risen! He lives and fills our hearts with joy ... eternal joy!

The Lord of the living harvest calls us to joy in ministry. He
sends us to sow the seed, to faithfully preach and teach His Word.
He calls us to be urgent and passionate about our ministry, lest any
of our loved ones or neighbors, near and far, be lost. He makes His
Word sprout and: grow in the hearts and lives of people. He pro-
vides the harvest. Then He shares with us His joy.

The Lord has done great things for us in Iowa District West!
We have sown in tears, but we have reaped in joy.

In the midst of population decline in many rural communities
and a shortage of professional workers, the Lord continues to open
our eyes to the vast mission field that is all around us. Our congre-
gations have begun to envision new ways of partnering and staffing
so that our ministry is no longer focused on simply keeping the
doors open, but on extending the Gospel into our communities and
to the ends of the earth.

The Lord is raising up lay leaders and giving us the opportunity
in partnership with Concordia University, St. Paul and Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis to train and equip them to assist our pastors in
the work of ministry through our new Lay Leadership Institute.

As the population of our state ages, God continues to bless our
schools and preschools and use them to sow the seed. He raises our
youth and sends them on mission trips. He calls them into full-time
ministry. More than 50 members of IDW congregations are prepar-
ing for church-work careers. He has blessed us with endowments
so that we have doubled our financial aid for them.

In the midst of the conflict that has caused much distrust within
our Synod, the Lord has called our pastors together in the first the-
ological convocation to fraternally discuss many of the issues that
unite us as well as divide us. He has brought together our District
Board of Directors, the LLL, the LWML, Camp Okoboji, and
Lutheran Family Service into a unique partnership, working to-
gether to produce two new District publications, The Harvest and
Planting Together, to better inform our people.

Out of the tears of many church workers and congregations, He
has led us to partner with the Nebraska District to develop “Dia-
logue for Caring and Effective Ministry,” a program for pastors and
congregations to evaluate, enhance, and enjoy their ministry to-
gether.

The 175 congregations of IDW are well served by two full-time
executive assistants: Earl Pierce in Missions and Stewardship, and
Robert Riggert in Education and Youth; and a part time assistant,
Erland Asmus in Human Care Ministry. Our Mission Development
Counselor, Gary Thies, continues to raise the awareness of special
mission projects, and Ellie Menz, our IOWAY Director, coordi-
nates mission trips. Our LCF Planned Giving Counselor is James
Schroeder, and our LCEF Vice-President is Carole White. This
wonderful team shares their love for the Lord, their vision, and
their joy in ministry throughout the District.

The Lord truly has done great things for us, and we are filled
with joy!

The big round table isn’t really about coffee, current events, or
even farming. It is about friendship, fellowship, and community.
As a District we have opened our hearts to one another. We have
struggled, laughed, celebrated, and given thanks for the surprising
things the Lord continues to do for us. He promises that we will
reap with songs of joy, and the harvest is, and will be, plentiful!

Paul G. Sieveking, President

R7-05-10
Kansas District

“Christ be my Vision” served as the theme for our last District
convention, and is an appropriate theme for the report of the
Kansas District and its mission and ministry over the last three
years of God’s grace. We know well the word of our God who
says, “Where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs
29:18). But we are people who also celebrate the promise of our
God who says, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the
LorbD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future’ ” (Jeremiah 29:1 1-12).

That Lord is more than a vision caster, but the very one to
whom we turn to be the vision and focus for our work together.
Without confidence in that truth we would be no more than wan-
dering children in search of truths. But within that reality we are
truly a people who are ignited with one mission and one message,
and a passion to share all this with those who do not yet know Him.
Without His vision and plan we surely would fail. But with both,
these have been years of growth and blessing. Some of those quo-
tients we had planned and waited for, but many were only worked
by His hand among us as we followed His plan and allowed our
focus to be His vision. Among those which I would highlight are:

The celebration of the servanthood of President Howard Patten,
who filled the maximum term allowed as the President of our Dis-
trict. God surely used him and those who served with Him to work
many great things among us. At the same time, the Lord saw fit to
take two of our District workers home to himself in these three
years. Charlie Glanzer had served long and faithfully in the busi-
‘ness office of our church, and was carried home by His angels in
June 2002. Al Gunderman, the Education and Youth Executive of
the District, died suddenly on Christmas morning in 2003.

In the area of Christ Care, we would highlight the Parish Nurse
program, the work of Connie Schaefer (who served as our District
director until her recent retirement), and the expansion of the num-
ber of parish nurses and the intensive program. We were saddened
by the closing of Lutheran Social Services of Kansas and Okla-
homa after 125 years of service, but celebrate the blessing that
agency and its staff have been to Kansas. We also celebrated the
leadership of Berniece Karstensen who retired shortly before it’s
closing. We have expanded our ministry to unchurched Lutherans
in Kansas hospitals with a full-time, District-paid, chaplain and
trained volunteers. In addition, we have seen the creation and train-
ing of Congregation Based Care Committees for church workers
and their families, and continued attention on the care of our pro-
fessional workers and their families through workshops, retreat
centers, Timothy Gatherings for new workers, and retreats.

LCEF continues to be a blessing from our Lord to the Kansas
District. Net loans to Kansas congregations in the past triennitum
increased over 60 percent. Requests for demographic services, cap-
ital funding services, and consultation services, as well as member
investments, have increased significantly as well. Our LCEF Vice
President, Larry Crume has transitioned to devote all of his time to
LCEF operations. Debbie Crites has been named business manager
for the District.

Planned giving in Kansas serves people in a very personal way.
Wills Awareness Seminars in the churches in Kansas are followed
with visits in the home to help members get their wills and or trusts
written. A set of guidelines has been developed to aid the churches
in writing and putting in place an endowment fund, in addition to a
presentation to give a number of ideas on how to fund the fund. All
of these have communicated blessings to the Mission of Kansas
District, and promise to continue to bless the church long into the
future.

The mission of the church is still the heart and spirit of the peo-
ple of the church of Kansas. The vision laid for us by those who

2004 Convention Workbook