LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 120

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120 SYNODICAL REPORTS

mission fields. The Orphan Grain Train, based in Norfolk, has a
worldwide impact in providing human care ministry. The Nebraska
District and Iowa District West partner in order to involve congre-
gational members and church workers in personal mission prayer
and service.

The Nebraska District is also privileged to have Lutheran Fam-
ily Services of Nebraska offering quality human care service
throughout the state. Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska is the
largest and most compassionate provider of human care services in
the state.

The LCMS Foundation Gift Planning, Lutheran Church Exten-
sion Fund, and Lutheran Ministry Foundation are special blessings
in the Nebraska District. Each of these ministries provides so much
more than dollars for mission. Through their efforts many people
are reached and touched with the Gospel of Jesus.

With the many blessings in the Nebraska District also come
great opportunities that call for courage and strength from the Lord.
The many rural and small town areas of Nebraska are experienc-
ing population decline. Some are also experiencing the arrival of
immigrants who bring their culture and spiritual needs. Seeking
God’s guidance to proclaim the Gospel and demonstrate the com-
passion of Jesus can prove to be a challenge where populations de-
crease and new cultures are appearing. God is raising up His people
to follow His lead to take the Gospel into these settings. Pastors,
teachers, and DCEs are serving in multiple ways. The District has
also initiated a Lay Leadership Program in partnership with Con-
cordia University in Seward to train congregational members for
special service in assisting their pastors, teachers, and DCEs. Men
are being led to prepare for the Office of the Ministry by entering a
seminary of the Synod or seeking entrance into DELTO (Distance
Education Leading To Ordination). Others are preparing for collo-
quy into the teaching ministry of the church.

As the Nebraska District looks to the future, all confidence is
in the Lord God to provide courage and strength to see and seize
the mission and ministry challenges and opportunities that the Lord
is granting. For God not only proclaimed to His people that they
could be “strong and courageous because He would go with them
and not forsake them,” but He further encouraged them to “be
strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:7).

Russell L. Sommerfeld, President

R7-05-18
New England District

The theme of the 13th regular convention of the New England
District was “One Mission and One Message.” The convention
gave us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our oneness in being
His church in mission. During the convention we were able to
pause four times for NED Mission Moments. These four mission
moments told the stories, through words and pictures, of four ex-
citing mission outreach ministries.

We heard about our newest mission congregation in Bangor,
Maine, receiving their first full-time pastor and purchasing their
first church building. Our congregation in downtown Boston told
their story of calling a pastor from the Lutheran Church in Brazil to
serve the Portuguese-speaking Brazilians in the greater Boston.
area. Our newest Lutheran elementary school told its wonderful
story of building a school building and expanding from a preschool
to including grades one through six. Finally, our congregation in
Bedford, Mass., told the story of purchasing a building and calling
a certified lay minister, in order to continue growing in a Food
Ministry that serves 10,000 each year in one of our urban areas.

The first resolution passed at our convention encouraged our
congregations and schools to expand cross-cultural ministry
throughout our District. While all of our congregations and schools

2004 Convention Workbook

encourage and welcome people of all cultures, at least nine of our
congregations are intentionally reaching out to various cultures
with the Gospel. We will be greatly helped in this intentional ef-
fort to reach out to those around us with the addition of Rev. David
Born, who has been called by LCMS World Missions to serve as
the Northeast Coast Regional Coordinator of missions. This is a
wonderful example of the partnership that we share as a Synod and
as four regional Districts in mission together.

Our convention also placed a strong emphasis on continuing to
support our seminaries, and to work hard at promoting recruitment
and retention of church professionals. The school year ending this
past May had 21 of our men enrolled at one of our two seminaries.
We are committed to enabling our seminaries and our Concordia
University System to grow and thrive as they prepare men and
women for service in the church.

We continue to work hard at creating an atmosphere in our Dis-
trict of care and trust toward one another, as we partner together in
being mission-minded. Our Theological Convocation was a con-
tinuation of our recent Pastor Retreats that have annually allowed
us to discuss areas of difference between us in an increasingly safe
environment. We need to walk together and talk together with in-
tegrity in the covenant relationship that we call the Synod.

Our Health and Wellness Board continues to explore and imple-
ment ways in which we can bring awareness to the importance of car-
ing for our church professionals and the congregations and schools
that they serve. We sponsored our second Pastors’ Wives Retreat this
past spring. Through Circuit meetings and church professional con-
ferences, we are working hard to create an atmosphere that fosters the
importance of taking care of those who serve the Lord.

We presently have 69 congregations, 6 Lutheran elementary
schools, and an additional 25 preschool or early childhood centers.
During the last three years we have had 19 congregations that have
had a vacancy in the full-time pastoral office. During the same
three years, we have installed a total of 13 pastors. Six of those in-
stalled pastors were also ordained either in our District or their
home District.

Signs of congregational and school growth are revealed in the
following statistics: Two of our congregations have very recently
relocated to growing areas and two other congregations are prepar-
ing to relocate in the near future. In the last three years, 14 of our
congregations have either completed or are in the process of ex-
panding their facilities. In addition, 14 congregations have already
or are planning to expand their professional staff. Praise God for
the growth of these ministries!

Our ministry together as a District continues to be blessed
through our gift planning counselor and our partnership with the

‘LCMS Foundation. We are also blessed through our official Dis-

trict publication, NEDNEWS. It is printed quarterly and distributed
in each of our congregations. It enables us to be connected in cel-
ebrating our mission as a partnership.

We rejoice in being a part of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod and in ministering to the people of God in New England and
beyond. God has blessed us with so many gifts in His people, and
we are pleased to be a contributing District to the overall partner-
ship of making disciples throughout the world. May all that we do
together focus on Jesus and the saving message of the Gospel to a
world lost in the darkness of sin.

James E. Keurulainen, President

R7-05-19

New Jersey District

The New Jersey District seeks to faithfully proclaim Jesus
Christ through its 60 congregations and 2 preaching stations. In
2003, the District grew by the addition of two congregations: Tu-
maini Kristo (Trust Christ) in Jersey City, reaching primarily im-