LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 68

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68

SYNOD REPORTS
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34 congregations currently preparing for a new start or exploring what
they can do
And, all glory to God, new believers are being welcomed

Expecting unbelievers to attend the Divine Service on their own
is false doctrine, since no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by
the Holy Spirit. But when the church goes out to be the hands and
feet of Jesus, some will then listen to the voice of Jesus, and the Holy
Spirit will bring some of them to faith, where and when He chooses.
We also are blessed in northern Illinois with LCMS service organizations dedicated to the Lord’s mission. We have a close relationship
with Lutheran Church Charities, which serves as our district’s arm
for parish human care and has trained over 780 district volunteers
for disaster response using Synod’s LERT (Lutheran Early Response
Team) materials. Recent new service organizations and collaborative ministries include Faith, Hope & Peace Ministries to bring Word
and Sacrament ministry to the elderly in residential facilities, Phil’s
Friends to support cancer patients, and Haven Source to support families faced with foreclosure.
Guarding our life and doctrine and being used by the Holy Spirit
to carry out the Lord’s mission: That’s what the Northern Illinois
District is all about, and that’s what it’s doing by God’s grace. Please
join with us in praying that the Lord will send out workers into His
harvest, that He will multiply new starts and new believers, and that
He will keep us faithful to His Word—in the Northern Illinois District,
in your district, in all our partner churches, and in all His faithful
churches all around the world.
Daniel P. Gilbert, President
R3-03-23

Northwest District
The Northwest District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is
comprised of congregations and schools in the states of Alaska, Idaho,
Oregon, and Washington. In addition, the district includes a congregation in Hong Kong and a working relationship with the LCMS
International Schools in Hanoi, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
The leaders of the Northwest District recognize the manner in
which the threefold mission emphasis of the Synod—“Witness,
Mercy, Life Together”—intersects and supports one another. Our ministries are encouraged to identify bridges from their ministry into the
lives of the people they serve in their communities. Service leads to
opportunities to witness, which then, with the blessing and gift of the
Holy Spirit, lead to life together as the Church.
The Northwest District board of directors and the district staff have
recognized the way in which leadership plays a vital role in the life of
the Church. It is their focus to assist the leaders of the Church—both
professional and lay—to grow in their abilities to help the people of
God be the salt and light in the world our Lord has called us to be. The
district board’s mission states that we exist to “strengthen congregations and workers to reach the lost, disciple the saved, and reflect the
love of Christ to all people.”
Because the Northwest District is by far the largest geographic
district in the Synod but is far from the largest in numbers of congregations and communicant members, the greatest challenge is distance
between ministries and workers. Gathering together presents real economic and logistical challenges. To span the miles and give people
the opportunity to connect more easily, the staff has invested much
time and energy in the development of a reengineered Web site. This
Web site provides the opportunity for individuals and groups to gather
electronically to share resources, dialog, and encourage one another.
All are encouraged to avail themselves of this resource at www.nowlcms.org.
2013 Convention Workbook

The district continues to be blessed by a grant-funded program—
The Sustainable Lutheran Schools Initiative—that seeks to develop
leaders serving 30 Lutheran schools and a pilot project of 5 early
childhood centers. This effort intends to assist school leaders in assisting their school ministries to become stronger and healthier places
where the love of God in Jesus Christ is proclaimed and practiced.
The Northwest District LCEF program has been and continues
to be an integral servant-partner of the congregations and ministries
in the district. During the last triennium, as the country continues
to work its way out of the “great recession,” the Northwest District
LCEF program and portfolio have performed very well. With a total
loan portfolio of just under $50 million dollars, supported by more
than 1,700 investors, ministries all across the district continue to look
to LCEF as the primary funding source for capital expansion in the
district. The challenges of support to more than 260 congregations,
schools, and other ministries across four states are ongoing. Through
the grace of God, LCEF will be a servant and a partner for many years
to come, ensuring that funds and services are available for the creating of space and place for the preaching and teaching of the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The district maintains a partnership with Mission Training Center
in assisting professional and lay leaders in connecting their ministry
with their communities. This includes an annual Mission Advance
(not a retreat), the training of licensed lay deacons, the support of
pastors and licensed lay deacons through a weekly sermon-building
discussion group called Sunday Sermon, and regular opportunities
for conversation around the issues related to developing missional
bridges.
The district is involved in ministry to various ethnic groups
through partnerships with Lutheran Indian Ministries, Lutheran
Latino Ministries, and local congregations that have taken leadership
in responding to a variety of ethnic groups within our boundaries. An
Ethnic Ministry Symposium was held in the Spring of 2010, gathering people from the vast array of ethnic groups served by the people
and congregations of the northwest. At its 2012 convention, the district adopted ethnic ministry as its triennial mission project.
The district also continues to offer congregational training in
sharing their faith through its Tracking the Spirit program. There continues to be a focused effort in leading the district into a life of prayer
through the Center for Prayer Renewal. Members of the armed forces
and veterans are supported through the district Ministry to Military
Personnel, Families, and Congregations. The District’s Task Force on
Ministry to Older Adults is developing a strategy for assisting congregations in responding to an aging population. And the Disabilities
Task Force continues to make a huge difference in the district and
beyond.
The Northwest District has identified five significant values
around which its efforts and activities revolve:
• God’s Word as the foundation of our mission and ministry
• Making Word and Sacrament ministry available under the Office
of the Ministry in a responsible way
• Maintaining an atmosphere of dialogue and collegiality where people can be free to discuss theology—avoiding sectarianism
• Encouraging congregations to be and become places where people
are introduced to the love of God in Jesus Christ and supported in
their becoming His disciples
• Encouraging the activity of priesthood of all believers in sharing
the love of God in Jesus Christ with the people in their lives
All these efforts and activities bring together the notion of Witness,
Mercy, and Life Together in dynamic ways in a part of the world
where many don’t know the love of Jesus Christ. Pointing people to
God’s love in Christ remains the heart of what the Northwest District
is and does.