LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 365

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PARISH SERVICES 365

Flexibility is a key to the material. allowing each child to
learn at his or her own rate and level of development. The
materials also feature a multimedia approach.

VI. Media Resources for Congregation Leaders
Who Equip Other Messengers of the Lord

A major part of the Board of Parish Education’s work re-
lates to the training of effective teachers for the educational
ministry of our church. Without the dedication and unselfish
service of thousands of volunteer teachers throughout the
Synod, the church's ministry would be cut short and the con-
fession of Jesus Christ as Lord would be seriously curtailed.
Therefore to undergird the training and continued growth of
church school teachers the Board of Parish Education provides
specially developed resources for their use. These resources
aim ‘to help teachers become better equipped in teaching skills
and techniques. but above all to become increasingly joyful and
zealous messengers of our only Lord—Jesus Christ.

A. Interaction

The basic resource for church school teachers is Interaction
magazine, Ms. Barbara Kraemer managing editor. This maga-
zine has been able to maintain a level of excellence equaled
by few church-related publications. A variety of articles and
features provide the teacher with a monthly digest of ideas
that are guaranteed to bring better results in church school
classes. A special 8-session teacher-training course running
from the October through the May issues is included in each
annual volume of the magazine. Rev. Richard Hinz of Wash-
ington, D.C., prepared the 1973-74 course. which focused on
themes from the New Testament. The 1974—75 course was
prepared by Dr. William Danker and consisted of a discussion
of the church's world mission.

Because of the inflationary spiral which affected paper and
production costs, it was necessary to cut back the number of
issues of Interaction to 10 per year, reduce the size of the
magazine to 8!2*11, and limit the number of photos and art
pieces used in each issue. In spite of these limitations, which
began with the January 1975 issue. the Board of Parish Educa-
tion is resolved to maintain the excellence of Interaction maga-
zine.

Congregations should seriously consider subscribing to
Interaction for every church school administrator and teacher
involved in their educational programs.

B. Leadership Training Courses

The importance of the teacher as a person has been stressed
repeatedly in recent educational literature. Board of Parish
Education staff members have been sensitive to this emphasis
also as it relates to teaching and learning in the church. Accord-
ingly. a new leadership training course entitled Word Alive was
published in the fall of 1974 to provide church school teachers
with experiences aimed at helping them understand their own
and their students’ feelings under the Gospel. Dr. Earl Gaulke
of the Board of Parish Education staff prepared the 8-session
course.

In view of the synodical convention's evangelism theme and
the need for evangelistic renewal throughout the church. the
Board of Parish Education has recently released. in cooperation
with Concordia Publishing House. a special leadership training
course on evangelism. Prepared by Dr. Richard Schultz of
Forked River, NJ, this course helps church school teachers deal
with their feelings about evangelism and provides ways of
building a trusting and supportive community in which teachers
can “practice” their witness to Jesus as Lord. This 9-session
course, entitled ‘Now, the Good News.” is strong on motivation
for evangelism and should be welcomed by all teachers of the
church.

C. Program Resources for Church School Conferences

A semiannual bulletin of “idea starters” for circuit and other
area church school teachers institute program committees
continues to be offered free by the synodical Board of Parish
Education through the respective District boards of parish
education.

VII. Worship Resources for Messengers of the Lord

Another aspect of the Board of Parish Education’s work

relates to the development of worship aids for children. youth.
and adults. “Worship” in this context should be understood as
the Christian's joyful response to God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
That response may take the form of hymns and songs. devotional
readings and prayers, or meditation on life and the world as the
locale for the expression of God’s providence.

A considerable amount of staff time has been and will con-
tinue to be invested in this area of service. The board feels that
members of the Synod are desirous of expressing their worship-
ful conviction that Jesus is truly Lord through both traditional
and new approaches to worship. The board and staff join the
members of the Synod in this desire. and thus have offered or
will soon offer the following worship resources to the Synod:

A. Children’s Hymnal

The present Children’s Hymnal was first offered to the
church in 1955. Since that time many changes in our worship
patterns, hymns. and songs have occurred. For this reason the
Board of Parish Education and Concordia Publishing House
resolved to revise the Children’s Hymnal by including new
songs and hymns that are appropriate for church school worship
settings. along with the standard hymns. New worship forms
and suggestions will also be included in the revised hymnal.

A special committee of music and worship experts, chaired
by Arlon Rueter of the Board of Parish Education staff, was
appointed to carry out this revision. After almost 3 years of work.
the committee has submitted its manuscript to Concordia for
publication. It is expected that the new and revised Children’s
Hymnal will be available to the public by the spring of 1976.
A special blessing in the development of this hymnal was the
official participation of a staff member of The American Lu-
theran Church on the committee.

B. Children’s Services Committee

A joint committee of Board of Parish Education and Concor-
dia Publishing House staff members meet regularly to com-
mission, process. or develop approximately five children’s
services each year. Rey. Mervin Marquardt of the Board of
Parish Education staff is chairman of this committee.

The committee is responsible for the publication of the
annual Christian Education Sunday (formerly Rally Day) service
as well as four annual Christmas services. Two of the latter are
traditional services and two follow more innovative patterns.

C. Devotional Magazines

Through its staff, the Board of Parish Education has regu-
larly provided a variety of devotional magazines for the church
that can be used either for private reading or for group worship
and discussion. The board will continue to offer these and other
magazines as long as members of the Synod allow through their
interest and financial support.

Devotional magazines currently offered by the board include:
Happy Times. a monthly story/activity;devotional magazine for
young children: My Devotions. a monthly devotional magazine
for persons in grades 4 through 8: and Teen Time. a monthly
(October through May) devotional and informational magazine
for visually impaired persons. The latter magazine is under-
written by the Board for Missions, written and edited by the
Board of Parish Education staff, and distributed by the Lutheran
Library for the Blind (large print edition) and the American
Printing House for the Blind (Braille Edition).

The board has also resolved to produce a meditational/de-
votional magazine for the youth of the church and a magazine
accenting marriage and family concerns for adult members
of the Synod. At this writing the board has not been able to
acquire the necessary funding for these additional magazines.
Nevertheless, the Synod should know that such devotional and
worship resourtes are under consideration.

VIII. Helping Adult Messengers of the Lord

Since we spend about three fourths of our lives as adults.
and since at least three fourths of the members of the Synod are
adults, the need is obvious. Christian adult education should
receive high priority at the Synod. District, and parish levels.

Synod's Board of Parish Education believes that adult
education is vital to the church not merely because of numbers.
however. Rather, it's because adults are the decision makers.
The adults in the Synod determine where we stand as a cor-
porate body of Lutheran Christians. Even more significantly,