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| M.S. - "Do not run any of those screen shots from Ichabod, OK?" |
Synod convention begins July 29
The 65th biennial convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod will be held at Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., July 29–Aug. 1. The convention will be attended by over 400 voting and advisory delegates. Approximately half of the delegates are lay, with the other half being pastors, teachers, and staff ministers.
The opening service for the convention will be held Mon., July 29, at 6:30 p.m., in the Chapel of the Christ at MLC. The convention opens on Tuesday morning after the presentation of the flags by the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society. We hope to have another woman preaching from the pulpit.
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| Celebrating our diversity, so ELCA will like us. |
To further the interests of diversity not only will Old Milwaukee be served in the beer garden just east of the academic centre but also Pabst Blue Ribbon. Of course sugared and caffeinated beverages will also be available. After the 2013 confab we received complaints via Ichabod (which I do not read) regarding loud alcoholic rantings into the wee hours of the morning. Remember, some of your fellow conventioneers require more sleep than others!
The first order of business is the unanimous re-election of the synod president, to be followed as soon as possible by the election for the synod second vice president. Tuesday morning will also include an overview of the mission opportunity in Vietnam, a presentation of the synod’s ministry financial plan, and the report of the synod president, moi.
After the election for president and second vice president is concluded, elections for other offices will take place whenever possible on the schedule. Most have already been arranged, so do not expect any surprises. But please vote.
Along with reports from all areas of the synod’s ministry, the convention will act on a recommendation for a formal declaration of fellowship with Fuller Seminary, ELCA, Thrivent's chapel, and the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ–Kenya, and with a public affirmation of our synod’s fellowship with Christian Lutheran Evangelical Church in Taiwan, formally a WELS mission but now an independent synod.
Floor committees will prepare reports and resolutions dealing with all areas of ministry and support services. More than 20 memorials have been submitted for consideration. (Memorials are requests from individuals, congregations, or groups for convention action.) These memorials have been assigned to floor committees, which will then make recommendations about dumping some of them to the plenary convention. In addition, numerous proposed changes to the synod’s bylaws will be considered by the convention.
Closing worship is scheduled to take place on Thursday afternoon and will include the installation of the newly elected officers by moi.
The majority of the convention will be streamed live. The smoke-filled rooms do not have cameras, fortunately. The livestream can be found at wels.net/2019synodconvention.
Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder
WELS President Mark Schroeder
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| "Ah! Fond memories." |
