First, I wish to thank each one of you for allowing me to be
your delegate to the 2019 NALC National Convocation held in Indianapolis,
Indiana. It was a tremendous honor and
privilege to serve you in this capacity, and a great thrill to be a part of the
body electing our new Bishop, Rev. Dan Selbo.
The theme of the Convocation was “WALKING by the SPIRIT
with the FRUIT of the SPIRIT” with Scriptural reference to Galatians 5:16,
22-23.
The opening Service of the Word was given by the Rt. Rev. Dr
Alex Mkumbo, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. Bishop Mkumbo was born into a Muslim family
and converted to Christianity after encountering the Word of God, particularly
John 3:16. I must admit to you that his brogue was very hard to understand,
especially as he became extremely enthusiastic in his sermon.)
The Plenary Session was the Mission Festival with the
Keynote Address given by the Rev. Yonas Yigezu, President of the Ethiopian
Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. Prior
to being elected Bishop in 2017, Rev. Yonas was director for mission and
theology. The EECMY became a national church in 1959, and by the end of 2016
had grown to 8.3 million members in more than 8,500 congregations throughout
their country. It is the largest
Lutheran church in the world.
Rev. Yonas’ message was “Can You be Charismatic and
Lutheran? (A ‘charismatic church’ is one in which the members are
extraordinarily blessed with the power of the Holy Spirt.) Rev. Yonas gave four
signs of a truly charismatic church;
- God’s people are devoted to the Scriptures and
KNOW THEM!
- God’s people are devoted to fasting and prayer,
- God’s people enjoy a strong fellowship together,
and
- God’s people share the Gospel and their Faith
with all they meet.
Quite an inspiring message.
Following the keynote there was a Panel Discussion with
questions being texted to the
moderator, Rev. Tony Ede, with panelists The Rev. John Bradosky, The
Rev. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer (LCMS), The Rt. Rev. Dr. Mkumbo, and The Rev. Yonas
Yigezu. The theme of discussion was “How
do we Walk by the Spirit with the Fruit of the Spirit.” (Without writing several
pages on this discussion, you can find the panel discussion on the NALC
Facebook page.)
Following the panel discussion there were Breakout sessions
on Missions (3), Life-to-Life Discipleship, New Starts in the NALC, The Word of
God at Work Around the World, Small and
Rural Churches, Stewardship, and others.
(I chose the Stewardship presentation.)
In the final session of the day, each of our 30 Mission
Districts gathered in meetings with
Bible study and discussion on disciple making based on our theme
“Walking in the Spirit with the Fruit of the Spirit, and updates particular to
our district.
The NALC Convocation began on Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m.
and ended Friday afternoon with closing worship and the installation service
for the newly elected Bishop, Rev. Dan Selbo.
In addition to the election for the Bishop, business consisted of
presentations from the various ministries and ministry partners of the NALC,
and a presentation of the Financial Report by Treasurer Ryan Schwarz, and
adoption of the budget for year 2019/2020.
I must bring to your attention that the giving to the NALC by the
congregations is falling below the amount needed, with the shortages being
taken from some quite generous one-time gifts made during the first years of
our existence. The Finance Committee is working feverishly to balance the budget
with what is received, but the needs are great.
I am pleased to remind you that Saint Jacob’s gives proportionally to
the NALC and we continue to encourage other congregations to do the same. (I would also encourage each of you to make a
special offering during the year designated to the NALC to help overcome the
shortage.)
In closing, I ask that each of you pray daily for newly
elected Bishop Dan Selbo and his family, and all the leadership of the
NALC. Again, my thanks for the
opportunity to serve you, and I would like to encourage all of you to get more
involved in the gatherings of the Carolinas Mission District (soon to be
Region) and the annual NALC Convocation.
I would be most happy to talk with any of you who are interested in
getting more involved, and I promise that you will find it enjoyable and
rewarding.
Your Servant in Christ, Larry