Welcome to St. Jacob's Lutheran Church

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

The annual NALC Lutheran Week was held in  Indianapolis during the week of August 5TH—9TH with the theme of Walking in the Fruit of the Holy Spirit.  The week’s events began with the NALC Youth Symposium during which Pastor and Directors of Youth and Family Ministry met to discuss, learn and implement strategies and  methods for leading our youth and families in their walk toward greater discipleship.  Rachel Shelton will  provide a summary of the Youth Symposium within this newsletter. 

As a continuing education opportunity for clergy and church professionals, a Theological Conference took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The theme for the conference followed the theme for the Lutheran Week and focused on the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people today.  Several theologians provided lectures and panel discussions supporting topics such as Why Has the Holy Spirit Disappeared from Lutheranism and The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Stuff of the World. 

On Wednesday afternoon and evening, delegates and visitors to the Lutheran Week event participated in a brief mission intensive.  The focus of this event was upon mission districts, congregations and individuals exploring the mission to which God calls them.  Followers of Jesus Christ are encouraged to grow in their discipleship through mission and the study of God’s Word. 

The highlight of the week took place Friday with the election of our new NALC Bishop The Rev. Dan Selbo.  Twelve clergy members of the NALC were nominated with the election coming on the fourth ballot.  Other elections were held for the NALC Executive Council, NALC Court of Adjudication, and the adoption of the 2020 NALC Operating Budget.  A full summary of Convocation actions may be found on the NALC website http://thenalc.org.

As always, it is a pleasure to serve Christ’s Church, the NALC and especially our congregation during events such as Lutheran Week.  Our lay delegate Larry will also provide insight to his experiences during the convocation.  I would also express my thanks to Rachel for her tireless participation throughout the week.  As a confident and faithful leader, Rachel continues to gain valuable insight concerning her new role as Director of Youth and Family Ministry at St. Jacob’s.