Nineteen of the 1,045 voting members at this week's Churchwide Assembly are representing the Greater Milwaukee Synod as it votes on issues including human sexuality, full communion with the United Methodist Church, a social statement on justice for women, and disease prevention initiatives in impoverished communities. Follow our voting members as they will be blogging their experience this week in Minneapolis.
Sunday, August 23
by Gus Barnes, member of Reformation Lutheran Church, Milwaukee
Weve Come This Far By Faith
Text and Music-Albert A. Goodson 1883-1947
We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord; trusting in his holy word, he's never failed us yet. Oh, can't turn around, we've come this far by faith. We've come this far by faith!
This has been a blessed event in my life to be here in Minneapolis as we the church lean on God to tread us through some difficult waters this week. No matter how the sexuality vote goes there are no winners for or against. This hymn sums it up in this next verse:
Just remember the good things God has done, things that seemed impossible: oh, praise him for the victories he has won! Nothing in our human lifetime is impossible when we lift them to God. The good things: this place we call earth, water sky, sun and moon.
The final verse sums it all:
Don't be discouraged with troubles in your life; he'll bear your burdens and move all the discord and strife. We leave this journey to be the people of God not the people of right or wrong. This is a journey that has affected many and we return to continue the work of "God's Work - Our Hands"
Saturday, August 22
by Linda Rattle, member of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Racine
What a week – it was emotionally draining for me, but so spiritually uplifting. I just need to express to all that the Lord was certainly present. I have never been anywhere where I have felt the Holy Spirit as much as I did at Assembly.
On Saturday we did our work as usual, starting the day in prayer and doing our designated agenda for the day. We passed the ELCA Budget and passed by 81% the motion to request the ELCA to develop a Social Statement on the Topic of Justice for Women to be considered at the 2015 Churchwide Assembly.
There was a report from Lutheran Services of America – a program supported by the ELCA and the Missouri Synod where we heard that 1 out of 50 people are touched by a Lutheran Ministry. We heard from Rev. Ishmael Noko from Lutheran World Federation and his words of hope and unity within our church.
Today (Saturday) as throughout the assembly we were centered in prayer and bible study. For one hour we met in small groups answering questions pertaining to Mark 2: 1-11 and our mission going forward. We needed this time for reflection and discussion.
I just want to end with what a blessing this experience has been to me. It has certainly changed my life. I have wept this week, laughed this week, strangers became friends and my relationship to God became stronger. I so love this church and each and every member. The respect and dignity shown throughout the week was unbelievable. The concern and love for fellow members was so apparent. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, united as one to do His work……
God’s Work – Our Hands
Friday, August 21
by Bob Reinders, member of Our Savior's, Racine
Greetings to the Greater Milwaukee Synod from Minneapolis. I am Bob Reinders a member of one of our congregations in Racine and this is my first churchwide assembly.
This message goes out after our 5th day of the Church-wide Assembly. When the sign-up sheet for blogging went out a few months ago, I thought that Friday, being later in the Assembly, would give me more time to get an impression of the Assembly and it would be easier for me to send some thoughts back to you folks. Not so sure that I would have picked this day again knowing as I do now the deliberations and monumental decisions made today.
The memories of the events of this day, and for that matter those of all of the past days, will be lasting for me. As we considered the proposed ministry policies, there were several times when I felt my finger tremble as I felt for the buttons on the hand-held voting pad, not out of indecision, but because of the weight that I felt anticipating the potential impact in our church of our actions. The process of deliberating over ministry policy recommendations, along with the consideration of the Social Statement on Human Sexuality a few days previous was extraordinarily arduous for me. I could not begin to describe adequately the depth of passion and conviction in our small group discussions, the individual speeches and debates on all sides of the issues. If you watched any of it on the webcast you probably got a feel for it, but I am not sure you could feel it as we experienced it in the assembly hall.
One of my companions asked me today whether my experiences up to today were more like heaven or hell, to which I flippantly answered that I wasn’t sure and maybe a little of both.
But as I reflect back more now, I would have to say my favorite part of the assembly (the heaven part) has been our meals together. Partly because the food has been wonderful, but equally because we met and got to know others from around the synod. They were often simple conversation, usually starting casually by finding out where each other is from and looking for simple geographical ties in our lives, and then often progressed to exchanges of work and family information, and then in to whatever topic evolved. Not deep conversations, but just getting a sense of community and being a church family.
My least favorite part of the assembly (the hell part) – knowing that the decisions that would be made would truly hurt some of the same people here and back in our congregations. In many of discussions there was just no middle ground, with very little way to compromise, these were tough issues. I do want to convey my hope back to you that there is no case for winners and losers. We tried to be faithful to God and loving to our neighbor. And it seems like we have a lot more study to do to fully accept and respect “bound conscience.”
Thursday, August 20
by MaryBeth Hoffman, member of Divine Word Lutheran Church, Milwaukee
And God's people said...
...at least 66.67% of God's people...I mean 66.67% of God's people elected as voting members of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. For those who haven't yet heard, I'm referring to the ELCA's Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust Social Statement.
Many other important decisions were made yesterday, and I don't want to deminish all the work that a countless number of people worked tirelessly on. Thank you for that!
In the interest of time to allow me to get back to the busy schedule of the assembly, I want to write about what had gone through my mind at the moment the numerical results appeared on the monitors in the convention hall, 676 to 338.
The vote needed a two-thirds supermajority vote to pass, the numbers 676 to 338 meant nothing to me, I needed to see in print or hear from Bishop Hansen's mouth the actually words...the percentage...whether the motion was passed or defeated. Then I realized; the results do not change who I am as a child of God. The results will not change the feelings of everyone in the room... of everyone in the Greater Milwaukee Synod...in the ELCA...in the world. I am who I am, and first and formost, I am a child of God. I am as much a child of God just like the people who voted to defeat the motion. The emotions and bound conscience of God's people will not change how people see me or what they feel about me.
The passing of the Social Statement provides the ELCA with a teaching tool...that means God's work continues. My prayer is that we all engage gracefully and respectfully in the conversations that will lead to bringing us all closer together in celebration and in healing of one another.
These jumbled and overwhelming thoughts have been respectfully submitted by MaryBeth Hoffman, Child of God
Wednesday, August 19
by Nancy Groethe, member of Bayshore Lutheran Church, Whitefish Bay
Between the meetings, navigating the email registration, and working my way through hundreds of pages of information that I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Thankfully these thoughts were balanced with a lot of curiosity and a willingness to serve as a voting member of the churchwide assembly.
There was something about watching hoards of Lutherans stream into Minneapolis that was fascinating. Lots of of clerical collars were visible in the airport and on the street. I asked myself, "How can this work? Does it make sense to gather over 1,000 Lutherans from all over the country to make decisions for the church?" I guess I had forgotten the power of the Holy Spirit.
From the opening worship, and throughout the first plenary session it was apparant that this was no ordinry gathering. Even as the evening grew late the speakers were passionate--yet respectful. Their words were eloquent. We were able to laugh at and with ourselves. At the opening worship, complete with choir, brass and organ, ELCA Bishop Hanson started out a fantastic sermon by asking us, "What are we afraid of?" . Later we were addressed by St. Paul synod bishop Peter Rogness who made a distinction between cacophany and harmony. He said there are a great variety of Lutheran views and they could be viewed as cacophay, but he prefers to hear the differeing opinions as a fugue with different notes around the same theme. More great thoughts!
It is inspiring hearing about all the things being done by the ELCA; an affirmation of the church's tagline---"God's Work, Our Hands."