Saturday, August 20, 2011

Lutherans Over Orlando!

I am proud to be a Lutheran, but never more so than today. Sixteen North Carolinians served as voting members to the national Lutheran Churchwide Assembly in Orlando, Florida on Aug. 14-19, 2011. I was privileged to be elected to go, and have rarely worked as hard.

North Carolina Bishop Leonard Bolick was recognized for initiating dialogue with the AME Zion Church. That effort led to AME Zion Sr. Bishop George Walker addressing the Assembly on Thursday. The AME Zion and ELCA churches pledged to further collaboration.

The Assembly conducts the legislative business of the church, which is not always fun but very important. The Assembly hears reports from across the church. I learned things I never knew or had forgotten about our church. Lutheran Disaster Response continues to serve in Haiti, where hundreds of thousands are still homeless from the earthquake. LDR is in Joplin, Missouri helping clean up from the tornadoes. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services is resettling Iraqi refugees who supported the U.S. Lutheran Services in America (LSA and LFS are strong members) provides direct services to one in fifty Americans! How’s that for serving!

Lutherans in the United States adopted a plan to raise $15 million to fight hunger in the United States and around the world, and $18 million to fight malaria!

The Assembly debated and passed a social statement on genetics, which provides a theological framework for people to think about cloning, gene therapy, and genetically modified crops. The Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution supporting the Dream Act with just a handful of dissenting votes. The church is living in the real world!

These are just a few gems from a solid week. Each day was centered around a wonderful worship service. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson opened the first worship service with a sermon asking if we were ready to be moved by the Holy Spirit. And what other group do you know that prays before each important vote, and stands and sings a hymn after that vote is taken?

The theme for the Assembly was Freed in Christ to Serve. You are free to go to http://www.elca.org/ and click on the Churchwide Assembly button to learn more about “The Lutherans.”

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