Home
About
Beliefs
Bible Studies
Staff
Prayer
Divine Service
Audio Sermons
Links
Calendar
Music
School
Contact
A Note From Pr. Hoffman
|
Zion Confessions Reading Group
 | July 13, 2010 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 60
Harrison, Mueller elected to three-year terms
HOUSTON--Rev.
Matthew C. Harrison, executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care since 2001, is the new president-elect of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, and Rev. Herbert C. Mueller Jr. will serve as first vice-president.
Harrison was elected on the first ballot July 13 by delegates to the church body's 64th Regular Convention, meeting in Houston. He received 643 votes, or 54 percent -- 593 votes were needed to win.
The Synod's current president, Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, received 527 votes, or 45 percent. Mueller, also on the ballot for president, received 8 votes; Dr. Carl C. Fickenscher II, 5; and Dr. Daniel L. Gard, 1.
Mueller was elected on the first ballot for first vice-president, receiving 631 votes, or 53 percent. He needed 600 votes for election. Dr. William Diekelman received 339 votes; Rev. Daniel Preus, 82; Dr. Wallace R. Schulz, 81; and Dr. Jeffery Schrank, 64.
Mueller, 57, of Waterloo, Ill., has served as president of the Synod's Southern Illinois District since 1994. He is a 1979 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He and his wife, Faith, have three children.
Addressing delegates, a somber Harrison said, "If one member suffers, all suffer together. If one rejoices, all rejoice together. Right now there are many rejoicing and there are many suffering."
He called his election "a tumultuous change in the life of our Synod." He thanked Kieschnick "for his heart for evangelism and his deep desire to move the Synod forward," and said there would be "challenging times" ahead.
He told delegates "you have kept your perfect record of electing sinners as presidents of the Missouri Synod. I guarantee you I will sin and fail. I will fall short." Harrison said he forgives those who have sinned against him, and asked forgiveness "for anything that I said or did that offended you."
He asked for prayers, and promised to "be as straight with you as I possibly can, to the best of my ability, guided by the spirit of God." He said he would "work as hard as I possibly can for unity around the clear and compelling Word of God and nothing else."
Harrison, 48, graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1989 from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. He earned his Master of Sacred Theology degree from the same institution in 1991, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Prior to his call to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Harrison served for more than a decade as a parish pastor in rural (Westgate, Iowa) and inner-city parishes (Fort Wayne). He served on the LCMS Board for Mission Services from 1998 to 2001, and is currently on the boards of Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore, and Lutheran Services in America.
He and his wife, Kathy, have two sons. The family lives in Ballwin, Mo.
Following the election, delegates stood to sing the Doxology in honor of Kieschnick's service, and gave him two standing ovations during his brief comments to the convention. He thanked all those "who have been so loving and supporting and accepting and forgiving during these past nine years of my service as president of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod." He expressed his "love, appreciation and devotion" to his wife, Terry; his mother, who was in attendance at the convention; and other family members.
"It's been an honor and a privilege and a pleasure to serve in this office," he told delegates. "It's been a humbling burden and awesome privilege, and I pray that the Lord will continue to richly bless this beloved church body that I will always love and will always serve."
Newly elected officers will be installed Sept. 11 in St. Louis.
The Synod's 64th Regular Convention is meeting July 10-17 under the theme "ONE People--Forgiven." Among the approximately 3,000 participants are some 1,200 clergy and lay voting delegates.
****************************************
If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release, contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (314) 996-1231 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.
****************************************
| |
|
|
|
Quote for the week
A READING FROM THE BOOK OF CONCORD
LARGE CATECHISM, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
LARGE CATECHISM, TEN COMMANDMENTS
"You shall have no other gods before Me" [Exodus 20:3], in its
simplest meaning states nothing other than this demand: You
shall fear, love, and trust in Me as your only true God. All
Scriptures have everywhere preached and taught the First
Commandment, aiming always at these two things: fear of God and
trust in Him. The prophet David especially does this throughout
the Psalms, as when he says "the Lord takes pleasure in those who
fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love" [Psalm
147:11]. He writes as if the entire commandment were explained
by one verse, as if to say, "The Lord takes pleasure in those
who have no other gods."
So the First Commandment is to shine and give its splendor to
all the others. Therefore, you must let this declaration run
through all the commandments. It is like a hoop in a wreath,
joining the end to the beginning and holding them all together.
Let it be continually repeated and not forgotten, as the Second
Commandment says, so that we fear God and do not take His name
in vain for cursing, lying, deceiving, and other ways of leading
men astray, or trickery. But we make proper and good use of His
name by calling upon Him in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving,
derived from love and trust according to the First Commandment.
In the same way such fear, love, and trust is to drive and force
us not to despise His Word, but gladly to learn it, hear it,
value it holy, and honor it. (paragraphs 324-326)
Condensed from CONCORDIA: THE LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS
|
|
"Those who trust in the LORD are like Mt. Zion ,
which cannot be moved but abides forever."
Psalm 125:1
|
