The 100th Convention of the Eastern District was held at First Trinity Lutheran Church in Tonawanda, New York, June 17–18, 2022, with 138 voting delegates in attendance. The convention theme was “To the Ends of the Earth,” drawn from . The Rev. Dr. Chris Wicher presided. The Rev. Charles Whited served as convention chaplain, the Rev. Ron Breight as election committee chair and the Rev. Sean Walters as credentials committee chair. The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison served as the Synod’s representative and presented to the convention on the state of the LCMS at several junctures in the convention proceedings. Among those who would also address the convention would be Mr. Rick Porter, Regional VP for LCEF, who would bring greetings from the same; Mark Elberding, on behalf of the Eastern District board of directors; Dee Grzyb, president of the Eastern District LWML; Steve Klafehn, representing the Eastern District LLL; the Rev. Nycholas Grieg, who brought greetings from the newly constituted “Friends of Pioneer”; Mrs. Susan Knowles, representing the Ambassadors of Reconciliation; and the Rev. Robert Marshall, presenting on behalf of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. A resolution was presented at the convention approving the realignment of circuits of the Eastern District in response to changing demographics. This resolution represented a great deal of work in the preceding weeks and months. Happily, the resolution was passed by unanimous vote. Circuit visitors for the newly configurated circuits were elected by circuit caucuses. A major focus of the convention was the “partnering” of congregations in situations where a full-time pastor is no longer feasible due to financial constraints on the part of one or more congregations. A number of pastors who are serving in such “yoked” situations presented during the course of the proceedings. The Rev. John L. Pingel of Buffalo was elected as president of the Eastern District; also elected were regional vice-presidents: the Rev. Charles Whited, Buffalo Region; the Rev. Larry Stojkovic, Rochester Region; the Rev. Dan Hahn, Pittsburgh Region; and the Rev. Fred Hoover, Philadelphia Region. Challenges affecting the Eastern District are similar to those found across the Synod. Cultural winds opposing the Gospel message grow increasingly strong. Many congregations face decreased funding and declining membership. Nevertheless, God’s Word and Sacraments remain efficacious. God’s Word continues to go forth imparting grace and peace. People continue to be brought to saving faith in Christ and sustained in that faith through the Means of Grace. Staff serving the Eastern District out of the district office, in addition to the district president, include: Bruce Sutherland, assistant to the president; Ruth Marzano, administrative assistant to the president; Kathy Fretthold, assistant to the president for education;
John Fretthold, business manager; Cheryl Brzyski, receptionist; and Rick Porter, regional vice president for LCEF, who maintains his office at district headquarters and is a valued member of the Eastern District team. Among goals set for the district are the following: • increase efficiency in congregational assessment during vacancy, in the obtaining of pastoral care during vacancies, and in the calling of a new pastor;
- stabilize and encourage congregations that are in crisis or in decline;
- address post-pandemic concerns of congregations;
- increase quality of existing ministries;
- create “rapid response” teams to minister to congregations in distress;
- motivate congregations to move from minimal services and survival mode to active status;
- address wellness concerns and increase support measures for ordained and commissioned workers;
- encourage and facilitate continuing education for church workers;
- foster a spirit of collegiality among congregations and workers;
- educate and resource congregations for increased contact with their communities;
- maximize effectiveness of existing ministries and broaden ministry to ethnic communities;
- encourage outreach to all age groups; and
- seek to expand Word and Sacrament ministry to un served areas within the geographic boundaries of the Eastern District, including urban areas.
greg at ions, church workers, and members as they seek to spread the Gospel and care for people locally where our churches reside. Over these last four years, the district has focused on recruiting and increasing the number of church workers from our district congregations. By the grace of God, we have seen a significant increase in the number of men and women seeking to enter church work vocations. The 57th convention of the English District was held June 20– 22, 2022, at Concordia University Wisconsin’s Ann Arbor campus with the theme from : “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” The delegation at the convention showed great joy and thankfulness to God for His love over the last four years and through the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the most part, the district congregations remained stable and, in many cases, thrived during the pandemic. This was primarily accomplished because of faithful and hard-working pastors working side by side with the dedicated and passionate lay leaders from our beautiful congregations. These were some of the highlights of the convention: • receiving a report from Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison on the status and work of the Synod;
- hearing presentations by o
Lieutenant General (ret.) William Boykin, who now serves as Family Research Council’s executive vice president, on the theme of “Loving God in a Hostile world”;
o Mr. Jack Philips, the Colorado cake maker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple and found himself in front of the U.S. Supreme Court defending his beliefs in marriage as between one man and one woman; and o
the Rev. Keith Speaks on serving and working together as God’s people; seeing actions taken by the convention:
- The Rochester Region will host the Rev. Billy Brath who will lead area congregations in the Mission Clarity program provided through LCEF. This will serve as the prototype for introducing the Clarity process to other areas of the Eastern District.
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Resolution 1-09: “To Prevent Harmful Philosophies, Ideologies and Contemporary Movements Contrary to the Christian Faith from Damaging Our Congregations, Schools, Colleges and Seminaries”;
Strategies to facilitate stated goals include regional listening sessions with district staff; a variety of conferences, meetings, and training sessions; and sending church workers and laity alike to various training and information gathering events.
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Res. 1-04: “To Establish a National Lutheran Teacher Student Debt Assistance Program for LCMS Commissioned Ministers—Teachers”;
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Res. 2-01: “To Affirm the Need for Open Churches During Times of Plague, Pestilence and Pandemic”; and
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Res. 4-03A: “To Direct LCMS Life Ministry to Support Congregations in Developing Mercy Ministries to Promote a Culture of Life.”