LCC holds first Special Convention

NATIONAL – The first Special Convention of Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) was held on Saturday, October 17 via Zoom with 77 voting delegates and 26 advisory delegates in attendance. LCC President Timothy Teuscher called the meeting to order and Vice-president Thomas Kruesel led the assembly in an opening prayer.

Following a few housekeeping matters, Arnold Drung, chairman of the Board of Directors of LCC, offered a few preliminary remarks concerning the Board’s recommendation to change a Statutory Bylaw of our Handbook that would allow the scheduled 2021 Regular Convention to be moved to 2022 as a result of uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev. William Ney, chairman of the Commission on Constitution Matters and Structure (CCMS) proceeded to review a number of rulings and opinions by the commission concerning this matter.

Rev. David Bode, chairman of the Resolutions Committee, was called upon to present two resolutions to the group. The first was a change in Statutory Bylaw that would allow the Board of Directors to move the convention to a future date as a result of unforeseen concerns. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 73 in favour and 2 not in favour. The second resolution dealt with the election of Board members for an additional year and a one-year extension of those serving on various commissions and positions. This was adopted by a vote of 75 in favour and 0 opposed. The Board will thus be making a final decision on the date of the next Regular Convention at their upcoming meeting in November of this year.

After the convention was adjourned, Vice-president Kruesel again led the assembly in a closing prayer, and President Teuscher offered these closing words to those in attendance:

“I thank all of you for your participation in this Special Convention, and to members of the Commission on Constitution Matters and Structure and the Communications Committee. A special thanks to Alex Steinke, our Communications Director; to Ian Adnams who served as our convention consultant; and to Iris Barta, our office manager, who did much of the heavy lifting of putting this convention together.

I would also like to take this time to commend the people and pastors of our Synod in their efforts over the past number of months in seeking to provide worship services in our congregations during this COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the work of the Regional Pastors and our Communications Committee during these unusual and uncertain times. This, after all, is of the highest priority and must always be our chief concern; as the Large Catechism reminds us: ‘Everything in the Christian church is so ordered that we might receive forgiveness of sins through the Word and the Sacraments.’

And to that end I would encourage all of you in the words of the Collect of the Day for tomorrow, October 18^th, the festival of St. Luke, Evangelist: “may the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments put to flight the diseases of our souls that with willing hearts we may ever love and serve our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.”