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NALC News N O R T H a M E R I C a N L U T H E R a N C H U R C H M a Y 2 0 1 3 13 People Are Nominated for Executive Council

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NALC News N O R T H a M E R I C a N L U T H E R a N C H U R C H M a Y 2 0 1 3 13 People Are Nominated for Executive Council NALC News N o r t h A m e r i c a n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h M a y 2 0 1 3 13 people are nominated for Executive Council Thirteen people have been nominated to fill two positions on the Executive Council of the North Bassam Abdallah Cathi Braasch Matthew Burkhart American Lutheran Church. One pastor and one lay person will be elected to four-year terms on the Executive Council at the NALC’s Convocation Aug. 8-9 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Executive Council functions as the board of directors for the NALC, providing leadership for the church body between the Phillip Gagnon John Hopper Richard Jansak Paul O’Malley annual Convocations. Four people were nominated for the lay position: + Matthew Burkhart - Columbus, Ohio + Richard Jansak - Hendersonville, N.C. + Paul O’Malley - Auburn, Ind. + Frank Polkowski - East Amherst, N.Y. Nine pastors were nominated for the clergy position: Eddy Perez Frank Polkowski Royan Rodney + Pastor Bassam Abdallah - Hammond, Ind. + Pastor Cathi Braasch - Elwood, Neb. + Pastor Phillip Gagnon - St. Albert, Alberta + Pastor John Hopper - Hot Springs, S.D. + Pastor Eddy Perez - Miami, Fla. + Pastor Royan Rodney - Middleburgh, N.Y. + Pastor Amy Schifrin - Elkader, Iowa + Pastor Donna Smith - Champaign, Ill. + Pastor Solveig Zamzow - Grafton, Iowa Continued on Page 2 Amy Schifrin Donna Smith Solveig Zamzow Continued from Page 1 Aug. 7. (More information on the Women of the NALC meeting is available on Page 17.) Jon Evans of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Pastor Jeffray Greene of Rantoul, You may register online for all three events at Ill., have been nominated for re- www.thenalc.org. Online registration is the preferred election to the NALC Court of method of registration. Registration fee for the Adjudication. NALC Convocation is $95. The Theological Conference registration fee is $115, and the The Court of Adjudication hears Lutheran CORE Convocation fee is $70. appeals from disciplinary decisions; Jon Evans resolves questions of interpretation The registration fee for each event includes lunch of NALC governing documents; and during that event. The NALC Convocation fee also decides claims that a person or includes dinner on Thursday, Aug. 8. Lunch on entity has violated these governing Friday, Aug. 9, is not included. documents. Special rates for hotel rooms are available for Congregations and NALC members those attending the Convocations and Theological were asked to submit nominations Conference. Details are posted on the NALC website. for the positions. “On Being the Church in These Precarious Times” The Nominating Committee asked is the theme of the annual Theological Conference Jeffray Greene each nominee to complete a sponsored by the North American Lutheran Church biographical information form and to provide a and Lutheran CORE. Speakers for the theological photo. Biographical information provided by the conference include: nominees is printed on Pages 23-47. + The Rev. Dr. Carl E. Braaten, professor emeritus In addition to the elections, the Convocation will of systematic theology at Lutheran School of hear reports from NALC leaders and consider a Theology at Chicago and former executive director budget for 2014. Convocation delegates will also of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology. consider a proposal for the theological education of future NALC pastors. + The Rev. Dr. James A. Nestingen, professor emeritus of church history at Luther Seminary in One of the highlights of the Convocation will be the St. Paul, Minn. recognition of Pastor Herb Hafermann for 50 years of mission work in Tanzania. Representatives of the + The Rev. Dr. Frank Senn, liturgical scholar and the 6-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, in Tanzania are scheduled to be present to join in Ill., and Senior of the Society of the Holy Trinity. the celebration of Pastor Hafermann’s work. + The Rev. Dr. Stephan Turnbull, senior pastor of Voting delegates for the NALC Convocation include First Lutheran Church in White Bear Lake, Minn. lay people elected by their congregations and all NALC pastors. Each congregation is entitled to at + The Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson, assistant least one lay delegate. Those who are not delegates research professor at the Institute for Ecumenical for the Convocation are welcome to attend as visitors. Research in Strasbourg, France, and editor of the theological journal, Lutheran Forum. The NALC Convocation is one of four events that will take place Aug. 6-9 at the Sheraton Station + Dr. David Yeago, professor of systematic theology Square Hotel in Pittsburgh. The NALC Convocation in the Department of Lutheran Studies at Gordon- will be preceded by Lutheran CORE’s Convocation Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, N.C. on Aug. 6 and by the annual Theological Conference sponsored by Lutheran CORE and the NALC on + The Rev. Dr. Nathan Howard Yoder, pastor of St. Aug. 6-7. The Women of the NALC will meet on Martin,s Lutheran Church, Maiden, N.C. N A L C N e w s 2 M a y 2 0 1 3 Gagnon named dean for NALC in Canada Pastor Phillip Gagnon of St. Albert, Alberta, has been named provisional dean for the Canada Section of the North American Lutheran Church. NALC Bishop John Bradosky announced the appointment April 10 at the Canadian Rockies Theological Conference in Canmore, Alberta. Pastor Gagnon will serve as provisional dean until the NALC congregations in Canada organize their mission districts and elect deans. There are currently 19 NALC congregations in Canada. Pastor Gagnon has served St. Albert Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Albert since 2002. He is also a member of the task force that is working through international legal issues to organize the NALC in Canada. He is a graduate of The King’s Pastor Phillip Gagnon responds to his appointment as College in Edmonton, Alberta, and Lutheran provisional dean for the Canada Section of the NALC. Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Bishop John Bradosky looks on. Canadian Rockies Theological Conference The Canadian Rockies Theological Conference was held April 8-11 in Canmore, Alberta. The conference featured lectures from Dr. Carl Braaten (center) and Dr. Robert Jenson and a presentation by Pastor Greg Musselman, vice president of Voice of the Martyrs (left). Pastor Karl Johnsen (right) led worship throughout the conference. The NALC is one of the sponsors of the annual conference. Next year’s conference is May 5-8 and will feature Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto on the Two Kingdoms and The Lutheran Doctrine of Vocation. N A L C N e w s 3 M a y 2 0 1 3 Pentecost: The Gift of the Holy Spirit Dear friends, From the Bishop As we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, I am reminded of an editorial I read of a community expressing great concern about the flu season and how congregations should best respond. Bishop John Bradosky Often the warnings included encouraging people to stay away from public gatherings like worship for fear of catching the virus. Some pastors responded by changing the way people received Communion, they spoke were Truth — the Good News of Jesus avoiding passing the peace, shaking hands, and Christ. They proclaimed them through the power of even encouraging people who didn’t feel well to stay the Holy Spirit in a way that made sense and at home. compelled many to believe. When interviewed by a local paper, a pastor could What began as a celebration of the harvest of crops not avoid an editorial comment. He said, “It is true became a celebration of the harvest of souls. Jesus that the local congregation in an area affected by said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are Bird Flu can be a dangerous place. Unfortunately, in few” (Luke 10:2). Those disciples gathered together most communities people don’t have to worry about on that first Pentecost had to be reminded of Jesus’ catching anything at church because there is words in John 16:13, “But when the Spirit of truth nothing that is being spread!” comes, He will guide you into all truth.” Jesus reminded the disciples that they would need to learn In the Pentecost text we read of the Church that to rely on the Holy Spirit much like they learned to from its inception is highly contagious and in fact, rely on Him to lead and guide them rather than very dangerous. attempt to go it alone. It is a Church that is so contagious that it affects the There are some Lutherans who find it difficult to talk community around it — transforming it with the about the work of the Holy Spirit apart from the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the proclamation celebration of Pentecost. Some worry about being of the Gospel. We read of a group of people who connected with groups that seem intellectually are so passionate in their love for Jesus, so bold in inferior compared to our theological sophistication. their proclamation that their words and deeds are Others worry that such conversations could lead to perceived as a threat by some. Others will never be changes in worship style, a lack of control, the same as their lives are transformed in spontaneity or new experiences. miraculous ways through faith in Jesus Christ. There is sufficient reason for concern, but not for The narrative of Pentecost describes the wind and those reasons. There are abundant abuses brings to mind the Spirit of God that brings life — throughout the church in the name of the Holy Spirit. the “ruach” of creation — God’s breath. It is easy for the attention to be focused on individual experience and authority.
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