2007 September
To the Saints of Iowa District East:
I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable summer! Marjorie and I have had an enjoyable summer and as I write this we are looking forward to a vacation later in the fall when we will also attend the baptism of our second great-grandchild in Florida, Lord willing.
To the Saints of Iowa District East:
I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable summer! Marjorie and I have had an enjoyable summer and as I write this we are looking forward to a vacation later in the fall when we will also attend the baptism of our second great-grandchild in Florida, Lord willing.
LCMS 2007 Convention
As I’m sure all of you are aware, the 63rd Convention of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was held July 14-19 in Houston, Texas. You should have the opportunity to hear a report from you Circuit Delegates sometime in the not too distant future so I will not go into any details about resolutions. Dr. Kieschnick was re-elected by a rather slim majority which indicated once again that we are a divided synod. Anytime votes are taken some win and some lose - that’s the nature of the process. I’m not convinced it’s the best way to “run” a church, but I doubt anyone will come up with an acceptable alternative! There was, however, one person elected by 100% percent of the vote - the treasurer of Synod - he was the only one on the ballot!
Whether or not you are pleased with what the Synod did in convention, the good news is all the delegates went back to their home congregations where the Good News of God’s redeeming love in Christ is proclaimed and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ’s command!
Palanga Project
Here is the latest report from Pastor Petkunas regarding the progress on the building project:
“The exterior of the church is nearing completion. Within the next several weeks the installation of the exterior insulation and its painting will be completed, and before the end of August, the steeple will be raised and installed on the top of the church tower. Much interior finishing work remains to be done. This decorative work includes the installation of hard wall (gypsum) on walls and ceilings, the construction of some non-weight bearing walls in the interior, and flooring on the second floor. At this point about 70-80 % of the plumbing and electrical work is finished. Most important is the preparation of the building for government inspection. This includes the inspection of all utility work. For this all plumbing, heating, electric, fire and security alarm, ventilation, flooring materials (tile and imitation wood), balconies, etc must be completed... If we are able to submit building governmental for inspection this autumn, we would then be in a position to continue the plastering of the walls and the installation of all necessary internal equipment (lamps, faucets, etc.) and to consecrate building in June-August 2008. Words are inadequate to express the depth of our gratitude for the help that you have given us. The church and welfare center will stand to the glory of God, the welfare of the needy, and the strong bound of brotherly, confessional oneness which binds us together.
Yours in Christ,
Darius Petkunas”
Would you be interested in organizing and/or participating in a work crew? We have one work crew that is preparing to go to Lithuania later in the fall. There will be a good deal of finish work to be done on the inside of the building.
Wittenberg
In the March IDE TODAY, I mentioned that Rev. Torgerson was planning to start a Lutheran Mission in Wittenberg, Germany. There is no Lutheran Church in Wittenberg, the birth place of the Lutheran Reformation! Rev. Torgerson sent me an e-mail giving us an update on the progress. Here is a portion of his e-mail:
Now I have a moment to let you know a bit about how things are going in Wittenberg (WB). I've been able to welcome several groups to the city and give them a tour of the local Luther sites. At the beginning of August it was a group of pastors and their wives from the Southern District... Many weeks ago I had tried to arrange for use of the Castle Church for an English communion service -- to my surprise, no, shockingly, the Protestants refused permission to use the building (which is not even church property but belongs to the state). So -- GET THIS -- that afternoon the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod celebrated a Lutheran mass in the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST. MARY in WB !! Conservative Lutherans were refused use of Martin Luther's church for the celebration of the blessed sacrament! Figure that one. But there is good news, too. The building (Old Latin School OLS)has finally been cleared of the junk and debris of decades. It is now almost fun to take groups through there and explain the intent of the WB Project...
Rev. Torgerson
If you get a work crew together to go to Lithuania, you might want to schedule a stop in Wittenberg, Germany to visit the new mission there. I am confident Rev. Torgerson will be happy to give you a tour of the Luther sites.
As I’m sure all of you are aware, the 63rd Convention of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was held July 14-19 in Houston, Texas. You should have the opportunity to hear a report from you Circuit Delegates sometime in the not too distant future so I will not go into any details about resolutions. Dr. Kieschnick was re-elected by a rather slim majority which indicated once again that we are a divided synod. Anytime votes are taken some win and some lose - that’s the nature of the process. I’m not convinced it’s the best way to “run” a church, but I doubt anyone will come up with an acceptable alternative! There was, however, one person elected by 100% percent of the vote - the treasurer of Synod - he was the only one on the ballot!
Whether or not you are pleased with what the Synod did in convention, the good news is all the delegates went back to their home congregations where the Good News of God’s redeeming love in Christ is proclaimed and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ’s command!
Palanga Project
Here is the latest report from Pastor Petkunas regarding the progress on the building project:
“The exterior of the church is nearing completion. Within the next several weeks the installation of the exterior insulation and its painting will be completed, and before the end of August, the steeple will be raised and installed on the top of the church tower. Much interior finishing work remains to be done. This decorative work includes the installation of hard wall (gypsum) on walls and ceilings, the construction of some non-weight bearing walls in the interior, and flooring on the second floor. At this point about 70-80 % of the plumbing and electrical work is finished. Most important is the preparation of the building for government inspection. This includes the inspection of all utility work. For this all plumbing, heating, electric, fire and security alarm, ventilation, flooring materials (tile and imitation wood), balconies, etc must be completed... If we are able to submit building governmental for inspection this autumn, we would then be in a position to continue the plastering of the walls and the installation of all necessary internal equipment (lamps, faucets, etc.) and to consecrate building in June-August 2008. Words are inadequate to express the depth of our gratitude for the help that you have given us. The church and welfare center will stand to the glory of God, the welfare of the needy, and the strong bound of brotherly, confessional oneness which binds us together.
Yours in Christ,
Darius Petkunas”
Would you be interested in organizing and/or participating in a work crew? We have one work crew that is preparing to go to Lithuania later in the fall. There will be a good deal of finish work to be done on the inside of the building.
Wittenberg
In the March IDE TODAY, I mentioned that Rev. Torgerson was planning to start a Lutheran Mission in Wittenberg, Germany. There is no Lutheran Church in Wittenberg, the birth place of the Lutheran Reformation! Rev. Torgerson sent me an e-mail giving us an update on the progress. Here is a portion of his e-mail:
Now I have a moment to let you know a bit about how things are going in Wittenberg (WB). I've been able to welcome several groups to the city and give them a tour of the local Luther sites. At the beginning of August it was a group of pastors and their wives from the Southern District... Many weeks ago I had tried to arrange for use of the Castle Church for an English communion service -- to my surprise, no, shockingly, the Protestants refused permission to use the building (which is not even church property but belongs to the state). So -- GET THIS -- that afternoon the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod celebrated a Lutheran mass in the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST. MARY in WB !! Conservative Lutherans were refused use of Martin Luther's church for the celebration of the blessed sacrament! Figure that one. But there is good news, too. The building (Old Latin School OLS)has finally been cleared of the junk and debris of decades. It is now almost fun to take groups through there and explain the intent of the WB Project...
Rev. Torgerson
If you get a work crew together to go to Lithuania, you might want to schedule a stop in Wittenberg, Germany to visit the new mission there. I am confident Rev. Torgerson will be happy to give you a tour of the Luther sites.
