Indiana
June 25-26
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Elected: 
- Dr. Daniel P. May, Fort Wayne, Ind., president, third term, first ballot.
- Rev. Roger Rohde, Bremen, Ind., first vice president (Northwest Region).
- Dr. John Fiene, Zionsville, Ind., second vice president (Central Region).
- Rev. David Mommens, Columbia City, Ind., third vice president (Northeast Region).
- Rev. Martin Keller, Brownstown, Ind., fourth vice president (Southern Region).
Under the theme “With One Heart,” based on Rom. 15:5-6, delegates to the district’s 19th convention voted to:
- adopt a three-year, two-pronged mission project for the district. One prong of the project is to assist Latvian Lutherans who have immigrated to Dublin, Ireland, with establishing a congregation and presence there. The other is to help re-establish Lutheran ministry and education in Wittenberg, Germany. Support for those projects will take the form of prayers and financial support — specifically through additional mission gifts from district congregations and a special gift from the district’s surplus 2008 funds.
- encourage congregations to participate in the Ministerial Excellence Fund, the means of distribution for a grant to the LCMS Indiana District from the Lilly Endowment, to address economic needs of pastors in the district. Congregations are urged to discuss with their pastors the economic challenges they face and use the grant and other funds to help their pastors attain greater financial stability.
- urge congregations to continue supporting missionaries and pastors in cross-cultural ministries among people from diverse backgrounds and nationalities in the district, as these church workers strive to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of those under their care.
- encourage and assist congregations with their involvement in Ablaze!
- commend and support those who serve in Lutheran schools, and encourage church workers and parents to embrace the responsibility and privilege of nurturing children God has placed in their care.
- follow the only suggestions of a district task force on governance — that the district board of directors add an interactive page for questions and feedback to the district Web site, and that the district staff seek additional ways to encourage attendance at district events. The task force was appointed to determine if changes in district bylaws served to “encourage and facilitate more grassroots participation of laypersons and congregations in the governance of the [district].” Basically, the task force found those changes to be effective in fostering such participation.
Re-posted Sept. 4, 2009
