The Rev. Waldemar R. Vinovskis was elected to his first three-year term as president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s SELC District at the district’s 18th convention, held April 26-29 at Grace Lutheran Church, Lakewood, Ohio.
Vinovskis, who has served as pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church, Macungie, Pa., since 2001, was elected on the first ballot. He succeeds the Rev. Andrew J. Dzurovcik, who served one term as president.
Also elected were:
- Rev. Dr. Wally M. Arp, pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Oviedo, Fla., as first vice-president (second term);
- Rev. Dr. Christopher T. Cahill, pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church, Lodi, Ohio, as second vice-president (second term); and
- Rev. Luke A. Jacob, pastor of Pentecost Lutheran Church, Racine, Wis., as third vice-president (first term).
The officers were installed during the convention.
Delegates also adopted resolutions to:
- encourage the LCMS Office of International Mission and the LCMS Office of the President to reach out to their counterparts in Lutheran Church—Canada to explore joint outreach possibilities to the more than 8.2 million immigrants and people of Quebec;
- encourage the LCMS Council of Presidents to draft guidelines for the supervision of Specific Ministry Pastors, taking into account the wide variety of pastors and contexts in which they serve, and also to assist circuit visitors in supporting the pastors under their care;
- commend and encourage support for the Soldiers of the Cross program;
- encourage the Council of Presidents to commission a study to offer guidance regarding the involvement of ordained LCMS ministers in solemnizing marriages;
- commend the work and encourage continuing financial support of the two LCMS seminaries, and to rescind SELC Resolution 3-02 (which had allocated 10 percent of the SELC budget to be divided equally between the seminaries); and
- give thanks for the many years of faithful ministry of Dzurovcik as an LCMS pastor, long-time SELC vice-president and district president for the past three years.
Posted May 2, 2018
