Ohio convention re-elects Cripe president

Delegates to the LCMS Ohio District’s 20th convention, meeting June 14-16, re-elected the Rev. Terry Cripe as district president and, among major resolutions, made a substantial financial commitment in support of Concordia Univers ity in Ann Arbor, Mich.

With “Enriched in Every Way” (based on 2 Cor. 9:11) as its theme, the convention met in Dublin, Ohio.

Cripe, 64, who lives in Defiance, Ohio, was elected on the first ballot to serve his third term. He and other elected officers were installed during the convention.

The convention authorized the district to borrow $750,000 to facilitate the cooperative relationship between Concordia University, Ann Arbor (CUAA) and Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis. (CUW) in 2013. The resolution authorized the district president, with advice from legal counsel and the district’s chief financial officer, to execute the loan from the district’s Church Extension Fund or another appropriate lender with comparable terms.

As detailed in a Reporter Online story (click here), the two-university arrangement will enable CUAA, which has struggled with financial, enrollment and administrative difficulties, to remain open through affiliation with CUW, which is thriving and growing. While operating in two locations, the universities will function under the auspices of the CUW Board of Regents. The arrangement was approved in May by the boards of regents at the universities and the LCMS Board of Directors.

Delegates also ranked five vice-presidents who were elected as regional vice-presidents at the convention:

the Rev. Peter Marcis, senior pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio, was ranked as first vice-president. He was re-elected as vice-president for the Northwest Region.

the Rev. Gerald Matzke, senior pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Painesville, Ohio, second vice-president. He was re-elected as vice-president for the Northeast Region.

the Rev. Steven Schave, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Cincinnati, third vice-president. Schave was elected to his first term as vice-president of the Southwest Region.

the Rev. Ronald Young, senior pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Westlake, Ohio, fourth vice-president. Young was elected to his first term as vice-president for the North Central Region.

the Rev. John Greig, associate pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio, was ranked as fifth vice-president. He was elected to his first term as vice-president for the Southeast Region.

Among adopted resolutions, the convention resolved to encourage the LCMS to express “bold opposition” to the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to require church-related health care programs to cover contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs. The convention also called on district congregations and their members to contact their senators and representatives “to express opposition to the intrusion on religious beliefs” and to express support for LCMS President Rev. Matthew C. Harrison in his public opposition to the decision.

Another resolution expressed gratitude to the Roman Catholic Church for defending religious freedoms and the rights of the unborn. The action also encouraged the district to pray for the preservation of religious freedoms enjoyed by American citizens and for the sanctity of human life as a gift from God.

Posted June 18, 2012