wfn.org | Essayist draws parallels between Year of Child, LCMS 2001 convention

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services
1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

61st Regular Convention St. Louis, Mo. July 14-20, 2001

July 18, 2001 #28

Contact: Bruce Kueck (314) 342-5715

Essayist draws parallels between Year of Child, 2001 convention

ST. LOUIS -- Dr. Patrick Ferry, president of Concordia University 
Wisconsin, Mequon, presented here on Wednesday, July 18, at The Lutheran 
Church Missouri Synod s 61st Regular Convention an essay that connected the 
Synod observance of 2001 as "The Year of the Child" and the "Tell the Good 
News about Jesus" convention theme.

"Let every day be kid s day, and every year be The Year of the Child in 
Christ s church," Ferry told the convention. "Tell the Good News about 
Jesus, who says, Let the little children come to Me, for the kingdom of God 
belongs to such as these. "

He pointed out that Martin Luther thought of young people as "not the 
church of the future [but] the church of right now."

"Our churches are faith incubators," Ferry added.

He explained the characteristics of "the greatest generation" (those who 
lived through the Great Depression and World War II), their "baby boomer" 
children, and those in the "millenials" (current teenagers) generation. He 
said that, in many ways, millenials have the characteristics of "the 
greatest generation" without having to endure the hardships that generation 
faced.

"I hold hope that this will be the next greatest generation, " Ferry said, 
in reference to millenials.

"Kids do have problems," Ferry said, "& but from what I observe, kids today 
are also problem solvers with an admirable service orientation and a 
profound sense of mission. We should be well served in the church by these 
particular youth in the future because, when given the opportunity, they 
serve the church today so well."

He said that millenials could be thought of as "heroes."

"Faith anchored on Jesus Christ will help transform young heroes into 
heroes of faith," Ferry said, adding that he has observed such heroism from 
students at Concordia University Wisconsin.

He pointed to the value of Lutheran schools in helping shape today s youth 
for the future.

"The church, this church, must do in the future what it has always held 
essential in the past," Ferry said. "We must do all that we can to cement 
and secure the church s relationship to Lutheran schools and to provide 
Christian education to the young."

Ferry also said that youth values the stories of older Christians.

"Tell your stories of faith and life in Christ," he said. "These are the 
stories that will communicate the story -- the old, old story of Jesus and 
His love."

"Every day is kid s days in the church," Ferry emphasized, as he ended his 
essay. "Every day is a day for 7-year-olds to hear the voice of the 
Shepherd of tender youth; for 16-year-olds to hear the simple, saving 
message of the Lord Jesus Christ the children s friend; for millenials to 
hear the Good News about Jesus the Savior of this and that and every 
generation."

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