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LCMS - "What A Way' puts kickoff event on hold


From Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>
Date Tue, 04 Feb 2003 13:37:47 -0800

The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
Board for Communication Services

LCMSNews -- No.8 February 4, 2003

"What A Way' puts kickoff event on hold

A celebration event planned for next month to kick off the Synod's "What A 
Way" initiative for recruitment and retention of church workers in the 
Missouri Synod has been put on hold.

The event was scrapped "when it became clear that we do not have the 
funding at this time to support it," said Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, chairman 
of the What A Way working group and director of pastoral education for the 
LCMS Board for Higher Education.

"We have modified our strategy," he said. "We feel that we can do much 
better beginning the initiative by using our financial resources to develop 
a set of central resources."

The working group announced last fall that the kickoff event was set for 
March 13-15 in St. Louis, and would include representatives of LCMS 
districts and departments at the Synod's International Center.

Hempelmann described What a Way as "a program to help us in the LCMS 
rebuild a lifestyle in our homes and congregations of encouraging people to 
serve the Lord as church workers and to remain steadfast in their high 
calling."

He said that although several funding sources had declined proposals to 
fund the kickoff event this year, the working group has not ruled out 
holding such an event "when the initiative is well under way."

"The good news," he said, "is that the Board of Directors of the LCMS 
continues to allocate $250,000 in this fiscal year to support the What A 
Way initiative [and] has also indicated that it remains in support ... on 
an ongoing basis, seeing this as a multi-year initiative rather than a one 
shot intervention."

What A Way was the only project to get new funding from the Board in the 
2002-2003 Synod budget.

Hempelmann said that resources planned for the initiative will include:

-- "a new Web site as a state-of-the-art interactive place for recruitment 
and retention exploration and support";
-- the "first wave" of printed resources for congregations;
-- formation of "cabinets" in LCMS districts "to help implement the 
initiative for their congregations"; and
-- "development of support opportunities for new workers."

He said that the Web site is expected to be available by midyear, and that 
the first printed resources "will come soon afterward." He said that 
district cabinets are already forming.

"I encourage everyone in the Synod to continue to pray for
this initiative and for the mighty working of God's Holy Spirit to bless 
these What A Way efforts," Hempelmann said.

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