So there we were the afternoon of May 14th, "Marked with the Cross of Christ Forever...claimed, gathered and sent" and standing in line at the Executive Inn, finding a harried front-desk staff commenting on the full parking garage and long lines attendant on having three conventions in the hotel. There were the Indiana-Kentucky Synod Assembly attendees, the Indiana Coal Mining Institute, and I never did discover the identity of the third...some of us eventually had to go across the street to the Convention Center and register, sneaking back during a break to acquire a room. By 6:00 p.m., we had heard music by John Ylvisaker (not just by him, but also played by him, mind you) and the initial address by Pr. Frederick Niedner, adopted an agenda, cast our first ecclesiastical ballot for bishop, begun to read the various reports by Synod Officers and taken a break before dinner. And I had a room of my own.

Following dinner and the report on the first ballot, Bishop Jim Stuck preached and presided at our Service of Holy Communion. Assemblies frequently move from whichever convention center to a local large church for the service, sometimes borrowing a local basilica or cathedral, as needed (there isn't always a conveniently located Lutheran church of a size to accommodate 700 of us...). We stayed in the Convention Center — more of a hangar-like than a church-like venue, but...it was church and Bishop Stuck was preaching. I'm glad to see that he's taken up the habit of explaining why he prefers to recite, rather than read, the Gospel. Without that explanation, it might appear to be merely a trick of memorization. He's not just reading some bit of biblical verse, but attempting to re-create the way services were done in the early days, when the disciples delivering what eventually became our homily were recalling events they had actually witnessed or heard about directly from those who had.

It's customary at Synod Assemblies to dedicate the offerings to special ministries, not just absorb them into the synodical budget. This time, both of the special offerings were close to my heart. This first service, we gave $4,089 to support campus ministry at University of Kentucky, Lexington. Barry Neese, our pastor there, gave an excellent speech at the Bishop's invitation at the dinner preceding the service (that means he said the things I say about campus ministry and was, therefore, correct...). I've felt for some while that we in campus ministry (Pastors and Boards) don't adequately get the word out about what we're doing for congregations. Campus ministry isn't just a place for students to stay out of trouble while they're in college. We grow congregational leaders there, in 161 (only 161, alas!) colleges and universities around the country. Those students grow up to be council members, committee chairs, even seminarians. Some even do useful things, like mow church lawns, paint church walls, teach Sunday Church School, participate in services... We don't necessarily tell the students that that's what we're doing, mind you. If they want to think they're just attending services at a place where they're welcomed, or having a meal or Bible study or just hanging out with friends (one of whom graduated from a seminary), exploring their own personal faith journeys and, sometimes, deciding they want to do a service project or explore a theological issue...well, we don't need to tell them it's good training for committee membership, do we?

Following the service, we had a reception and the opportunity to meet candidates for other offices (there were many, some of whom I knew or had heard of) and the opportunity for candidates to withdraw their names for the second ballot for bishop. Unless I miscount, 38 candidates stayed in (though, to be sure, some were not present and, therefore, didn't realize they had the opportunity to withdraw — if you're retired in Florida or teaching at Valparaiso, as two were, it's difficult to anticipate being in the election in the first place...). And so to bed.

The following morning, some people ate breakfast "on your own!" Since I prefer to have breakfast about 6 hours later, I didn't have to stand in line hoping to receive that no-doubt nutritious meal. Caffeinated beverages will do for the hours before noon, thank you.

Pr. Niedner addressed the assembly again and we received greetings from the ELCA Churchwide representative, Rev. Lowell Almen, Secretary of the ELCA (who also, as the Presiding Bishop's representative, conducted the election for bishop and, later installed the elected). By that time, the ballots for the second election for bishop were printed and we went, as time permitted, to the polling place to cast those ballots and the much more lengthy ballots for all the other positions.

You may have noticed on the table in the narthex, a small four-page pamphlet with the header "A Message From Bishop Jim Stuck". Pick up a copy of that and you'll find listed on page 3, all 11 of the people elected to synod offices and the 13 elected as 2005 Churchwide Assembly Voting Members. There were actually 26 names submitted for that last, organized by conference and distributed to meet requirements like "Clergy" or "Lay Male" or "Lay Female". There were even two designated as "Person of Color or Whose Native Language is Not English"; I won't bother to look up which two those were. Someday, perhaps in your several greats grandchildren's time, that sort of thing will no longer matter. But we are a church that strives to achieve balance and unless we do intentional things about it, it doesn't happen as we'd like. So it matters now, in our time. Anyway, these pairs of persons (in some conferences, two pairs of persons, as needed for the distribution) are presented to the assembly and the vote determines which of the pair is the Delegate and which is the Alternate (and this does matter — if a Delegate were unable to participate and there were no Alternate, the desired distribution would not be achieved). Of the candidates I know, I was interested to see that in more than one conference, the two candidates were not people I expect would agree on some deeply held opinions. I decided I liked that.

I had breakfast at a proper time — at the recognition luncheon. Pastor Joyce Gerwing is currently serving as interim in St. Louis (at a former Missouri congregation, no less), but kept her status on the Indiana-Kentucky roster to celebrate 25 years of ministry among people who know her. I got to meet her family; her oldest daughter and Ellen Mills did her introduction. Of the others being honored, you may know Pastor Mike Cobbler and Pastor Rudy Mueller, both also celebrating 25 years.

When the list of candidates on the second ballot for bishop were read beginning with those who received a single vote, I knew we had an election. No fun at all if you just announce the winner and then go down the list of those who didn't win, is there? On the second ballot, with 400 votes required to elect (75% of ballots cast), Bishop Jim Stuck received 400 votes. The third, fourth and fifth ballots were cancelled, which saved much time for other discussions. I may as well remind you here, that in the ecclesiastical ballot system the first ballot is blank — we could write the name of any rostered pastor of the ELCA. If a candidate receives 75% of the votes cast on either of the first two ballots, that candidate is elected. The third ballot would have included the names of the top 7 candidates and required 2/3 of the votes cast. The fourth ballot would have included the top 3 candidates and required 60% of the votes cast. The fifth ballot is guaranteed to be the last; it requires a simple majority of the votes cast and there are two candidates. Between these later ballots, there are introductions, question/answer times, personal statements from candidates and going back and forth to the polling place. It can be a long process, trust me on that...hardly allows time to argue over resolutions, if we're minded to do that.

Since we saved that time, we were able to take care of the resolutions before the assembly with adequate time for discussion. Several of those resolutions were carried over from the 2003 Assembly, pending a gathering we had in January. They all had to do with sexuality and engendered some heated debate last year. Following the January gathering, I thought the discourse this year (on the same issues) was quite civil and grace-filled. This seems a good place to discuss resolutions; if you've picked up a copy of the pamphlet I mentioned earlier, you can follow along. These are in resolution number order, not necessarily in order of passage:

R-01 Affirmed the ELCA's current standards and expectations for clergy. The "Standards and Expectations" is a document that includes a prohibition on out-of-marriage sexual practice by clergy. This prohibition was the focus of the discussion; passed 241 to 212

R-02 A call for the synod to request "Reconciling in Christ" status. Some objected to the connection with an organization "Lutherans Concerned/North America", which sponsors this status. The organization has a web site with links to other sites which some find objectionable. A substitute resolution was offered and amended. Reference and Counsel (that committee oversees the presentation of resolutions to the assembly and offers recommendations for their disposal) set up a session in which interested parties could revise the substitute resolution during the evening for presentation Sunday morning. The substitute resolution asked congregations to study both "Reconciling in Christ" and "Communities Of Grace". Sunday morning, Reference and Counsel presented us with their own substitute resolution, which both sides of the discussion found acceptable with minor syntactic modifications. The Indiana-Kentucky Synod will not request "Reconciling in Christ" status at this time, but does affirm "that as all people are welcome to worship, to hear the word of God and to receive God's forgiveness, so gay and lesbian people are welcomed and encouraged to share in the sacraments and general life of the church". Congregations are also "encouraged to consider ways to welcome gay and lesbian people that are consistent with God's grace revealed in scripture". The substitute for the substitute resolution passed.

R-03 Calls for consultations with companion synods around the world prior to changes in ELCA standards for ordination. This seems to be an effort to prevent changes in the "Standards and Expectations" document I referred to above, though I don't see that companion synods would have veto power. Passed

R-04 Calls for the Division for Outreach of the ELCA to end its relationship with Lutherans Concerned/North America (see discussion of R-02). Defeated. From this, I read that some are concerned about positions taken by the organization (or, possibly, other organizations associated with it) but still feel we should continue conversations with them.

R-05 Opposes the "creation of a policy allowing the blessing of same-sex unions" Defeated (read that carefully — I don't see anything there that approves of such a policy, but the assembly wasn't against such a policy either)

R-06 Calls on the 2005 Churchwide Assembly to maintain current practices on standards for ordination until such time as a 2/3 majority agrees to any change. Passed (this is a parliamentary procedure asking the Churchwide Assembly to modify its requirement for passing its own resolutions for some resolutions. As with all such requests (or memorials) passed to it from synods, the Churchwide Assembly will do with this as it likes)

R-07 Calls for all future synod assemblies to avoid falling on a Sunday. Defeated This is part of a long-continuing discussion; the object is to get pastors back in their pulpits, of course. The other half of that discussion is a desire to not always use two week-days, which is perceived to make it difficult for some potential lay delegates to participate. The synod has gone as far as trying a one-day assembly, which didn't produce the expected cost saving, but did reduce participation in events surrounding the assembly sessions. The goal is worthy; they'd like to entice, particularly, younger people to become delegates. I think the discussion will continue, with no solution in sight...

R-08 Calls for all congregations to remain in the ELCA regardless of the outcome of the 2005 Churchwide Assembly. Defeated. Our constitution provides for leaving the ELCA, but there are restrictions. Synod Council is required to approve any property transfer and may choose to grant all property to any minority that chooses to remain in ELCA. My guess is that similar requirements are in the constitutions of other congregations. So we decided not to require congregations to remain, but I don't see that it has much effect. I'll let lawyers deal with that one...

In the midst of all that, we enjoyed the Saturday evening banquet at which a number of delegates and guests were awarded prizes (offered by various ministries to encourage attendance at the "Festival of Booths") and adjourned to the Executive Inn for fellowship. There were opportunities to sample different musical groups and sit and talk. I found the Crystal Room and the "Assembled Five" (Dave Pavolka and friends) and settled in for the remainder of the evening. Remember Pastor Mike Cobbler from the Recognition Luncheon? Pastor Mike plays trombone well enough to regularly sit in with the group. Why would anyone want to wander away from that?

Sunday morning, we re-assembled (I understand some of us ate breakfast) to hear Pr. Frederick Niedner's third presentation (those are available on videotape, if we're interested), adopt the synod's 2005 budget, finish up the remaining resolutions (I've told you about all but the last one already...) and conclude the 2004 Synod Assembly with a Service of Holy Communion and installation of newly elected officers. The offering this time was dedicated to World Hunger Appeal and gathered in $3,895 (There were fewer of us remaining in attendance by that time. Some had important business elsewhere — like First Communion at both services, a Baptism, a Congregational Meeting — little details like that...this goes back to the resolution asking that we avoid meeting on Sunday. I don't think there is any solution to this; no matter what we try, someone will have to arrive late or leave early.)

There was a brief flurry of discussion of the budget this year — something we hadn't seen of late. I was beginning to think nobody cared about the budget any more... Then we passed the budget as presented. I can't recall the budget ever being amended from the floor of the assembly. Any of us who attended will have a copy of the budget for those interested in the details.

The total is down $140,000 (4.6%) to $2,900,000. There are modest increases in synod staff costs to cover higher pension/health benefits and a small salary increase. There's an additional $7300 for Campus Ministries to cover part of the cost of starting up our new ministry at University of Kentucky (which reduces our expected shortfall to about $44,000 if I subtracted the correct two amounts). Conflict Management gets a bit less than that and there are even smaller increases for Congregational Life (to incorporate the Academy for Mission and Planned Giving committee) and Communications committee (mailing expenses). We're sending an additional $2400 (2%) to Trinity Seminary and allocating an extra $1300 to the Global Mission commission (activities with our Sister Synods in Chile and Indonesia). Total increases come to $61,600.

There were, inevitably, decreases to balance the budget. The synod is sending 50% (down from our previous 54% of several years ago) of its income to ELCA to support their budget. Since the expected total is down $140,000, ELCA can expect to receive $70,000 less from us next fiscal year. The Outreach program will be reduced by $40,000 and that funding will be made up by other sources (Mission Endowment income, sale of property). We'll not reduce our accumulated deficit as much as we'd like; $30,000 there will have to come from other sources (bequests, property sales). Outdoor Ministry will receive a grant that's $22,500 smaller. There may need to be increases in camp fees, etc. On the other hand, this synod supports Outdoor Ministry in ways that most other synods do not; some of their staff are paid out of the synod budget, which is not usual in other areas. Staff travel, the Ministry Committee allocation, the Bishop's Discretionary Fund and Synod Council will all have smaller reductions.

For those of us who are disappointed in these reductions (and failures to increase), I've found a solution that fixes our local synod budget and the wider ELCA budget. (One of the books I found in the Augsburg-Fortress store, Edgar Trexler's High Expectations, sheds some unfortunate light on the much larger early budget problems following the merger that produced the ELCA). It's not difficult. I've filed my back-of-the-Borders-receipt calculations (didn't have an envelope handy) somewhere, but here's the gist of it. The Indiana-Kentucky Synod has a bit over 79,000 baptized members and the ELCA has 5,000,000 members. If each baptized member (or parent for those who are too young to have our own checking accounts) were to write a check for $40, these things would happen.

The Indiana-Kentucky Synod would receive $3,179,720 in income from its 79,493 members and send half that to the ELCA. Presto! No deficit in IK Synod and increases in the programs we want.

The ELCA would receive (assuming every synod sends 50%) $100,000,000. Presto! No budget reduction from 85 million to 81.5 million and no 20 staff losing their jobs this year.

Synods and the ELCA office would have to rent space and hire temporary staff to open envelopes. Oh! Well, maybe that wouldn't be the best way to do that. But it would work if each congregation sent the equivalent of $40 per baptized member to its synod office. That's $40 per baptized member total per year — not an additional $40. (See how easy this is?)

So how are we doing? Well, if we assume baptized membership of 350 (that's a little high, but we're going to get there), that would be $14,000 in synod benevolence. That's a bit less than we're actually doing, but I'm not suggesting a reduction. (Synod reports that we gave them $20,900 in "Shared Benevolence" and $6285 in "Designated Giving" in 2003) What I'm saying is this: Yes, we could do better, but, at the same time, we should celebrate the level we've reached so far. Way to go, St. Thomas!

The Indiana-Kentucky Synod's Mission 2000 appeal was the envy of other synods who ask Terri Dillon how we did so well. St. Thomas seems to be doing well in its support of missions "outside our walls". As I see it, a major fund raising problem is that Lutherans don't think they know how to ask each other for money. But some things work out right, somehow. I don't think I need to remind you that St. Thomas can come through with funding for projects we want to do. Now if we could find a way to apply those mysterious methods (Rule 1: people like to be asked) to more mundane projects like plumbing, heating, etc. and export them to other congregations and synods...

As long as I have my calculator out...the ELCA would like to reach $25,000,000 in annual giving to World Hunger Appeal. That would be an investment of $5 each in feeding the world's hungry. Last year, the Appeal reached about $16.5 million. People are still hungry.

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By the way, if you're in the mood to support Campus Ministry in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod or World Hunger Appeal (or any other ministry, for that matter), you don't have to go to the annual Synod Assembly to do that — just write a check to St. Thomas, indicate your intention, and send/bring it to the Office or drop it in the collection plate with your usual offering. Kaye will be happy to see that your gift arrives in the right place.
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I only had time to visit the Augsburg-Fortress store 3 times this year and bought a mere 12 books. Ellie Anderson was in attendance with Lowell and recommended a pair of nice things. I think some of our younger members (and their parents) will like Miss Fannie's Hat by Jan Karon (she of the Mitford Years, for those who are following that series). I still think they ought to bring proper cash registers, instead of relying on the calculator and cigar box method; when people have found what they want, the next thing they want is to get out.

In the midst of all that activity, there were "Conversations" and Workshops, greetings from two of our Sister Synods, West Virginia-Western Maryland and Indonesia and greetings, conversation, and a sermon by the ELCA representative, Secretary Lowell Almen. John Ylvisaker was with us at each gathering, providing music. We gave thanks to retiring Synod Treasurer Gary Philpy and promptly elected him to the Board of Trinity Seminary. We visited booths constructed by the various ministries to spread the word about the good things they're doing. (The new Campus Pastor at Purdue, Stephen Rye, put together a rather nice computer slide show and Campus Ministry gave away maple syrup with the label "We're stuck on students") We met old friends and new and did business in the hallways...

The final resolution (R-09 this year) is always one of thanks for all those who worked hard to make the assembly happen and continue to work on our behalf through the coming year. I'd like to add my thanks to Pastors Kyle and Jan (who delivered me to Evansville), Pastor Lyle (who leaned against a wall with me and others for part of a session), Ellen "can't call her pastor yet, but someday" Mills (who delivered me back to Bloomington and spoke to the congregation of the assembly the following Sunday) and the folks who paid for it (not just the hotel bill, but the assembly fee — that's how the synod can afford to have assemblies in the first place). Thank you, congregation.