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HERE WE STAND!  
Dynamic Preachers and Speakers Highlight
Our 2003 Gathering in Audubon, IA

by Lenae Rasmussen

This summer, from Sunday, July 20 through Tuesday, July 22 over 250 Lutherans gathered in the Iowa heartland around the battle cry "HERE WE STAND!" as the Augsburg Lutheran Churches (LCMC) held its Third Annual Convention and Assembly at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Audubon, Iowa.

Based on Martin Luther’s famous and historic confessional stand before Emperor and Pope at the Diet of Worms, "Here We Stand!" is the ALC’s battle cry to congregations, pastors, and individual Christians for our day. It calls us to stand on God’s Holy Word no matter what the cost, and not yield our witness and confession to church organizations and a culture driven more and more by the spirit of paganism rather than by the Holy Spirit.

Again and again the theme was highlighted by dynamic preachers, Bible study leaders, and speakers as a message of hope and the call to faithfulness in Christ reached out to Lutherans across the country.

Our guest lecturer, Dr. Robert A. J. Gagnon, distinguished Associate Professor of New Testament from Pittsburg Theological Seminary, set the tone on Sunday with a dramatic and in-depth exposition of the Bible’s teaching on human sexuality and marriage with particular emphasis on the attack posed by those who would substitute the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender liberation agenda on church and society. Dr. Gagnon is the author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, Abingdon, 2001 (for a great summary of his message, see http://members.aol.com/gaymatter/gagnon1.htm).

Rev. Homer Larsen dramatically introduced our convention theme on Monday morning with a powerful devotion on Martin Luther in which through Rev. Larsen’s words we were asked to put ourselves in Luther’s position at the Diet of Worms and see what it might have meant for us. To be a Christian is to be a confessor every day facing the crisis into which God has sent us here and now.

Dr. Larry Gedde inspired and challenged us anew to be faithful to the great treasure of our Lutheran heritage. "Red Velvet Cake and Other Delights: When Memories and Traditions are Forgotten–Part II" was a continuation of the theme he introduced at the previous year’s Augsburg convention. Using the memorable illustration of the "life sucking frog beetle" as metaphor for the ELCA’s effect on confessional Lutherans, Dr. Gedde showed how vital it is for us to resist the drift toward faithlessness in North American Lutheranism and indeed all of Protestant Christianity today. He reiterated his ten points for building the Augsburg fellowship and challenged us especially to continue stressing mission church development and Luther’s Small Catechism.

In our Tuesday morning plenary session, Dr. Oliver Olson, a Claus Harms House Regent, and Dr. Eugene Boe, Dean of the Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, MN, explained the challenges and goals of the crucial matter of theological education for pastors who will serve our churches. According to Dr. Boe, the Claus Harms goals are very similar to those of the Lutheran Brethren Seminary. Dr. Olson explained the Claus Harms effort [see The Crux of the Matter, Vol 2, No. 5, (May-June 2003)] and explained the significance of Jan Hus' motto ("a swan will come who will sing better") which will be the motto encircling the Claus Harms seal.

Perhaps the best thing about the convention, however, was the worship. Dynamic preaching was the order of the day from our Augsburg pastors. Rev. Jack Torgerson gave the devotion on Tuesday morning, Rev. Walt Kukkonen and Rev. Dick Smith gave the Bible studies on 2 Corinthians 1:18-24, and Rev. Perry Toso, Rev. John Rasmussen, and Rev. Mark Jamison preached for our evening worship services.

For many of us, this was the best convention we've ever attended. The worship was awesome, varying from traditional, to folk, to contemporary! The versatility of our musicians and our worship leaders was spectacular. We were fed with the Bread of Life and the Living Word every day—in our plenary sessions, our worship services, our devotions, our Bible studies, and our consensus building sessions. As Rev. Cher Clay put it, "Jesus is here with us," uniting us with one another in Him.

Permit me one final word. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the members of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church for all their hard work preparing for the gathering. You were such gracious hosts throughout the entire convention. The advertising, the banners, the food, the table decorations (model Augsburg boats) and the big Augsburg lifeboat out front were superb! We praise and thank God for you and your fellowship.

Lenae Rasmussen is the Executive Chair of Augsburg Lutheran Churches, and a member of Peace Lutheran in Gulf Shores, AL.

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