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STAND AND CONFESS: Sure and Certain Hope
Report on the January 2004 Meeting of the Augsburg Joint Council

Carol Schoner, Secretary

The Augsburg Joint Council met January 26-28, 2004, at the home of CH & Mrs. John Rasmussen in Vass, North Carolina.

Rev. Mark Jamison led the Joint Council in prayer and a devotion on 2 Cor 5:16-21. The minutes and the 2003 post-convention report (including the constitution as "finalized") were accepted and approved. The treasurer's report was approved contingent on an audit. An internal audit team was appointed (Deb Jacobsen, Don Albright, and John Leistad). The treasurer was authorized to send an annual statement to everyone who has made a donation to ALC this past year.

The 2004 Augsburg Gathering will be held July 25-28, 2004 at "The Old Sanctuary" located at 910 Fourth Street, Brookings, South Dakota. "STAND AND CONFESS: Sure and Certain Hope" is the theme.

The Joint Council is working on several options for breakout sessions and guest speakers. Consensus building topics will include Ministry Standards and the proposed changes in Our Declaration. Workshops on Building Strong and Ready Families, Conflict Management, Confirmation Resources, and Bible study resources will also be offered.

The Joint Council began a review of the Colloquy Process, Credentials, Colloquy Questions, and the Ministry Standards. Some changes for clarity were made to the colloquy questions and application. This will be discussed more at the next gathering in July 2004.

Amy Williams led the Joint Council in a discussion on worship basics. Amy asked that we each work on determining 20+ hymns that every Lutheran should know. The Worship Resources Task Force will have a preliminary product (CD-rom and pamphlet) available for the 2004 convention.

The Joint Council accepted the offer from Lutheran Church of the Risen Lord to hold a youth camp (The Burning Bush) at the Heart Ranch in Western Texas, June 11-13, 2004. The camp will reflect on God's call to Moses and God's call to us in our baptism. The camp will also address questions such as: "Who's are we?" "How do we fit in?" The camp will be geared for youth ages 12-15. We are looking for 8 to 10 adults to help as camp counselors and chaperones. We hope to have 35 youth participate in the three-day camp.

Mr. Harold Lewis agreed to accept an appointment to serve as Chair of the Lutherans in Mission Investment Fund (LMIF) of the ALC mission committee. The LMIF committee will oversee the operations of a fund that will receive deposits from individuals and churches to help mission churches finance the purchase of buildings and land.

Chris Conner and Don Albright are spearheading a multi-media Bible Study for youth on Scripture and Sexuality. The final product will be six video sessions (16-20 minutes) accompanied by a Bible study, and a video and study guide for parents. Two videos 20-30 minutes in length will be produced for adults.

The Joint Council voted to use The Crux of the Matter as a newsletter and a theological journal. We hope to increase the subscription to this publication. All agreed that the main focus of Augsburg is that Scripture is clear and certain. Scripture is the sole authoritative source and norm or our proclamation, faith and life.

Tim McNutt showed a new PowerPoint presentation for introducing people to ALC. The presentation was well received with just a few suggestions for improvements. The presentation will be put on the ALC website. Tim also talked about opportunities to support new mission startups all over the Columbus, Ohio area.

The ALC committee charters were reviewed and modified for clarity. The Joint Council authorized the Executive Chair to obtain each mission church's parochial report, and prepare a detailed financial report of the monies raised for the mission churches in 2003.

The Joint Council adopted its budget for the calendar year 2004. Our goal is raise almost $200,000 for mission church support, the multi-media Bible study project on Sexuality and Scripture, and the House of Studies project. The ALC operations budget for 2004 is $4,200, and another $7,430 is budgeted for communication and outreach.

The Joint Council adjourned until its next meeting on July 25, 2004 at The Old Sanctuary located at 910 Fourth Street, Brookings, SD 57006.

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