Western District Synod –
Growing Churches Grow Churches

Approximately 200 delegates gathered at The Mead Hotel in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, from March 25-28, 2004, for the Western District Synod of the Northern Province. A synod is an assembly of church delegates, including clergy and lay people, who are called together every four years for discussion, decision, and policy-making regarding church matters. The Western District of the Moravian Church in North America consists of 40 recognized Moravian congregations throughout Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin as well as growing and emerging churches and fellowships in development in Indiana, Minnesota, California, and beyond.

The theme for the event was “Growing Churches Grow Churches.” This theme goes along with the 2002 Northern Province Synod initiative to support and make a reality the 20/20 Vision program of starting 20 new churches by the year 2020. The theme carried through the event in thought and fellowship as each worship service, held in morning and evening, captured a different aspect of growth from the sometimes painful but joyful experience of birth through the sadness but inevitable experience of death. While the services of worship leader and synod Chaplain, the Rev. Steve Gohdes of Christ Moravian in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, concentrated on personal experiences of birth, adolescence, young adulthood, and death, he clearly drew those personal experiences into how they relate to a growing church that is birthed to vitality with support and nurture. To visually enhance his themes, different things showed up at each delegate’s table to keep the theme in front of them, such as baby bottles filled with sweets, toy animals, clothespins, and cranberry juice – each representing a different aspect of a growth experience. Worship was filled with hymns that brought praise to growth but honored traditions, a clear signal that as a church Moravians don’t have to let go of the past to move into the future, but instead can have both as long as they do so with faith and by following the Lord’s call to tell the story to others.

On Thursday, March 25, many delegates gathered in late afternoon, some weary from travel, some energized by fellowship, to begin their work to further the vision of the Western District and the Northern Province. All delegates were reminded that while legislation would be passed, the true spirit of the synod was to work through committees to share ideas, to discuss visions, to work together in the spirit of love to make what was discussed around the tables become a reality. After a full dinner, opening worship was held and the Rev. David Wickmann, President, Provincial Elders’ Conference, Northern Province, delivered the message “The Birth Cry of Synod,” based on Genesis 1. In his words, “Traveling from past through the present and into the future, we are building a new world, but a world in which life in its essence is filled with a mixture of joy and pain, searing pain and extreme pleasures. And so we have come to worship and bow down before our God, for we know God will prevail and in the end everything will be according to God’s will – and to that we echo God’s words, ‘it is GOOD.’”

Following opening worship the Rev. Larry Christianson, the outgoing Western District President, gave the State of the Church Address entitled “State of the Church Yet to Be – Come Aboard the Mission Train.

Elections were held for the Western District President position that first evening. This position is responsible for the congregations and clergy of the District, works with congregations in calling pastors, addressing conflict, establishing quotas, managing finances, and determining budgets for the various ministries that congregations do together. The president does this in conjunction with the executive board, which is made up of clergy and laypersons. They represent the entire District, not geographic areas. In order to be elected as District President, a person must be ordained clergy and is elected by Synod vote without nomination. A two-thirds majority vote is required for election. On the first ballot, the Rev. Larry Christianson was re-elected to the position he has served since 1998 with 79 out of 113 legally cast votes.

Christianson stated upon election, “I am committed to continue serving Christ in administrative leadership throughout our Western District – in a spirit of partnership with vision and hope.”

The Rev. David Wickmann of the Provincial Elders’ Conference Northern Province, stated, “Larry Christianson has been a leader in demonstrating by word and deed that we are one in Christ. He is a leader for the 21st Century. He and the Western District Executive Board have been among our finest bodies in elevating the role of pastoral and lay leadership within the congregational setting.”

Each plenary session of Synod was led by Richard Santee of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who served as Synod Chair. The Rev. Gary Straughan served as Vice Chair.

On day two of Synod, several other elections were held during the business sessions. An Executive Board was also elected on a first ballot. The new board consists of all re-elected members with the addition of one newly elected member. The 2004-2008 Western District Executive Board is Diane Klawikowski or Stevens Point, Wisconsin; Glen Keller of Columbus, Indiana; Kay Wipperfurth of Lake Mills, Wisconsin; the Rev. Elizabeth Miller of Lake Mills, Wisconsin; and the newly elected, the Rev. Amy Gohdes-Luhman of Northfield, Minnesota.

Committees, called “Ministry Teams and Vision and Impact Groups,” met daily. During these times productive discussion were held, sometimes spirited and lively, sometimes serious and contemplative. Out of these groups came legislation and reports that were brought to the floor on the second and third day of Synod. Each plenary session was business oriented but also lightly sprinkled with laughter and appreciation for the people sitting around the delegate tables, which made for a Synod that filled the participants with the true spirit of working together. An InfoFair was held throughout the free times in the schedule with tables and booths showing how each congregation is ministering to their local communities and beyond. These booths opened more discussion and allowed for a sharing of ideas to help the growth of the Church as a whole. Other booths displayed the work of Moravian long-term care facilities, Mt. Morris Camp and Conference Center, Moravian Ministries Foundation, and the Interprovincial Board of Communication to name a few. In some cases items were being sold or exchanged and some booths even included high-tech devices to display in a visual or audible fashion the great works that are going on in and around the Western District.

The Saturday Synod worship service, which was the closing worship at the Synod proceedings, carried on the theme of growth by having each person receive from one hand to another, little mustard seeds – something to carry with us to remind us that it is our responsibility to plant and nurture the smallest of seeds in the hopes that it someday will become a vibrant, living thing.

On Sunday, the last day of synod, delegates shared one final meal together and then entered into their last plenary session to conclude the hard earned work of the committees. Everyone was invited to Wisconsin Rapids Moravian Church for a final worship and installation service. Led by the Rev. Larry Wetzel, Pastor of Wisconsin Rapids church, the event was called to worship by the Wisconsin Rapids Trombone Choir and its leader, Robin Werth. The choir, led by Dawn Wesenberg, filled the church with music.

Installation of the newly elected Western District President and Executive Board was held with the Rt. Rev. C. Hopeton Clennon officiating the installation. The Rev. Larry Christianson, as the newly elected President of the Western District delivered the message portion of the service. In his address to the crowd he encouraged the congregation and all delegates to carry the message of growth back to their home congregations. He emphasized that the seeds of growth are planted at home: in the messages we receive at church, in our conversations with others inside and outside our church community, in our willingness to discuss our faith and the good news of Jesus Christ. He motivated the crowd to take it upon themselves to encourage 20/20 Vision and to realize in growth there is joy and pain but the overwhelming result is sharing faith with others. He reminded everyone that we bring different talents to the table; each of us in our own way is a planter of faith, a believer in the love of Christ.

The service ended with a Service of Holy Communion. The Rev. David Sobek, the Rev. John McCarthy, the Rev. Mary Bielke, the Rev. Olaf Andersen, the Rev. Stacie Marrese-Wheeler, and the Rev. Larry Wetzel served the communion elements.

The 2004 Western District synod was a growth experience. Friendships were planted, ministries were watered, and mission and ministries were fed. Each delegate received nourishment through laughter, worship, prayer, and fellowship. One can only wonder what kind of full grown, living, vibrant plants will result from those four days together.

Deanna L. Hollenbach, serves as Director of Communication for the Interprovincial Board of Communication of the Moravian Church in North America.