The First Plenary Session is complete.
Bishop David Zellmer led announcements and the testing of the voting devices that will be used for the Bishop election.
During our Voting Device Practice questions, we learned that 1,400 South Dakota youth attended the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering. 65 percent of the voters answered this question correctly! We also found out during a practice question that 50 percent of people attending the 2013 SD Synod Assembly are driving back and forth between home and Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls for the Assembly.
Rev. Dan Ofstehage led the Credentials Committee Report.
The Adoption of the Rules and Agenda for the Assembly were approved using the voting devices.
Bishop Zellmer then introduced Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen to lead the First Plenary Session Bible Study. She will lead four bible studies throughout the duration of the 2013 SD Synod Assembly. The first bible study came from Luke 24: 1-5.
“Although death is real, life is ‘real-er.’ Saying, ‘do not be afraid’ is different than saying, ‘there is nothing to be afraid of.’ Although there is fear, the veil is being lifted. New life is beginning where there has been death, chaos, nothing. We are not dead yet–we are not even close to dead. Because He is risen; He is risen indeed.” – Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen
Bishop Zellmer introduced Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla to lead the Bishop Election introduction and to run the election process. Rev. Malpica shared reflections on the role of the Bishop:
- Pastor: The person you elect has the primary responsibility for ministry of word and sacrament. He or she will provide pastoral care and leadership for the synod.
- Servant: He or she will coordinate the use of the resources available to promote the health of the church. He or she will consult and assist congregations. As a servant, the Bishop will listen to colleagues in ministry, and he or she will pray for them, with them and with the church.
- Evangelist: The Bishop will call us individually and ask us to reach out to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. It is his or her duty to reach out to the Synod and partners in ministry and proclaim the Gospel in all that he or she does.
- The Bishop reminds us of the unity with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Bishop guards and protects the teachings of the faith and the church.
Rev. Malpica quoted from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together:”
“Bishops are those unpretentious people who are sound and loyal in faith and who live and properly carry out their ministry in the community of faith. Authority lies in accomplishing the task of their service.”
All voting members were called into the Assembly hall and the doors were closed. Rev. Malpica explained that there will be a five-ballot process.
The Credentials Committee reported 516 present voting members. (135 clergy, 363 lay voting members.)
Ballots were distributed. To cast a ballot, voting members wrote a name of an eligible candidate. As Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla joked, “Please be specific. Do not write ‘Pastor Olson’ on your ballot. There are 120 Pastor Olsons here.”
75 percent of the vote is necessary for a First Ballot Election. Rev. Malpica declared the first ballot closed. The Bishop election committee left to count ballots.
Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla presented on the state of the ELCA and called on the book of Nehemiah for a description of how the ELCA works. “Come, let us reveal Him.”
“Nehemiah inspired people who felt like dry bones, people whose spirit was amputated and whose life was no longer worth living. We are a Church that is deeply rooted and always being made new. Our roots are an ongoing source of nourishment. We are most resilient and always being reformed. For in Him, we restore community and are invited to be reconciled. We know when we affirm God’s work through our hands. The time is now when God is making things anew in our midst. We believe the Good News of God’s promises for humanity and for all creation. On behalf of your sisters and brothers in the ELCA, I want to thank you for your giving. In the past year, your synod gave more than $380,000 to ELCA World Hunger and more than $76,000 to Lutheran Disaster Response. Together we can achieve things we could never do individually. We are a part of an Extreme Global Makeover.” – Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla
The ELCA Churchwide Gathering will meet Aug. 12-17 in Pittsburgh where a new ELCA Secretary and Presiding Bishop will be elected. The theme for the gathering is, “Always Being Made New.”
On Sept. 8, 2013, there will be a dedicated day of service – “God’s Work. Our Hands” Work Sunday
The counting of the First Ballot is still being conducted. Bishop Zellmer closed the First Plenary session for break.
