76th Convention of the LCMS Southern District

The Convention Workbook will be published here in sections.

• • • • Section One: Front Matter
      • Section Two: Nominations
      • Section Three: Overtures and Suggested Priorities for Synod
      • Section Four: Reports
      • Section Five: Rosters
      • Section Six: Statistical Report
      • Section Seven: Southern District Church Extension Fund, Inc.

Today’s Business

• • • • View Resolutions (Floor Committee Business) here.
      • View the Speaking Guidelines for Business Sessions here.
      • View the Standing Rules for Business Sessions here.
      • Tentative Convention Agenda (3/7/22)

• • • Tentative Convention Agenda (3/7/22)
    • Tentative Convention Agenda (1/25/22)

Monday, March 21

Lunch will be on your own. The three areas below are in close proximity to The Harbor Center and our convention hotels:

• • • • • • Food within 5 miles of The Harbor Center
          • Food within 5 miles of Airport Road
          • Food within 5 miles of Gause Blvd.

Dinner: Forged by Fire will provide dinner onsite at The Harbor Center, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Forged by Fire is a non-profit disaster relief organization, founded by Rev. Paul Ernewein (pastor of The Village Lutheran Church in Lacombe, LA). Forged by Fire feeds victims, volunteers, and first responders in regional emergencies and natural disasters. They recently became a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the LCMS. We are so blessed that Forged by Fire graciously offered to nourish us during the convention!

Learn more about Forged by Fire here.

Tuesday, March 22

Lunch: Food trucks will be onsite at The Harbor Center, where you will be able to purchase a meal and beverage, as well as dessert:

• • • • • • Da Grill Master BBQ – Specializes in smoked meats (ribs, chicken, burgers, sausages, etc.) and seasonal seafood. Complement each entrée with scratch-made sides (mac & cheese, potato salad, bbq beans, and coleslaw). View a sample menu with prices here.
            
          • Old School Eats – Choose from three entrees, each $9: Big Fat Greek Plate (vegetarian option available), Brisket Nachos (vegetarian option available), or Cuban Sandwich with Kettle Chips. Soft drinks and tea will also be sold ($2). View the menu here.
            

Dinner: Reception at Palmettos on the Bayou, sponsored by Southern District CEF, from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to the reception. Palmettos’ lush surroundings with water views make it an inviting and enchanting venue; their Louisiana cuisine is some of the best in our area. Palmettos is located at 1901 Bayou Lane in Slidell.

An RSVP is requested and encouraged, though not required, to ensure enough food. If possible, please RSVP. You may do so here.

On the menu:

• • • • • • Mini Crab Cakes served with a ravigote sauce
          • Coconut Shrimp served with a Thai Chili Sauce on the side
          • Mini Muffalettas
          • Steak Medallions
          • House Salad
          • Catfish Strips
          • Garlic Mashed Potatoes
          • Green Beans with Bacon
          • Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
          • New Orleans Shrimp & Grits
          • Prime Rib Carving Station
          • Assorted Rolls and Horseradish Cream / Au Jus
          • Bread Pudding with a Caramel Sauce

Coffee, tea, water, and house open bar are also included.

During the opening worship service on Monday evening, an offering will be received. The Rosa J. Young Museum is the recipient for this convention offering. Congregations of the Southern District are invited to gather offerings in advance and send them to the convention with their delegates.

Learn more about the life and extraordinary legacy of Dr. Rosa J. Young here:

• • • • Encyclopedia of Alabama
      • The First Rosa (lcms.org) (includes many resources in addition to the documentary)
      • Rosa J. Young Facebook Page

Dr. Young influenced countless students to enter church work, many of whom have served as pastors and teachers in the Southern District. Two of her students will be our keynote presenters during the convention: Rev. Dr. Ulmer Marshall, Jr. and Rev. Dr. McNair Ramsey.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION – Register to win! Register by January 21, 2022, to be entered in a drawing for an Amazon gift card. Here are the categories:

• • • • • One $50 Amazon GC drawing for voting ordained delegates
        • One $50 Amazon GC drawing for voting lay delegates
        • One $50 Amazon GC drawing for advisory ordained ministers
        • One $50 Amazon GC drawing for advisory commissioned ministers
        • One $50 Amazon GC drawing for multi-parish advisory lay delegates

This drawing is sponsored by Southern District Church Extension Fund (CEF).

• • • Registration
      Register here. (Registration is now closed. If you missed the deadline, please contact Daisy Olmstead – d.olmstead@southernlcms.org – or Ronnie Giaise – r.giaise@southernlcms.org – for assistance.)

Everyone attending the convention must submit a registration form. If your spouse or another guest will attend the convention with you, please submit a separate registration form.

Early bird registration ends on January 21, 2022.
Regular registration closes on February 21, 2022.

NOTE: Registration forms received from January 22, 2022, through February 21, 2022, are not eligible for the Amazon gift card drawings.

• • • Accreditation Form: Voting Delegates
      Download the Voting Delegate Accreditation Form here.

Every member congregation or multi-congregation parish (each group of congregations regularly cared for / served by a pastor or pastors) of the district is entitled, using this form, to register two voting delegates, one its installed pastor (or one of them) and the other a lay delegate elected and deputed by the congregation or parish (Const. Art. XII 10 a; Bylaw 2.5.5). This form may either be submitted to the district office by a date determined by the district or presented to the district secretary at the opening of the convention (Bylaw 4.2.2[a]). A congregation wishing to designate an alternate may do so using an additional copy of this form marked accordingly. A congregation that is part of a multi-congregation parish, other than the congregation supplying the voting lay delegate, may elect and depute an advisory lay delegate using the separate DISTRICT CONVENTION ADVISORY DELEGATE REGISTRATION FORM.

Form Instructions: Voting delegates should complete the accreditation form and obtain the two required congregational officer signatures. Scanned and electronic signatures are acceptable. The completed and signed form may be uploaded here – or mailed to the Southern District Office (if mailed, no later than March 7, 2022) – or presented to the Southern District Secretary at the opening of the convention. Uploading or mailing the form will greatly expedite your check-in time at the convention. (If uploading the form, be sure to attach the completed and signed form – not the original blank form.) Your registration is not complete, and you are not eligible to vote until this completed and signed form is submitted.

• • • Accreditation Form: Multi-Congregation Parish Congregational Advisory Delegates
      Download the Multi-Congregation Parish Congregational Advisory Delegate Accreditation Form here.

A congregation that is part of a multi-congregation parish, other than the congregation supplying the voting lay delegate, may elect and, using this form, depute an advisory lay delegate (Const. Art. XII 10 b). This form may be either submitted to the district office by a date determined by the district or presented to the district secretary at the opening of the convention (Bylaw 4.2.2[a]). A congregation wishing to designate an alternate may do so using an additional copy of this form marked accordingly.

Form Instructions: Multi-congregation parish congregational advisory delegates should complete the accreditation form and obtain the two required congregational officer signatures. Scanned and electronic signatures are acceptable. The completed and signed form may be uploaded here – or mailed to the Southern District Office (if mailed, no later than March 7, 2022) – or presented to the Southern District Secretary at the opening of the convention. Uploading or mailing the form will greatly expedite your check-in time at the convention. (If uploading the form, be sure to attach the completed and signed form – not the original blank form.) Your registration is not complete, and you are not eligible to vote until this completed and signed form is submitted.

• • • Excused Absence (required of all ordained and commissioned ministers unable to attend)
      Submit an excuse request here. 

Synod Bylaw 4.2.3:

All nonvoting ordained and commissioned ministers who are members of the Synod within the district shall, unless they present a valid excuse, serve as advisory delegates.

(a) They are entitled to voice and vote on a floor committee, if appointed, and to voice in the convention.

(b) All advisory delegates* are expected to attend all sessions of the convention.

(c) Those advisory delegates* whose office in the Synod, district, or other agency imposes professional or service requirements on which full and regular convention attendance makes undue demands, shall nevertheless, in consultation with their supervisory boards, arrange for their own partial or occasional attendance and participation in accordance with policies established by their supervisory boards.

* Failing the congregational ratification of the constitutional amendment of Res. 9-05 (see Handbook preface), Bylaw 4.2.3 (b–c) will continue to read “advisory members” rather than “advisory delegates.”

You are responsible for booking your own room. We have a block of rooms at the hotels listed below.

Hotel Rate and Taxes
The rate at each hotel is $89.00 per night. This rate will be honored on March 20 – 23, 2022. The rate does not include 12.75% tax and $2.00 per night occupancy tax. Taxes are subject to change, and taxes due at the time of checkout are those in effect at the time of checkout. The hotels require a credit card when the reservation is made.

The reservation period for our convention block ends on February 20, 2022. Beginning February 21, 2022, the remainder of rooms in our block will be put back into the hotels’ general inventory.

Breakfast
* The Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, Quality Inn, Comfort Inn & Suites, and Sleep Inn offer complimentary hot breakfast.
** Candlewood Suites does not offer complimentary hot breakfast.

To book a room, please call your preferred hotel. Phone numbers are listed below. When calling to book, please state that your reservation is for the group: “Southern District LCMS.” This is the block code for our event.

Exhibitor spaces at the Southern District Convention are available. The cost is $100 per table, and your space will be reserved upon receipt of payment.

Registration and Payments
Register here. (Registration is now closed, and all available exhibitor spaces are filled.)

Pay the exhibitor fee online here.

If you prefer to mail your payment, it may be sent to:

Southern District – LCMS
100 Mission Drive
Slidell, LA 70460

Make checks payable to “The Southern District.”

Shipments of Display Items
Shipped display items will be received after March 16, 2022, at The Harbor Center. Clearly mark “Southern District Convention” on the outside of the box so that it is not mistakenly opened by an unintended recipient for the wrong event.

Please ship display items to this address:

The Harbor Center
100 Harbor Center Blvd.
Slidell, LA 70460
Attn: Ronnie Giaise – Southern District Convention

Set-Up
Exhibitors may begin set-up on March 21, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.

Questions and Additional Information
If you have questions or need more information, please contact Ronnie Giaise (email or 985-605-5404).

Congregations received a Treasurer’s Letter from the Southern District Business Office in August 2020, with information about the congregational assessment. The Treasurer’s Letter included the per-communicant member cost. An assessment invoice will be mailed in October 2021, which will include the total cost of the congregation’s assessment.

Pay your congregational assessment online here.

If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to:

Southern District – LCMS
100 Mission Drive
Slidell, LA 70460

Make checks payable to “The Southern District.”

Who Can Submit Overtures to Be Considered?

• • • • a member congregation (having met in assembly),
      • a forum of a circuit,
      • an official Southern District conference of ordained and/or commissioned ministers,
      • or the Board of Directors of the Southern District.

How Can Overtures Be Submitted?
Please use the template below to submit overtures. It is a Microsoft Word document, and the template ensures a consistent layout for all overtures. (This is a tremendous help in preparing the Convention Workbook!)

• • • • Download the overture template instructions here. (The overture submission period is now closed.)
      • Download the overture template here. (The overture submission period is now closed.)

Submission Instructions:
A hard copy signed by two officers of the submitting entity must be mailed to the Southern District President’s Office. To expedite the processing of your overture, also upload an electronic copy of the overture (Microsoft Word format, please) as indicated below. Please be sure to save at least an electronic copy for your records.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Print one hard copy, sign, and mail to:
               (The overture submission period is now closed.)
               
               Office of the President
               LCMS Southern District
               100 Mission Drive
               Slidell, LA 70460

                

            2. Send an electronic copy (in Microsoft Word format, if at all possible) by uploading it here. (The overture submission period is now closed.)

When Are Overtures Due?
Overtures must be received at least 20 weeks prior to the opening date of the convention (that is, before November 1, 2020).

Who Can Nominate?
Only congregations of the Southern District meeting in assembly can decide by vote who they will nominate.

View the list of incumbents here. The incumbent District President is Rev. Eric C. Johnson.

The incumbent District President must be re-nominated. The five candidates for District President receiving the most nominations will compose the ballot. Incumbents in all other offices will automatically appear on the ballot if they are eligible and consent to serve.

What Positions Are Open for a Nomination?

• • • • Ordained – District President

• • • • Ordained – District Secretary

• • • • Lay – District Treasurer

• • • • Ordained – Board of Directors
      • Lay – Board of Directors

• • • • Ordained – District Nominations Committee
      • Commissioned – District Nominations Committee
      • Lay – District Nominations Committee

• • • • Ordained – Southern District Church Extension Fund
      • Commissioned – Southern District Church Extension Fund
      • Lay – Southern District Church Extension Fund

• • • • Ordained or Commissioned – Synod Committee for Convention Nominations

Memos

• • • • Call for District President Nominations: View the Memo to Congregations from District Secretary – Rev. Keith Ringers (April 15, 2020)
        ** NOTE: The deadline in this email memo is no longer correct, because the convention was rescheduled due to COVID-19 and the Synod referendum passed early in 2021. The email memo cannot be edited. Deadline correction to the memo: District President nominations are due by November 21, 2021. (The nomination submission period is now closed.)
      • Call for Other Officer Nominations: View Memo to Congregations from Nominations Committee Chair – Mr. Gene Menzel (April 15, 2020)
        ** NOTE: The deadline in this email memo is no longer correct, because the convention was rescheduled due to COVID-19 and the Synod referendum passed early in 2021. The email memo cannot be edited. Deadline correction to the memo: Other Officer nominations are due by November 21, 2021. (The nomination submission period is now closed.)
        

Nomination Ballots

Use the links below to submit nominations. Nominations are due no later than November 21, 2021. Late nominations will not be accepted. (The nomination submission period is now closed.)

• • • • Nomination Ballot – District President (The nomination submission period is now closed.)
      • Nomination Ballot – Other Offices (The nomination submission period is now closed.)

If you need a hard paper ballot, contact Daisy Olmstead (email or 985-635-4382). (The nomination submission period is now closed.)

Nominations from the Floor

Here are the forms required of a nomination from the convention floor:

• • • • Biography Form
      • Consent Form

Instructions for nominations from the floor may be found in the convention Standing Rules, which are published with Today’s Business.

After the convention, the Convention Proceedings will be published here.