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Show Area Lutherans attend Great Commission Convocation Pastor David L. Bahn of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Vernal and Trinity Lutheran Church of Rangely, Colo., along with Ron Pederson. DresiHent of wur Saviour congregation and Leonard Smith, secretary and elder of Trinity congregation recently attended a gathering of Lutherans from the 50 United States and Canada called The Great Commission Convocation. The three Joined with over 6,000 members of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod for the four -day gathering held Nov. 4-9 in St. Louis, Mo. The goal of the convocation con-vocation was to help the members of the LC-MS to become more aware of the need to make disciples of all people, and to move them to commit themselves them-selves to that task. "The gathering of the 10,000 people for the Saturday night rally was truly a highlight of the event," stated Pastor Bahn. "It was a true blessing to see that there are many Lutherans who are committed to bringing the message of God's love to all people everywhere." Ron Pederson added, "It is good to have a new perspective on the true meaning of discipleship, and to see so many people wanting to gain the tools to spread the gospel throughout the world." "I'm excited about this. To have been there and learned about the power of prayer like I've never known before that was a blessing," Leonard Smith agreed. The whole emphasis of the convocation con-vocation was one of evangelism. The stated purpose of the gathering was to recommit the 2.7 million member Lutheran Church Missouri Synod to the task of spreading the word of God-both God-both in the United States and throughout the world with a major emphasis on local congregations' roles in "making disciples of all people." The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is one of three major Lutheran bodies in the United States, which together have a total membership of over 9 million people. To date the Missouri Synod is the only major Lutheran body to have such a convocation. con-vocation. "Naturally we hope that the other Lutherans as well as other Christian groups will take note of what we've done. While it is only a beginning, it is a marvelous beginning," Pastor Bahn stated. "It is a major event when this many people gather in one place from all over the U.S. and Canada for one purpose. It will be even more noteworthy when we see the results of our having been a part of such an event," he concluded. Our Saviour and Trinity Congregations both plan to undertake special programs as a result of their participation in the convocation. Special outreach programs will begin in the near future as a way of carrying out the great commission. |