St. Peter's Lutheran Church-Brooklyn, NY




	DELEGATE CORNER This new feature will allow Convention voting lay delegate Sonia Holder to bring to the attention of St. Peter's parishioners and website guests opinions on issues of importance facing the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as 1200+ voting pastors and lay people from around the country prepare to gather in St. Louis from July 10-15, 2004. Ms. Holder's opinions may be joined by those of other guest participants. Introduction I count it as a privilege to have been chosen to be a voting delegate to the national convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I was selected as the lay voting representative from Circuit Six of the Atlantic District. I represent my parish, my circuit, my district and my church body. I am A baptized Christian An African-based Caribbean-American woman originally from the island nation of Barbados, living in a Nehemiah home in Brooklyn, New York A member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church (LCMS) for fifteen years President of St. Peter's Lutheran Church for six years A working woman serving as a bank executive A student in the Atlantic District Certified Deacon program The unique circumstances of St. Peter's Lutheran Church and our Pastor, David H. Benke, since September 11, 2001, have given me a very special window into the way the wider church works. These circumstances have brought tremendous nationwide Lutheran support in prayer, worship attendance, and financial donation to the David H. Benke Advocacy and Defense Fund, and our "It's OK to Pray" and S.P.I.R.I.T. (St. Peter's Institute for Religious Interfaith Tolerance) efforts. At the same time, we at St. Peter's have received some very harsh and intolerant attacks, mostly from clergy within the Missouri Synod. We at St. Peter's have never lost our local mission focus, however. We are a very broadly diverse multi-cultural mostly Caribbean-based Lutheran parish that has rejoiced to see people from other faith traditions including Hindu and Muslim brought to our altar for Holy Baptism in the past year. I plan to write short columns on issues of importance as I see them from my perspective. Guest columnists may add other words on those same issues. I pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all that I say. Let the dialog begin! The Importance of Dialog in the LCMS Women as Leaders in the LCMS Racism in the LCMS Diversifying the Mission in the LCMS Lutheran Theology "on the ground" Back to "It's OK to Pray"...The SPIRIT Page

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