August 3, 2023 • Last Day of Convention
As the 68th National LCMS Synod Convention closes today, all attendees gather for final business and a time of worship. We give thanks for 1000+ delegates, LCMS Synod staff, the City of Milwaukee, and Convention Volunteers. We are thankful for the love of God shown in and through all that gathered. Please pray for safe travel for all the attendees as they depart and for the ability to implement the work of the Convention as we continue connecting people to Jesus. 

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy Kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from the evil one.
For thine is the Kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.

August 2, 2023 • Information to Outreach
The Convention has passed the halfway mark, and the staff and delegates are in the midst of all the information and decisions being made. We give thanks for the engagement of the convention assembly and for those who daily inform the FLGA District Delegates. Please continue to pray for our FLGA District staff and delegates as they participate in the events of the Convention. Please also pray for outreach and mission to various groups. We also ask for specific prayer for the use of social media as a means of loving and serving our neighbors. 

Heavenly Father, You are our hope, and hold us in Your hands. There is no better place to be. Speak to us Your truth in Your Holy Word. Send us Your Spirit as we gather today, just like the Church did in Acts 15. Help all of us deliberate on the hard issues before us by honest debate and listening to one another as sisters and brothers in Christ. May we respect one another and speak the truth in love so that we may learn from one another and ultimately follow Your will. Remind us also that Your Church is made up of Your diversity of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:14-31). Let us see our brothers and sisters in Christ as You do. We thank You that each of us is a gift to Your Church for Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done. We are partners in the Gospel. So let us be of one mind. We need that so we can lead a life worthy of Your calling (Ephesians 4:1). Make us humble and gentle. Help us use our remaining hours of service to honor You and love others. This dear church body we love and serve needs hope and a future. Give us both for the sake of Christ and the furthering of His Kingdom. In Jesus’ all-powerful name, we pray. Amen.

August 1, 2023 • Celebrations & Challenges Ahead The FLGA District representatives appreciated rest and relaxations as they prepared for the day ahead of them. A day filled with celebrations, time spent with new and old friends, and convention business for the Concordia University System. Please pray for the universities as they prepare for both the opportunities and challenges before them. 

Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of the Church who loved us to the cross so we may be reconciled with You and one another. Through St. Paul, you gave us the responsibility to be ambassadors of reconciliation. The prayer You modeled for us commands us to forgive one another as You forgave us. As the delegates of this Convention struggle with issues in Your Church, help delegates to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Let us hear one another and be strengthened in Your love. As those forgiven and reconciled, remind us that we have been gathered together as your people to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, to share your grace and mercy with all, so that they too may celebrate the forgiveness and life you won for all. May all that we do give witness that “Christ’s love compels us!” (2 Cor 5:14). Amen.

July 31, 2023 • Convention Business—Join in Prayer and Celebration 
The FLGA District staff and delegates gather in the morning for breakfast, information for the day, and conversation with one another. Monday’s conversation centered around prayer in preparation for the day ahead. We give thanks for the gift of fellowship with convention attendees and fellow delegates. We also give thanks for celebrating altar pulpit fellowship with the Ukrainian Lutheran Church and their safety during the war. Please pray for LCMS church leaders and the church body to keep the mission of God a priority and for the Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of all leaders. Remind us all to treat one another with grace and love. 

Lord Jesus, as we face this day and our work together, may it all be about You and Your saving work for all. If there is ever a moment of contention among us, let Your Holy Spirit fill our hearts so that the way we treat one another reflects the way You treat us with grace and love. Lead our delegates to always keep Your mission as a priority. Make us to be instruments of Your love, grace, and Your peace. Remind us that we are Your vessels so that the world may know and follow the One who is the Way, Truth, and Life! You are Lord of all; therefore, we rejoice knowing that You’ve got us. So, let us have the confidence to be an example of the power Your love has on life — on our lives and all who come unto You. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

July 30, 2023 • National Convention begins in Milwaukee! 
The 68th Regular Convention of the LCMS has begun. Please pray for the resolution submitted by the Florida-Georgia District BOD and for the Vice Presidential elections of the LCMS to take place. We give thanks for the safe travel of the FLGA staff and delegates to Milwaukee and while they travel during the Convention. We also give thanks for the joyful worship that opened the Convention Saturday evening and Sunday morning worship.

Heavenly Father, as many elections approach, we seek to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our national church body. We ask You to keep our focus on “walking together.” We ask for ears that will hear the cries of unborn children and those abandoned, men and women oppressed because of race or creed, religion, or gender. We ask for minds and hearts to be open to hearing the voice of leaders who will bring us closer to Your Kingdom. We pray for discernment to choose leaders who hear Your Word, live Your love, and keep in the ways of Your truth as they follow in the steps of Jesus and His Apostles. Guide us to your Kingdom of justice and peace. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

July 3, 2023 • Follow convention news in Milwaukee or at home
The 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is set for July 29 through August 3 at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. Whether attending in person or following the proceedings at home, here is a link to everything you need to know about keeping up with all convention-related news. 

June 21, 2023, • Presidential election: Harrison re-elected LCMS president
The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, having received 52.32% of the votes cast, is the president-elect of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) for a fifth term of office, which runs from 2023 to 2026.

June 17–20, 2023 • Voting for the LCMS Synod President
Six weeks prior to the national Convention, the Secretary of the Synod provides, through an impartial, online election contractor, the opportunity for two voting delegates from each congregation or multi-congregation parish, as determined according to Bylaw 3.12.2.3, to vote for one of the candidates for President. Please pray for God’s guidance as voting delegates cast their ballots.

June 2, 2023 • LCMS presidential election: Candidate statements, Q&A
LCMS Secretary Rev. Dr. John W. Sias announced the names of the candidates for Synod president, first vice president, and regional vice presidents. The five candidates for President were then asked to provide brief personal statements and respond to a set of questions developed by LCMS Communications. They were asked to limit their statements and each of their question responses to approximately 100 words. The 2023 candidates for Synod president are the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, the Rev. Dr. Patrick T. Ferry, the Rev. Richard L. Snow, the Rev. Peter K. Lange, and the Rev. Benjamin T. Ball. Click here to read more. 

May 10, 2023 • Commemoration of Faithful Departed
At the 2023 Synod Convention, there will be a time (August 2) to thank God for all the called workers who have gone before us into eternal life in the past four years. As at previous conventions, a video of the names and photos of those faithfully departed will be shown. Pictures of the individuals who faithfully departed from March 1, 2019 – June 1, 2023, should be submitted. Please follow the guidelines linked here to submit your pictures.

February 20, 2023, UPDATE • LCMS Synod President Vote Information
Every LCMS congregation has two votes for the Synod President: their pastor, who is called and installed, and a lay delegate vote. To cast a vote, they must each be registered by March 19, 2023, or the congregation’s voice will be lost. Florida-Georgia District congregations who have registered to vote can be found here.

Currently, 1/6 of our FLGA District congregations have registered. Please do not delay in finalizing your voter registration; there is information you will need to gather to complete the process. Start the registration process well before the deadline to ensure sufficient time for completion. Don’t miss the opportunity to have the voice of your congregation heard!

October LCMS Synod Congregation Mailing
Congregations that did not receive their October president voter registration letter, mailed in late October, should contact the LCMS Office of the Secretary by email or phone at (314)996-1417.