Those involved in Lawrence churches occasionally get to represent either their church, district, etc., at national church conventions/assemblies.These conventions sometimes draw media attention. But often they don’t rise to that level as denomination members hash out internal policies for their churches.Lawrence resident Kevin Boatright, a member of Lawrence’s Trinity Lutheran Church, recently attended such an assembly for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.I asked him to write his thoughts on attending the event. Here they are:”I was in Chicago August 6-12 as one of nearly 1,100 voting members at the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The Assembly is held every other year and is the highest legislative body of the ELCA.Voting members include pastors and laypersons from 65 regional synods throughout the U.S. I was elected a voting member from the Central States Synod, which includes ELCA congregations in Kansas and Missouri.This year’s Assembly was my sixth in the 20-year history of the ELCA (a merger of three existing Lutheran church bodies). It’s a tremendous opportunity to be part of a 4.8 million-member church at a national level, gaining a perspective on policy, business affairs, leadership, and ecumenical relationships that few church members get to experience.A summary of actions taken at the Assembly is on-line at http://elca.org/assembly/summary/. For me, the highlights included:¢ Participating for the third time in the election of a presiding bishop to a six-year term;¢ Approving an ELCA social statement, ‘Our Calling in Education,’ concluding a six-year process that included a regional hearing in 2006 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence;¢ Voting to begin work on a social statement on criminal justice, for action in 2013;¢ Receiving a report that outlines a 40-year downward trend in support for external mission funding, at the same time that spending at the congregational level has increased; and¢ Debating a series of proposals concerning standards for ministers, the blessing of same-sex couples in committed relationships, and discipline for ministers in such relationships.The last of these topics provoked the most debate and received the most media attention. The Assembly made no changes to ELCA standards for ministers and declined to make other policy changes, referring all matters to the task force working on the ELCA’s Studies on Sexuality. A social statement on human sexuality will be considered at the 2009 Assembly in Minneapolis. The Assembly did adopt a motion that asks for restraint in the disciplining of ministers who are in committed same-sex relationships. This was the most controversial action taken at Chicago.The Assembly was not all business. There was a worship service each day, and other opportunities – such as a reception recognizing the 100th anniversary of Lutheran Campus Ministry – to remember the mission of the church in the world. There was fun, also, such as a banquet celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ELCA, with entertainment provided by the hilarious St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Bottle Band from Park Ridge, Illinois. The schedule was very full, however. Despite meeting downtown on the lakefront at Navy Pier, there was almost no chance to explore Chicago. And the weather there was just as hot and muggy as it was in Lawrence!Attending an Assembly such as this one gives me a sense of how large the church is – in terms of its national and global ministries and outreach – and how small it is. I ran into voting members and staff from Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina and other states who I’ve met before – or who know someone I know. So an Assembly is something like a family reunion, as well as a time for prayerful deliberation.It was a privilege to participate as a voting member at the 2007 Assembly. This year’s theme was ‘Living in God’s Amazing Grace: Thanks Be to God!’ That’s the Gospel all of us should live by.”_ – Faith Files, which examines issues of faith, spirituality, morals and ethics, is updated by features/faith reporter Terry Rombeck. Have an idea for the blog? Contact Terry at trombeck@ljworld.com, or 832-7145._