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Congressman Dannemeyer To
Tour Texas For LCMS Laymen's Rights
By: Rev. Jack Cascione |
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Congressman Dannemeyer To Visit Texas In January 2003
Congressman Bill Dannemeyer is invited by Texas Confessional Lutherans and
Concord (Texas Balance, Inc.) for a six day whirlwind tour from January 12
to 18, 2003 to meet in both statewide rallies and small groups with the
139,000 members of the 343 LCMS congregations across the State. The rallies
will be held in the evenings in Austin, January 13 or 15; San Antonio,
January 14; Dallas/Ft. Worth, January 16 and Houston, January 17, with small
groups in each city for breakfast or lunch; locations and times to be
announced.
The theme of the six day tour will be "Effectiveness, Efficiency and
Economy in District - Synodical Church Government." Dannemeyer will
bring specific proposals for Texas congregations to adapt and present to the
Texas District Convention, June 2003, Corpus Christi Texas, and the National
Synodical Convention, July 2004, St Louis Missouri.
Bill Dannemeyer is a lifelong Lutheran, a delegate and observer to district
and national conventions of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), and
is currently president of his congregation in Fullerton California. Bill has
become increasingly appalled by the discrimination practiced by District and
Synodical Presidents against the laymen and women of his church. This shows
itself in the structure of committees at conventions where laymen are not
equally numbered with the clergy. The conventions decide the direction of
overall church polity every three years, and the local congregation's voters
assemblies choose equal numbers of lay and pastoral delegates
representatives.
Dannemeyer believes this discrimination results in lessening lay interest in
conventions at the District and Synod levels. It is not unusual for leaders
to structure convention committees with a majority of members who work
full-time for the church. This is a direct violation of Holy Scriptures in
that we are all equal in the Kingdom of God. In this way both the issues and
the votes are unfairly manipulated in favor of the special minority
interests of full-time professional church workers, but not toward the
common good of the local congregations who elect them to serve.
Elected for seven terms, 1979-1992, U.S. Congressman William C. Dannemeyer
of Fullerton California is remembered on Capitol Hill as a strong leader in
the House of Representatives serving on the Budget, Judiciary, and Energy
& Commerce Committees. He was also elected Chairman of the Republican
Study Committee.
Congressman Bill Dannemeyer considers the national economy arena of critical
importance. He was known as a leading expert in the House and steadfastly
resisted the efforts of his colleagues to raise taxes. Proud to be called
the "Taxpayers' Representative" by the National Taxpayer's Union,
in 1992 they ranked Bill #1 of the entire 435 House members as Taxpayers'
Best Friend.
During his service in Congress, Bill Dannemeyer received the "Guardian
of Small Business" and the "Watchdog of the Treasury" awards
for excellence. He coauthored several bills, seven of which dealt with the
illegal immigration problems facing our Nation. He was the lead Republican
author of a bipartisan plan introduced in 1985 to deregulate natural gas
prices. As ranking Republican on the Health and Environment Subcommittee,
Bill led the fight in Congress to bring the spread of AIDS under control.
Bill Dannemeyer is a graduate of Valparaiso University, Indiana, and
Hastings College of Law, San Francisco. He served as a special agent in the
Army Counter-Intelligence Corps during the Korean War. He was a lawyer in
private practice and after serving as a deputy district attorney and judge
pro tem, he served in the California State Assembly from 1963-66 and again
from 1977 until his election to Congress in 1978.
Married for over 43 years, Bill and Evie have three children - Bruce, Kim,
Susan; nine granddaughters and one grandson. Evie passed away from cancer in
July 1999. Author of the book "Shadow In The Land, " he is in the
process of publishing a book titled "The Green Road To The New World
Order."
In January 1995, Bill and David Barton organized Americans For Voluntary
School Prayer. It's mission is to develop grass roots support for
legislation to protect religious liberty and permit student-led voluntary
prayer in the public schools of America. This legislation was passed by the
House of Representatives on June 4, 1998, by a vote of 248 to 180. It did
not pass the Senate. He is working in the current Congress to get this and
other laws passed, including a "Petition to the U.S. Congress to Return
to the Intended Meaning of the First Amendment."
For more information contact:
Rev. Albert Loeschman,
Bethlehem Lutheran Church,
5084 Church Lane,
North Zulch TX 77872,
936/399-5563,
wd5iqr@txcyber.com
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January 6 , 2002 |