I thought, just to rub it in a little, I would show you who didn't fall for my trickery: Erica AKA Edited Copy. I received one e-mail with the title "Are You Serious?" Poor Terrible Swede didn't realize it was April Fool's Day. I do want to tell Thomas that if he still wants to "intervene," I am more than happy to participate in it. Just name a bar, errrrr, meeting place, and I'll be there.

Before I "went off the deep end," I made a comment about Lent being a quiet time politically within the bureaucracy because everybody was too busy trying not to drown in work. Not everyone is quite that busy, however. From CAT41:

[The following overture was submitted by St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church of Brookfield, IL. It has been deemed one that is "materially in error, or contains an apparent misrepresentation of truth or of character." The question is, "Has President Kieschnick, on fact, so far isolated himself from the FACTS in this matter that he wouldn't know them if they jumped up and bit him, or is he just unwilling or unable to accept those *well-documented* facts because they don't fit his theologico-political agenda?" "This isn't your grandfather's church." No, because the grandfathers in the LCMS didn't demand the acceptance of an institutional lie, but let it come to the convention floor to be reproved. We are now in the midst of a true 'imperial presidency', wherein more power has been accrued to the office of synod president--and that power has been more abundantly abused--then one would have thought possible. With this edict from St. Louis, we have become Rome. EJG]

TO THANK GOD FOR THE 25 YEAR MINISTRY OF DR. WALLACE SCHULZ AS LUTHERAN HOUR SPEAKER

Whereas, Dr. Wallace Schulz, the Second Vice-President of the LCMS, did faithfully for 25 years proclaim God's Word of Law and Gospel on the International Lutheran Hour, and

Whereas, he thereby strengthened the faith of many and brought into the fellowship of our Lord an unknown number, there fore be it

Resolved, that the Synod in Convention assembled thank God for Dr. Schulz and thank Dr. Schulz for his faithful service, and be it further

Resolved, that the synod express its regret to the Lutheran Laymen's League for releasing Dr. Schulz from his call as LUTHERAN HOUR Speaker even though they had assured him that his decision in the Benke case, which had been thrust upon him in his office as second vice-president of the Synod, would not effect his standing as LUTHERAN HOUR Speaker.

Ronald Kuehn Mark Stern
St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church Secretary
Brookfield, Illinois St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church
Brookfield, Illinois

This overture will not appear in the 2004 convention workbook.

Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, the president of the LCMS, has written a letter to the President of the Northern Illinois District that "the attached overture(s) submitted by an entity from your district contains information which is materially in error, or contains an apparent misrepresentation of truth or of character."

He further wrote to President Ameiss, "In accord with Bylaw 3.19.d., this overture is hereby being referred to your office, which has ecclesiastical supervision over the entity submitting the overture for action."

This deserves some extremely witty and incisive commentary, but I have none to give. If it is a pope we wanted, we sure got it. If, for some strange reason, someone who actually has some say is reading this, this is the insanity we have devolved to. We can't even give thanks for the good work God has done through someone anymore because he happened to irritate the current SP. It's stuff like this that makes wonder if, someday, my April Fool's prank will show up again but this time it won't be April 1.