May 2, 2008

Election of Board of Directors, appointment of Regional Coordinators and call for Resolutions at Hearts on Fire

Dear Members of Lutherans Concerned / North America:

As you know, Hearts on Fire, the Biennial Assembly of Lutherans Concerned / North America (LC/NA) will take place July 3–6, 2008, in San Francisco and will provide us a wonderful opportunity to gather together for worship, workshops and fellowship. In addition, business sessions of the Biennial Assembly, LC/NA's highest legislative authority, provide the time for us to do certain necessary work of the organization.

This letter contains important information regarding:

• the election of the Board of Directors for the 2008–2010 biennium;
• the appointment of Regional Coordinators for the 2008–2010 biennium; and
• a call for Resolutions for consideration during the plenary sessions at Hearts on Fire.

Election of the Board of Directors. Article II, Section 5.B, of LC/NA's Bylaws provides that, "Nominees for the Board of Directors shall be presented to the Assembly as an entire slate(s) and shall be elected by the Assembly by a simple majority vote." Section 5.C provides in part that, "At least two (2) months prior to each Assembly, a Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors to search for a slate(s) of members of the organization who will agree to have their names submitted to serve on the Board of Directors."

Six people have been appointed to the Nominating Committee: three from the current Board of Directors (Len Weiser, Phil Soucy and Kurt Neumann); two LC/NA members not on the Board of Directors (the Rev. Wendy Sherer and Vikki Ward-Martin); and, in keeping with conventional wisdom regarding nonprofit board development, LC/NA's Executive Director (Emily Eastwood) is an ex officio member of the Nominating Committee.

This Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations for the 2008-2010 Board of Directors, which will consist of the following positions: 2 Co-Chairs; Vice-Chair of Development; Secretary; Treasurer; Director of Communications; Director(s) of Multicultural Relations; Director of International Programs; Director of Youth, Young Adult and Family Ministries; Bisexual Representative; Transgender Representative; Youth/Young Adult Representative; Canadian Representative; and Chaplain. These Board Position Descriptions and a Nomination Form are available at www.lcna.org/jobs.shtm. If you do not have access to the internet, please call the LC/NA office at 651-665-0861.

The Nominating Committee will evaluate all submitted nominees for their specific skills and commitment to serve the organization. Based on LC/NA's long-standing commitment to inclusivity and its more recent formal commitment to anti-racism, the Nominating Committee will strive to ensure that the composition of the Board of Directors will reflect diversity in the areas of age, gender, race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, and geographic locale (inclusive of all of North America). Individuals may nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else, as long as the nominee approves. Nominee approval may be obtained via an e-mail from the nominee accepting the nomination.

Nominations for the Board of Directors must be received by May 31, 2008. Please e-mail completed Nomination Forms to len Weiser at or mail them to: LC/NA, Attention: Board Nominations, PO Box 4707, St Paul, MN 55104-0707.

As also provided in Article II, Section 5.C of the LC/NA Bylaws, the presentation of a slate by the Nominating Committee "does not preclude other slates of candidates for positions on the Board of Directors from being formed independently and presenting themselves at the time the Nominating Committee submits its Report to the Assembly." Any alternate slates must include all the 2008–2010 board positions listed above. In addition, all nominees included on a slate must have given their approval to be included on that slate. Nominees are expected to be in attendance at the Assembly.

PLEASE NOTE: As LC/NA has become a larger, more professional organization, we have strived to better train and equip our staff, leadership, volunteers, and members. These actions include making significant investments in our future leaders. Because vacancies and job opportunities are continually presenting themselves, we strongly encourage everyone with interest in a larger role in LC/NA (whether currently available or not) to let the Nominating Committee know. Future leaders can then be invited to attend training sessions and get involved in conferences and events to better prepare them for such opportunities.

Appointment of Regional Coordinators. The Board of Directors and staff have determined that having trained, active Regional Coordinators in place at the beginning of the Biennial Assembly is crucial so that during the Assembly, the new Regional Coordinators can network with members of their regions and develop and recruit volunteers for regional projects and activities. Therefore, in 2006 we instituted a new application and appointment process for Regional Coordinators, i.e., the LC/NA Board of Directors reviews applications and appoints the new Regional Coordinators prior to the Biennial Assembly. For Hearts on Fire, the appointments will take effect July 2.

The Regional Coordinator Job Description and Application Form can be found at www.lcna.org/jobs.shtm. The Regional Coordinator applications must also be received by May 31, 2008. Please e-mail applications to Len Weiser at len@lcna.org or mail them to: LC/NA, Attention: RC Applications, PO Box 4707, St Paul, MN 55104-0707.

Resolutions for Assembly 2008 may be submitted in advance of the Assembly by e-mail to LC/NA Vice-Chair, the Rev Jayne Thompson, at vicechair@lcna.org no later than June 30, 2008. The deadline for submitting resolutions at the Assembly is Friday, July 4, 2008, at 7:00 pm.

Before they are presented to the Assembly for action, all resolutions will be reviewed by Reference and Counsel to make sure they meet constitutional requirements and are clear in their intent. The LC/NA members who have volunteered to serve on Reference and Counsel will be introduced at the beginning of the Assembly.

Thank you for your faithfulness. We look forward to seeing you at Hearts on Fire in July!

In hope for a church that welcomes and includes,

Jeannine Janson and Len Weiser, Co-Chairs