Pastor Dave is a friend of mine and Wayne’s fellow associate of the English District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. He has served in the Racetrack Ministry for 39 years, and he served those working at Hawthorne Race Course and in Arlington Park Racetrack in Illinois.
What happened was ridiculous and unjust. He was denied access to serve at these places because the parent company got ticked off over his assistance to provide racetrackers basic human needs at their living quarters– things like electricity, a decent water supply, and indoor plumbing. Can you say violation of the First Amendment?!
So now, I’m posting this requesting your help, especially those in the Synod.
To those outside the Synod: Boycott the Churchill Downs facilities. Don’t visit their racetracks, their off-track betting facilities, or anything else supporting this parent company. If you must gamble, go to a bingo parlor, go to a different casino, even go anywhere but there.
And now for those within the Synod, here’s where you enter:
Please consider submitting a resolution to 2007 LCMS Convention from your congregation, circuit or other synodical entities regarding racetrack ministry.
Create your own distinct overture OR use the following resolution:
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE RACETRACK MINISTRY OF THE REVEREND DAVID KRUECKEBERG
WHEREAS the Reverend David Krueckeberg, better known to the people whom he
serves as “Reverend Dave,” is an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod who has served with distinction as a minister for the workers of the thoroughbred horse racetracks in the Chicago area since 1969, and
WHEREAS he was the first full-time racetrack minister in the United States and his ministry has served as a model for racetrack ministry for the Christian Church at large, and
WHEREAS he has been licensed by the State of Illinois for 38 years to have access
to the people who live and work in the stable areas of the racetracks, and
WHEREAS he has conducted a unique, but thriving seven-day-a-week ministry to
those who care for the horses that could not be done easily by a parish pastor,
since state law restricts access to the stable area to licensed personnel and since
many of the grooms, hot-walkers, exercise riders, and other workers work long hours seven days a week that hinder their involvement in a typical congregation, and many lack transportation to leave the racetrack, and
WHEREAS it is a most grievous sin for any mortal to prevent a pastor from exercising his holy stewardship over Word and Sacrament, and
WHEREAS one of the purposes for which the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was organized is to support pastors from unjust removal from their ministry, and
WHEREAS Reverend Dave has been barred by the Hawthorne Race Course from
ministering to racetrackers in both the public and the non-public areas of the racetrack and by the Arlington Park Racetrack, which is owned by Churchill Downs, Inc., from ministering to racetrackers in the non-public areas of the racetrack, and
WHEREAS Reverend Dave was barred simply because, in addition to preaching the gospel, he has tried to help racetrackers meet some of their most basic physical needs (including electricity, indoor plumbing, and water quality), and
WHEREAS Reverend Dave had been allowed to conduct services within a two-hour period each week in the non-public stable area at the Hawthorne Race Course, but even that privilege was revoked on March 31, 2006, and
WHEREAS Reverend Dave has repeatedly not been allowed to do grief ministry
to the families of deceased workers who live and work in the non-public
stable areas of the racetracks immediately following the death of a loved
one, even though he had a pastoral relationship with the families, and
WHEREAS there has been a significant decrease in the number of baptisms
among racetrackers and their families since Reverend Dave has been denied
full access to the stable areas of the racetrack, and
WHEREAS there has been a 40 percent decline in the number of racetrack
children enrolled at Grace Lutheran School since Reverend Dave has been denied
full access to the stable areas of the racetracks and it is anticipated that enrollment
will continue to decline if he continues to be barred from his ministry, and
WHEREAS the owners and managers of the Hawthorne Race Course and the
Arlington Park Racetrack have rebuffed numerous requests for the reinstatement
of the ministry of Reverend Dave, and
WHEREAS Reverend Dave’s plight has been featured in the English Channels, the Northern Light, the Reporter, the Lutheran Witness, and in the local secular press including the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Herald, and The Pioneer Press, and Reverend Dave has been commended by our synodical president Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, and by five district presidents whose districts include Hawthorne Race Course and all racetracks owned by Churchill Downs, Inc.; therefore be it
RESOLVED that the LCMS in convention publicly commend Reverend Dave for his labors, and publicly support his ministry, and be it further
RESOLVED that the LCMS in convention in the names of our 2.4 million members find Hawthorne Race Course and Arlington Park Racetrack’s actions appalling, and be it further
RESOLVED that every congregation in the LCMS encourage its members to sign and to encourage other people both inside and outside of their congregation to sign the Petition in Support of the Ministry of the Reverend David Krueckeberg promising to boycott all business activities of the Hawthorne Race Course and of Churchill Downs, Inc., including their offtrack betting facilities, their racetracks Arlington Park in Arlington Heights - Chicago, Illinois, Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney - Chicago, Illinois, Calder in Miami, Florida, Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky - Evansville, Indiana, Fairgrounds in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hoosier in Anderson - Indianapolis, Indiana, and all simulcast presentations originating from their racetracks until such time as Reverend Dave is allowed unrestricted access to the racetrackers and their families, and be it further
RESOLVED that the LCMS in convention ask the Council of Presidents to state to the owners of Arlington Park and Hawthorne Racetracks that it is the will of the LCMS, assembled in convention, that Reverend Dave be allowed free access to the racetrackers at those racetracks and that the LCMS will do everything in its power to bring this about, and be it further
RESOLVED that the Executive Director of Synod’s Board for Human Care follow up on this matter and report the outcome to the Council of Presidents and the 2010 Synodical Convention.
SIGNATURES:
Congregational President____________________________________
and/or Congregational Secretary____________________________________
and/or Congregational Pastor_______________________________________
Note: If no scheduled congregational meeting, then the church council can produce/approve resolution on behalf of the congregation.
If you produce your own distinct resolution, then all the overtures should agree on the sort of outcome we seek: (1) Synod in convention stating in the names of our 2.4 million members that we find Hawthorne-Arlington’s actions appalling; (2) Synod in convention stating that we publicly support the racetrack ministry of Rev. Dave; (3) Synod asking all of its member congregations to sign onto the boycott; and (4) the convention asking the Council of Presidents to follow up on this matter with Hawthorne and Arlington Park Racetracks, making it clear to the racetracks that the 2.4 million members of synod have clearly spoken on this matter in convention.
Send LCMS Convention Resolutions to: Office of the Secretary, International Center, 1333 South Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 by March 10, 2007.
FACT: America is like a huge betting parlor without walls. People can bet/play horses in states that run in other states. Consequently, signatures on a boycott petition are just as efficacious coming from any state in the country (and Canada) as they are coming from Chicago.
FACT: This is a battle for freedom of religion, Christian ministry, and justice.
PLEASE email this to others to do, too.
Thank you and may God continue to use us in His service.