# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S465
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 465

lishment of such a department, and the Board of Directors of
Synod, which had given much attention to this question, submitted
tentative set of regulations (Memorial 801, par. 12).

In this connection we insert the report of the Press Com-
mittee, Memorial 710:

Report of Press Committee

Your Press Committee served at the last convention in Saginaw
in co-operation with the local Press Committee in the preparation
on advance releases, mats, write-ups for the newspapers, copy for
the various news services, releases to local newspapers, etc. Radio
time was obtained for interviews of officials attending the conven-
tion, and a daily news broadcast of the convention was made
directly from the convention.

The services of Dr. Bradford Abernethy, Religious News Com-
mentator for NBC, was obtained to cover the Saginaw Convention.
During the week following the convention, he made a nation-wide
broadcast of the news of the convention.

Your Committee has made regular releases of nation-wide in-
terest to the various news services. Special releases were made
in connection with the commemoration of the 400th anniversary
of Luther’s death, the celebration of the Centennial of Synod, and
other events of national interest.

The office of the Synodical Press Committee at 1819 Broadway
was frequently consulted by Time, News Week, Life magazines and
the Associated Press for consultation on Lutheran news items.

Since the last convention, the District Press Committees have
been organized throughout Synod through the co-operation of the
District Presidents. Two “Publicity Work Seminars” have been
held under the auspices of the Press Committee, which were at-
tended by representatives of almost every District of Synod. These
seminars proved to be of inestimable value in promoting the work
of publicity in local areas and in co-ordinating the work of pub-
licity throughout Synod. All but two Districts of Synod have now
appointed or elected Press Committees, which act as contacts be-
tween the Synodical Press Committee and the various Districts.
Some Districts have carried the organization further by appoint-
ing representatives in the various circuits. This organization of a
working public relations machine, which is designed to touch
even the smallest Lutheran community of our Synod, is one of the
large achievements of Synod’s Press Committee and will prove
of inestimable value in aiding any future Public Relations program
of our Church.

Your Committee has been instrumental in obtaining radio time

Proceedings, 1947 30

i
a