# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S478
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

MISSIONS 491

another lay member, Mr. Ernest Berger of Milwaukee, was
appointed by the President of Synod in his place.

After its appointment the Board devoted the first months to
orienting itself in its work. However, while in the process of calling
an Executive Secretary, Pastor Oswald ‘had to resign as member
of the Board in view of his election as District President of the
South Wisconsin District. Next Pastor Strasen tendered his resig-
nation in view of his acceptance of a call to South ‘America. Efforts
were made at once to fill these vacancies, but a considerable number
of months elapsed before the membership of the Board was again
completed. In place of these two men the President of Synod made
the appointment of Pastors George Brueggemann and Erwin
Tieman.

Appointment of Executive Secretary

As soon as the new membership of the Board had been
acquainted with the work assigned to it, the Board again proceeded
with the calling of an Executive Secretary. The call was extended
to the Rev. Walter Storm of Cleveland. Upon finding it impossible
to leave his congregation, Pastor Storm expressed a willingness
to serve on a voluntary basis, devoting one half of his time to the
work in his congregation and the other half to directing the interest
of our Church among the Blind, if we would supply him with an
office secretary, while his congregation assumed the entire responsi-
bility of calling an assistant pastor. To this the Board and also
Synod’s Board of Directors agreed. The spirit with which both
Pastor Storm and his congregation have entered this plan, we
believe, is most commendable and up until the present has proved
a satisfactory arrangement.

One of the first interests of the Board after the appointment
of the Executive Secretary was to co-ordinate its work with that
of the pastors of our Church serving in communities which have
State Schools for the Blind. There are fourteen such State Schools
in which our Church is now serving. To encourage these men and
to enlarge our interests in this field of service, a meeting of all
workers was held in Chicago on November 15 and 16 of 1949. This
meeting was the first of its kind in our church circles and was
thoroughly revealing in the understanding it gave to all of what
has been done in the past and what can be done to serve especially
the young people of our Church studying at the various State
Schools. It also gave us insight into the general attitudes of:
Blind people and splendid contacts with men in both Government
and State positions who know the work among the Blind, which
should stand us in good stead in the future. Since that Chicago
meeting the Mission Boards of various Districts have been con-