# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S479
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

492 MISSIONS

tacted with the one purpose of having them assign a contact pastor
in their respective District through whom contact may be estab.
lished in the individual State School and through whom the work
of our Board may be cleared in each District. Through such con-
tact pastors we are hopeful of keeping each District informed as
to how our congregations might better serve any Blind which they
have in their membership, and through such contacts we feel
that also our subscription lists can be cleared in the various Dis.
tricts with the possible thought of gaining any unchurched sub-
scribers for our Church. We trust that in this program we shall
have the co-operation of every District Mission Board.

Literature for the Blind

Since one of the primary means of conveying the messages of
our Church to the visually handicapped is raised type, one of
the primary interests of the Board from the beginning of its assign-
ment was not only to continue and to improve our present publica-
tions but also to prepare new publications to be put into Braille.
Before incurring any expenditure in the preparation and production
of new materials, however, it was felt advisable to make a complete
appraisal of what we have prepared in the past. This has now
been done. To facilitate this study, ink print copies of our various
publications have been prepared and the first step in new pub-
lications has been taken. This is the preparation in Braille of
A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories, by A. Gross, eventually to
supplant our present Old and New Testament Bible Stories.
On the child level this new copy, it is felt, will be more meaningful
than our previous text to the children we are serving in the various

State Schools.

Another venture only recently undertaken is the production
of our first Talking Book, placing H. W. Gockel’s What Jesus Means
to Me on a series of disks, or records. This is by no means a new
method of. instruction in work among the Blind, but has before
not been utilized in our Church. While the method of preparing
a Talking Book is a rather costly venture, being about 40 per cent
higher than Braille Printing, the need for this in the work of our
Church has long been felt, since there are twice as many talking
book readers among the Blind than Braille readers. Once this book
is completed, it will be available to those requesting the same
through our Chicago Library. If the response to this venture is
favorable, we hope to enter this field of service to the Blind on
a larger scale, since through this method even such as are unable
to read by means of Braille and other raised types will have the
advantage of much of the fine literature of our Church.

At the time our Board assumed its duties we were asked

MISSIONS ; 493

to consider the re-publication of our German Braille Bote, which
had been published prior to the war primarily in the interest of
the Blind in Germany, though also read by a considerable number
in the States. While a list of prospective subscribers was given
to the Board, it was felt that before re-entering this work the lists
should be screened and that we should also try to co-ordinate this
work with the work of our German Free Church. To date no
satisfactory arrangement has been arrived at, though your Board
still has the same under advisement.

The possibility of publishing literature in Spanish and Portu-
guese Braille for the Blind in Central and South America, referred
to our Board for study, was also considered, but this, too, is being
held in abeyance due to the difficulties which would be experienced
at present in disseminating such literature. Should any need, how-
ever, present itself and ways be indicated as to how to carry
through, your Board will be more than happy to entertain such
recommendations.

Braille Press .

The question of the purchase of a Braille press of our own was
referred to your Board for study at the time of its appointment
and was also considered by the Board on numerous occasions in
consultation with individuals competent to judge the merit. of
such purchase in the interest of our Church. From all observa-
tions it seems that at least for the present the expense entailed both
in the purchase and operation of such a press for the production
of our literature would not warrant such purchase at this. time.
However, this matter, too, is still being given serious study, and
the Board would appreciate any constructive suggestions which
might help it in its true evaluation and final decision in the interest
of our Church relative to this project.

Volunteer Workers

We wish to take this opportunity to commend the interest of
various enthusiastic groups of women in our Church, especially
in California, Michigan, Minnesota, and the Chicago area, who have
done much to foster the work of our Church among the Blind
by providing transcriptions of our literature in Braille and by
offering other services through which the sightless can be helped.
Especially in the Los Angeles area, a group of women has done
much to serve the sightless in Germany through the transcription
of portions of the Scriptures in German Braille which otherwise
were unavailable to these persons since the war. We wish to
encourage other groups in Synod seeking worth-while projects to
follow the example of these individuals and groups who have so

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