# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S276
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

276 MISSIONS

separated from a Gospel society of the State Church to estg
the Lutheran Free Church of Finland. Their numbers dwing
and at the present time the Lutheran Free Church of Fi
composed of three pastors, 344 souls, and 242 communicants. .'7!
are seven congregations and a total of 128 families scattered:
52 communities and 31 preaching places. Nominal membershi
the Finnish people in the State Church and non-recognition’'9
Free Church on the part of the government make the work.
brethren also here extremely difficult.

“Our brethren in Finland courageously undertook the:
struction of a building in Lahti, which serves as a chapel, a't
ing house, and a parsonage. This is really the only locale
brethren in Finland have which is representative of thei
and which establishes them as a working group within their
try. A debt of approximately $16,500, on which they must paj
interest, still rests on this structure. Our brethren had hop
to multiply the value of the support moneys received fr
Synod by engaging in certain legitimate business ventures ‘ag
be enabled to show a handsome profit wherewith to wipe out'Y
building fund debt. A change in the laws of the country, how
interfered with this program, leaving them in the precarious
tion of having a mortgage on their property which they kno
how to pay. They addressed a petition to Synod, which
convention in 1950 was given over to our committee for
investigation and a report to Synod’s Board of Directors, iS
was authorized to act in this matter.

“The three pastors presently serving the Finnish Free‘
are no longer young. The problem of finding successors w.
had the proper theological training is, because of the
very difficult of solution for us.

“B,. Recommendations.
“The Commission. recommends

“1. That our Synod should extend an interest-free loan}
brethren in Finland wherewith to pay the debt still res ‘ing
the property in Lahti; and that this loan then be amortized!
adequate reduction in subsidy spread over the next five®

Comment: The first recommendation has been impli
by the grant of an interest-free loan of 3,462,707 Finnmar
was granted by the Board‘of Directors to the Ev. Luther:
Church of Finland for the liquidation of its bank loan
property in Lahti. This loan is to be repaid in installmen’
a moratorium of five years on repayment has elapsed.

“9 That our brethren in Finland be informed that o
will cease its support by 1956. This will give them an oppo