# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S745
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS —

Re Program Expansion
4 An idea of the increase in our activities can be gleaned from
ite following figures: 1950 1982

11,263
30,212
30,788

124

Discharged ~~. «(2,286 6,085

Cost of Operation Increased

With the increase in the military, our operating expenses had
fto rise. Three years ago we had 5,000 names of men in service,
Fnow we have around 35,000. In 1949 $100,000 paid the operating
F costs; in 1952 $352,000 was spent. In our office we have 3 pastors,
: 93 full-time workers, and 5 part-time workers. 45,000 copies of
E Loyalty — Christ and Country are printed monthly. The Lutheran
EChaplain is published six times a year, and Double-Time four
‘times. Thousands of our prayer books and tracts have been dis-
“tributed among the service personnel.

Service and Parish Centers
There are 45 such centers in operation, and some more are to
be added. These are operated jointly with the National Lutheran
F; Council so far as the physical property is concerned. We bear 40%
€ of this cost. Each group serves its own people in a spiritual way.
We believe this plan is a part of good stewardship. There are about
600 military installations in this country.

Finances

At the close of 1952 our financial resources were about ex-
hausted. The Board of Directors proposed to the Fiscal Conference
* that the expenses of the Armed Services Commission become an
item in Synod’s budget, since the work appears to be of a permanent
nature. But the Fiscal Conference felt that the inclusion of all the
items proposed by the Board of. Directors would make too large
a budget, and then authorized a specie! Mother’s Day collection.
We hope our Christians will contribute liberally toward this col-
lection. We not only need $320,000 for the work of the Armed
Services Commission and $132,000 for the activities of the Lutheran
Service Commission during 1953, but we ought to collect enough
to take care of expenses until Mother’s Day, 1954, plus about
$150,000 for the purchase of an office building in Washington.

Chaplains
We have 102 chaplains on active duty: 3 in the Navy; 38 in the
Army; 48 in the Air Force; and 3 are in the Canadian Army. These
people get their pay from the Government. We also have 9 full-