# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S661
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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661

FINANCIAL MATTERS

meetings. The Unfinished Task, our 78-minute mission movie, was
shown at all District meetings as well as at many circuit rallies.
The response in the many hundreds of parish showings is highly.
encouraging.

Your department is now in the process of gathering monthly
reports on performance in all of the congregations and circuits of:
Synod — with the help. of our. District stewardship leaders. and
our Visitors. This will enable our department, through the Dis-
trict stewardship leaders and Visitors, to advise and help lagging
congregations to reach the responsible share for Synod this year.
It. will also prove helpful to our department in supplying helps to.
sustain the morale of such circuits and parishes where contribu-
tions are flowing evenly and generously into the coffers of Synod.
This information will also be made available to the Praesidium
and the Board of Directors of Synod.

Long-range plans for 1957, and immediate plans for the latter
months of 1956, depend largely on the response of our Christians
during the first half of the current fiscal year. Detailed reports
will be given to the convention on receipts of the first four months
of 1956. Elsewhere in Reports AND Memor1ats it will become evi-
dent that the full program of Synod was carried out in 1955, despite
the deficit of $510,705 incurred in fiscal 1955. That such a large
deficit should hover over the church during this first full year of
“Our Venture of Faith” should move every pastor and layman
in Synod to put forth every effort this year so the full $12,900,000
Kingdom goal of Synod may be reached.

Above all, our people should see in the 1956 budget the face of
Jesus, who bids us labor while it is day so that His house may
be filled.

Our department is working in close co-operation with the
church leaders who are giving special attention to that phase of
the “Our Venture of Faith” program which deals with preaching,
doctrine, and practice, the office of the Visitor, etc. These are but
two phases of one over-all program.

General Problems

1. Eyes to see sin and its dreadful consequences through the
eyes of Jesus. A much greater appreciation of what He has done
for us as our Savior and Redeemer, and a growing fervor and zeal
to share our immeasurable blessings with a world of people.
A sense of urgency to do.the Lord’s work in the face of the grow-

ing needs of a world bound for. eternal destruction is too little in.

evidence. Many of our people are not persuaded that the King’s
business requires haste.