# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S144 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 144 RESOLUTIONS Resolved, That the Board of Directors of our Synod be instructed to reinstate the deleted allocation to cover the basic administrative costs of our Board of World Relief into the synodical budget; and be it further Resolved, That the Board of Directors of The Lu- theran Church — Missouri Synod be directed to divert $100,000 to the Board of World Relief, to be used as judiciously as possible to feed at least a few of the hungry of this world now; and be it further Resolved, That all congregations of our Synod and all their members be challenged to change the past and present practice of “token giving” to “sacrificial giving” for this critical need; and be it further Resolved, That our congregations be requested to appeal to their youth to prepare themselves for service in careers such-as food research, agricultural develop- ment, and food distribution, to the end of placing their knowledge and ability at the disposal of people that need and would welcome such qualified persons to help them triumph over poverty, hunger, and starvation; and be it further Resolved, That this convention commend the cur- rent interest of our young people in their attempt to alleviate the problem of world hunger and encourage and urge them to continue this interest until this prob- lem is solved; and be it further Resolved, That we as a church body and as Christian citizens strive to arouse the national conscience on world hunger by urging our governmental officials to reassess our national values and priorities in order to deal more effectively with this serious and heartless problem of world hunger; and be it further Resolved, That our congregations be directed to re- mind their members of the great value of periodically writing “personal” letters to their representatives in Congress of their concern for the genuine needs of others in our own country and in the world; and be it finally Resolved, That, since the problem of world hunger is so monumental and complex and cannot be solved overnight, the President of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod be, and hereby is, empowered to ap- point a commission to gather and analyze the per- tinent data of experts in this or related fields of world hunger and translate this information into a set of responses for the future guidance of our church, her agencies and members in helping them in their God- pleasing attempt to wipe out hunger, with the help of Almighty God, from the face of the earth. Action: Adopted as amended (15). (The committee accepted in Session 13 a change in the first resolved which had read: “That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, a corporate body of redeemed Christians, through an appropriate board or committee immediately in- tensify its present program to alleviate world hunger,” and also a change in the third resolved, which had read: “. .. to study the possibility of the realignment of its budget priori- ties. The fifth resolved was inserted by amendment in Ses- sion 13. Another amendment was made, seconded, and discussed to allocate at least 40% of projected expenditures for the next 2 years for self-help ministries. In Session 15 the assembly gave the mover formal permission to withdraw the proposed amendment. The resolution was then adopted in the form given above.) To Commend Commission for Services to the Mentally Retarded RESOLUTION 9-12 Report 9-03 (CW, pp. 385—387) Wuereas, The Commission for Services to the Men- tally Retarded, although only in its sixth year and hav- ing had an executive secretary for only 2 years, has nevertheless rendered significant service to the mentally retarded by way of materials, instruction programs, institutes, curricula, etc.; therefore be it Resolved, That the commission be commended for such service, leadership, and initiative; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod encourage the commission to continue to alert and arouse the members of the Synod to the needs of the mentally retarded and to encourage active involvement in a ministry to the same; and be it finally Resolved, That we as a church do all in our power to help these our brothers and sisters in every way pos- sible, but above all to bring them into the fellowship of God’s love and saving grace. Action: Adopted (16). To Commend Commission on Social Action RESOLUTION 9-13 Report 9-01 (CW, pp. 377—379) Wuereas, The report of the Commission on Social Action informs the Synod that a significant number of study documents and position papers have been pre- pared since the commission’s organization in 1962; and Wuereas, An increasing number of social problems call for further studies and for continued exploration in the light of God’s Word of the theology of Christian social action; and WuerEas, The studies have not always been given the attention they deserve; therefore be it Resolved, That we commend the commission for the publication of the guidelines and studies; and be it also Resolved, That congregations study the documents carefully and respond to them with responsible action according to the insight, ability, and opportunity which God gives. Action: Adopted (6). To Commend Board of Social ‘Ministry RESOLUTION 9-14 Report 9-02 (CW, pp. 379—385) WuereEas, The convention committee has reviewed the report of the Board of Social Ministry and found it to be a significant document on the relation of the Holy Scriptures to the social ministry of the church; and