# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2023_S77 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS • 100th anniversary of LCMS Campus Ministry • 50th anniversary of the 50th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in New Orleans We will observe the following anniversaries during the next triennium: • 100th anniversary of the first broadcast of The Lutheran Hour • 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Concordia Seminary Clayton campus • 75th anniversary of the Florida-Georgia District • 50th anniversary of the Walkout at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis • 50th anniversary of Concordia University Irvine (Christ College Irvine) • 50th anniversary of Concordia Theological Seminary’s move from Springfield, Illinois, to Fort Wayne • 30th anniversary of the International Lutheran Council • 25th anniversary of Concordia International School Shanghai 3. Online resources have been made available to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the LCMS CHI also created online resources to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the LCMS. “Sketches of Faith and Life in the 175-Year History of the LCMS” encompasses 52 different bulletin inserts on many of the people who made a significant impact on the LCMS throughout its history (resources.lcms.org/history /sketches-of-faith-and-life/). These are available for download and use in church bulletins and newsletters, adult studies, and youth and confirmation classes. 4. Well-attended museum exhibits opened the door to help us rediscover our shared Lutheran history CHI also presented to church and community historic treasures entrusted to its care through engaging museum exhibits. These were paired with online resources for those unable to visit St. Louis and see the exhibits in person. “The Mercy of Christ Freely Given: The First Twenty-Seven Years of Missouri Synod Mission Work in South India” (Aug. 2019–Feb. 2021) was followed by “Martin, Katharina, Philipp, und Friedrich: Historic Images of the Reformers in Fine Art” (Nov. 2021–Feb. 2023). The most recent exhibit saw the highest number of visitors ever for a CHI exhibit: over 800 people during the 16 months it was open. This was in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Printed exhibit catalogs for both of these exhibits are available.) Future exhibits in the making include “The Kimono-Clothed Gospel: The Mingei Prints of Sadao Watanabe (April–Nov. 2023) and “The Walther League: Connecting Young Lutherans with Local and International Ministry” (2024). 5. CHI plans to begin projects to digitize and make available photographs of LCMS mission work CHI is dedicated to continuing its service to the LCMS in the next triennium as we make our expanding collection of historical materials discoverable both in person and online. Tens of thousands 77 of mission-related photographs have been digitized with detailed descriptions and placed in our CHI online photo gallery. CHI continues to act on requests by other confessional Lutheran church bodies around the world to better preserve and proclaim their history, providing resources to establish and manage archival material under the threat of being lost or forgotten. Specialized projects include research on the Walther League and LCMS mission work in India, Brazil, Japan, and Korea. 6. Helpful reference booklets on archives and records management are available CHI has recently updated and published volumes outlining guidelines on managing the documentary history of the LCMS: District Archivist Handbook (2023); Record and Archive Management Program (RAMP) Handbook (2023); and Establishing and Managing Archive and Museum Scope (2023). All of these resources are available from CHI for district and congregational use. 7. The new Monograph Series significantly increases awareness and appreciation of our shared Lutheran history CHI has also launched a new Monograph Series of published volumes to advance the study of the history of the LCMS: Seminex in Print: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Published Material and Selected Archival Resources for Historical Research, compiled by David O. Berger (2021); J. F. Koestering’s The Emigration of the Saxon Lutherans in the Year 1838 and Their Settlement in Perry County, Missouri (2022); and What Was Believed, Taught, and Confessed: Theological Issues Surrounding the 1974 Concordia Seminary Walkout, edited by Ken Schurb (2023). 8. CHI has advanced the mission of Saxon Lutheran Memorial through local control CHI is committed to local partnership and local involvement in preserving local Lutheran history. To that end, CHI announced in Jan. 2022 that it was transferring ownership of Saxon Lutheran Memorial to a local nonprofit organization in order to better enhance this historical site connected to the history and culture of the Saxon immigrants who settled in Perry County, Missouri, in 1839. 9. CHI has begun processing and cataloging the Selma, Portland, and Bronxville archival material Archival material received from the campus of Concordia College Alabama (Selma) has now been processed and cataloged. CHI has also begun processing and cataloging over 100 boxes of material from the Concordia University Portland campus. We are also making arrangements to receive the archival material from Concordia College New York (Bronxville). The goal is to have all three collections appropriately cataloged, discoverable, and available for historical research before the next triennium. 10. CHI seeks historical material that can be preserved and proclaimed as part of the CHI collection In this anniversary year, CHI asks that individuals, congregations, districts, and LCMS entities diligently search out historical materials related to the history of the LCMS that are at risk. Please contact CHI if you have historically significant documents, 2023 Convention Workbook