# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1899_S20
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

20 Proceedings of the 24th General, or

martyrs have remained. Whoever belongs to the Lord, even if he is by
no means a Paul, may yet one day speak with Paul: "I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day — and not to
me only, but also to all who love his appearing" [2 Tim. 4:7-8].

Oh, that we might be there! Amen.

Presidential Report.

Many years ago now, a warning was once called out to us from
Germany: "Do not be so confident, you Missourians! Pride goes before
a fall. Consider: every free church so far has, without exception,
gone under already in its second generation! And from what? From —
lack of money."

Now, that has not yet come to pass among us, although it would long
since have been due, and although recently there was a good occasion
for it as well. The "hard times" did indeed come. Here and there
people really did have some doubts as to whether we would still be
able to meet the costs of our large synodical budget and to assign
fields of work to our outgoing candidates for the preaching and
teaching ministry. But our faithful and deserving General Treasurer —
and not he alone — nonetheless remained firm and calm on this point:
there was no reason for such concerns. Our regular income would have
covered our regular expenses even in those hard times, if only we had
held to our two-thirds rule — that is, to the resolution that no
building project resolved on by the Synod might be begun until two
thirds of its cost had been subscribed by our congregations. Our
temporary deficit, namely, is found solely in the building fund. Let
us take note of that, then — cover the deficit and keep to the old,
good rule. But then also resolve confidently on what is necessary,
and go to meet the future firmly, yet also cautiously.

Now that, thank God, the "hard times" are over, it will surely also
be time to prove by our actions that it really was this hard time
alone, and not something else, that this time prevented the carrying
out of things so necessary. Here, though, I must confess that this
and that give me some misgivings. For it seems to me that here and
there people are growing more zealous for the establishment of all
sorts of charitable institutions — hospitals, orphanages, old-age
homes, etc. — than for the upkeep of our educational institutions