# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1958_S135 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Lutheran Synodical Conference, 1958 185 The curtailment necessary to reduce the over-all budget for all purposes made it imperative for the Missionary Board to elim- inate for the present this item for $50,000 until such a time when appropriations could be made for the establishment of a new mis- sion station or stations in the populous and strategic city of New Orleans. It is regrettable that this action had to be taken in view of the fact that mission opportunities beckon at this time in a city in which we have failed to open new stations for the past five ecades. Another item in the proposed budget for 1958—1959, which called for the sum of $10,000 for the Missionary Board’s Church Extension Fund, was eliminated in accordance with the Missionary Board’s resolution as noted above. This annual amount was sorely needed to bolster the Board’s Church Extension Fund. The removal of this $10,000 from the Board’s original budget will seriously affect future plans for gen- eral expansion work, since only current loan repayments will flow back into our revolving fund. The annual sum of $10,000 served as a source for the building up of our fund. The Synodical Confer- ence made provisions for increasing the capital amounts of the Church Extension Fund by accepting the recommendation of the floor committee, which reads: We recommend that the Missionary Board be encouraged to in- crease the amount set aside each year for the Church Extension Fund from $5,000 to $10,000. Another reduction was authorized by the Executive Committee of the Missionary Board in its meeting on May 8, 1958. It reads: IT WAS RESOLVED that we agree to eliminate another $10,000 from our proposed budget in order to conform to the request of Dr. Herman Mayer of the Missouri Synod. The Treasurer, Mr. Russell Rolling, suggested that the $10,000 requested for primary schools in Africa be eliminated with the understanding that, should this amount be needed, an emergency request be place: before the Board of Directors of the Missouri Synod. In the convention of the Synodical Conference in 1956 the plight of our Lutheran schools in Nigeria was depicted. Due to new British regulations, congregations opening new mission schools would be compelled to assume all financial responsibility of these schools. It was pointed out that in all probability we would find it necessary, in order to retain our schools, to assist the congre- gations in the retention of same by providing some sort of subsidy. The Board, therefore, placed the sum of $10,000 in the budget for any emergency which could arise. We have eliminated this item from the budget for the time being. However, should an emergency arise, we feel confident that assistance will be given us to cope with such a situation. In order to bring about a reduction in the 1959 budget in the amount of $70,000 (Missouri Synod’s share — $59,500), we have focused our attention on expansion items and capital investments. However, should further curtailments be imposed on our operating budget, our work would be seriously hampered, both at home and abroad. Tue Misstonary Boarp OF THE LUTHERAN SYNODICAL CONFERENCE Kari Kurt, Executive Secretary