# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1935_S137
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1935. 125

Synod in convention three years ago; and your Board, entrusted with
large sums designated by their donors for perpetuity, was appalled at
the thought of losing a part of Synod’s assets in these troubled times.
Therefore, while our interest for the missionary cause of Synod did
not wane in the least, we felt more than ever bound to draw the
purse strings tighter and to conserve Synod’s assets, even at the risk
of temporarily retarding some enthusiastically presented missionary
projects. We trust that what the members of your Board have con-
sidered necessary business precautions will not be censured as lack of
missionary enterprise.

The amount of delinquent loans makes unpleasant reading. We
wish to assure the members of Synod that we have employed all
possible means short of actual coercion to collect the money due the
Church Extension Fund. The same conditions that kept the business
man from taking up his notes are keeping our congregations from
meeting their obligations. Yet there have occurred instances which
show that some of our congregations have made heroic efforts to keep
their promises. Pastors have actually taken the payment of the debt
out of their salaries; congregations have resorted to the sale of
property under distress prices in order to meet their obligations. It
must, however, be said that in some instances the efforts to collect
money due have been met by very cool responses amounting to the
affronting declaration “that there isn’t anything we can do about it.”

We feel that, as long as there is any remote possibility of collect-
ing a debt, we should continue our efforts in that direction and keep
such accounts on our books, even if for years they may have to be
termed “frozen assets.” But cases do arise in which we are compelled
to conclude that not even a remote chance to collect the debt remains.
In such cases we must ask Synod’s authority to cancel the account.
We are very conservative in making these requests and do so only
after exhausting all efforts. We are at this time asking Synod for
authority to write off the following accounts: Calgary, Alta., Can.,
Immanuel Congregation, $997.29; Laura, Sask., Can., St. Paul’s Con-
gregation, $100; Reno, Nev., St. Luke’s Congregation, $1,657.50;
Zehner, Sask., Can., Zion Congregation, $4,925; Transcona, Man.,
Can., Trinity Congregation, $1,089; Calgary, Alta., Can., Redeemer
Congregation, $500.

The reasons for writing off these accounts will be given in detail
to Synod’s committee; they may be briefly indicated here. Calgary,
Man., Immanuel: This amount was collected through an appeal in
the church-papers in 1916, and there is no apparent reason for con-
sidering the amount a debt to the Church Extension Fund. Laura,
Sask.: The congregation disbanded many years ago. Reno, Nev.:
Similar to Calgary, Immanuel. Zehner, Sask.: The congregation