# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1938_S310
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

310 Financial Matters

We therefore memorialize Synod

1. To set aside the income of the Permanent Support Fund
(balance on January 31, 1938: $194,754.31) as a special fund, which,
together with other available funds, shall be used to provide a cash
death-benefit for the families of retired and dues-paying members,
as stated Paragraph II, Section E, page 21, which reads:

“Special Benefits. For the families of members, retired or
dues-paying, who have joined within three months after they be-
came eligible (October 1, 1937, or when becoming active) and who
have remitted from that date continuously, a cash death-benefit
shall be immediately available. For those who have joined more
than three months after they became ‘eligible and for those who
were reinstated after delinquency, the death-benefit will become
operative six months after entry or reinstatement under like con-
ditions.”

To this is to be added the following paragraph:

“The death-benefit shall be such amount as the proceeds of the
Permanent Fund and other available funds justify, but not to
exceed $250 for members whose salary-paying organization or or-
ganizations did participate; and not to exceed $150 for members
whose organizations did not participate, provided that in the case
of a member or his organization deferring the taking of membership
such benefit will be reduced at the rate of $25 for each year of
delayed membership; but in no case shall the reduced amount be
less than $100. A like reduction shall apply in the case of any year
of membership during which the required dues of the member or
of his participating organization were not paid in full. For those
who join on or before October 1, 1938, the $25 for not participating
during the first year shall not be deducted, but the death-benefit
shall not become operative until six months after entry, except for
workers who have joined three months after becoming eligible.
The Board shall have the right to deduct the arrears of the member
or of his participating organization from the death-benefit.”

The income of this fund, by consent of its originators and con-
tributors, has in times past been used for the expenses of the Board
of Support. The fund originated in 1917 when Synod created the
Board of Support and directed that the District Unterstuetzungs-
kassen be discontinued. One of the District boards had a con-
siderable balance and asked that $3,000 of this balance be perma-
nently invested as a nucleus for a future pension fund. At the same
time many pastors’ and teachers’ conferences desired that their
personal contributions be also accumulated for the same purpose.
This fund for a number of years was carried on the Treasurer’s
books as the “Conference Pension Fund”; but subsequently, on