# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S137
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Young People’s Work): 1387

Il. YOUNG PEOPLE’S WORK

Report of Board for Young People’s Work
uo (Memorial 301) . ,
Your Board for Young People’s Work presents herewith a . brief

~The report, which is largely a review of our minutes for the period,
includes several general observations and a number of suggestions
.- which are designed for the maintenance and advancement of youth
-work in our Synod. For such of these recommendations as are
worthy of adoption, we bespeak the wholehearted co-operation of
all congregations.

' provide for the youth during the post-confirmation period con-
- tinued training in Christian knowledge, in Christian living, and in
Christian service.” When the general objectives of youth welfare
endeavor is phrased in such comprehensive terms, certainly no con-
gregation would fail to qualify as an agency or. instrument for
a young people’s work. However, when these broad aims are re-
duced to simpler elements, we have a ‘list of suggested activities
that can well serve as a standard of attainment and'a reference
to a great variety of helpful hints for the productive operation of
a young people’s society. For growth in Christian knowledge the
regular use of the Bible is obviously the prime.essential. A young
people’s society should be, above all,,a Bible-study group. These
. formal studies can be conducted in the regular meetings or. on
‘Sunday mornings. We can report at this point that our survey
_ of 1942 discloses that approximately ninety per cent of our societies
engage in fairly regular Bible study, and that about eighty per
cent of these devote a part of their meetings to this activity. While’
the Bible is used exclusively by many instructors, the variety of
so-called helps and accessories is surprisingly large. Many soci-

tures, topic studies, open forums, panel discussions, mission studies,
evangelism projects, history of missions, plays, pageants, dramatiza-
tions of notable episodes in church history, promotion of summer
camps and winter conferences, leadership institutes, and choir work.
Outlets for Christian service are provided by canvassing, distri-
bution of tracts, clerical assistance in the church offices, church
publicity, arranging the annual roll call, planning reunion services
with the pastor, soliciting subscriptions for church periodicals, and
. performing a variety of.routine chores for the congregation. This
- list of suggestions is extensive but not exhaustive. New occasions
bring new. opportunities. Certainly the wartime exigencies ' have
considerably enlarged the activity program of our youth organi~

summary. of the major activities covering the triennium 1941—1944. °

SAIS AERA ST

The purpose of youth work, as the Handbook states it, is “to

SOE GS Sa REED SE BE TPN BEE

The WANS AP ee

eties enrich their Bible courses by lectures, slide and motion pic- «

SS

a,