LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1962, Page 175

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COMMITTEE 2 175

WuerEas, Many missionaries returned home after
but one or two terms, to the great harm of our largest
mission field; and

Wuereas, Returning workers find it difficult to re-
equip a home and even harder to provide a college
education for their children; and

Wuereas, It is in the best interest of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod to ward off bitter complaints;
therefore be it

Resolved, That different provisions be made with
respect to their salary for North American missionaries
who are willing to work in Brazil.

GeorceE J. MuELLER, St. Louis, Mo.
[219]

Substantially identical with Unprinted Memorial 359
under Committee 3; both submitted by Sam Miller, Chi-
cago, IIl.

[220]
To Declare that the Synod Is Ready
to Take Over Mission Work in Africa
Until Now Carried on Jointly
by the Synodical Conference

The ominous tensions in ecclesiastical fellowship
between The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and
two of the constituent synods of the Synodical Con-
ference, namely, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in
1955 and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church
in 1961, makes the continuation of joint mission work
in Nigeria and Ghana untruthful and impossible.

Statements from officials of both church bodies
mentioned have made it clear that they would con-
sider continuing to assume the full financial obligation
for the work in Africa, both for current operations and
for capital outlay.

In spite of this avowed willingness, the present
situation makes it most difficult to develop any firm,
forward-looking plans and programs in evangelism,
stewardship, ministerial and teacher training, the open-
ing of new mission areas, developing an aggressive
literature program, expanding medical facilities, and
creating an indigenous church situation and organization.

Fortunately, the missionaries and their families are
not too seriously affected by the break in relations,
because all of them, except one pastor and a lay worker
are members of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod. No Wisconsin or Norwegian missionaries have
been added to the staff during recent years.

In view of the uncertainty of future developments
and in view of a possible meeting of the Synodical Con-
ference in November 1962, at which time a specific
proposal might be made, the Board of Directors asks the
1962 delegate convention —

1) to declare that The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod is ready and willing to take over the mission

work in Africa hitherto carried on jointly by the four
synods of the Synodical Conference;

2) to assure the other synods that the Missouri
Synod agrees to assume all subsidy costs for current
operations and capital costs for necessary capital in-
vestments until the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Nigeria (ELCN) is able to operate as an independent
and self-supporting church; and

3) to guarantee that all investments made thus far
for land and buildings will be used solely for the pur-
pose of enabling the ELCN to become more effective in
spreading the Gospel and building the kingdom of our
Lord; and

4) to work out the details of the transfer by mutual
agreement through authorized representatives;

5) to assign Synodical responsibility for the African
field of mission endeavor to the Board for World Mis-
sions within the Division of Missions;

6) to give full assurances to the missionaries and
churches in Nigeria and Ghana of continued necessary
spiritual and financial support; and

7) to invite the SELC (Synod of Evangelical Lu-
theran Churches) to share this work with us or have
assigned to its direct and exclusive care some specific
phase or area of the African work.

Boarp or Directors
Tue LurHeran Cuurcu — Missourt Synop
Water F. Wotsrecut, Executive Director

[221]

Historical Résumé of Lutheran Women’s
Missionary League

The Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML)
was organized as an auxiliary body of Synod in 1942
and has in the ensuing twenty years carried out a pro-
gram designed to assist the church in its mission out-
reach. As specifically stated in the league’s bylaws,
the organization’s principal objective is to develop and
sustain “a greater mission consciousness” among the
women of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
through a threefold program of missionary education,
missionary inspiration, and missionary service.

Among its activities is the ingathering of funds for
mission projects either directly sponsored and/or ap-
proved by Synod, especially such projects for which no
adequate provision has been made in the budget. These
funds are gathered through the well-known LWML.
mite boxes, which receive the voluntary thankofferings
of individual members. Within the past two decades
receipts have run into the millions, with $240,000
pledged for specific grants during the biennium ending
in 1963. Recipients of league gifts have been mission
stations and/or similar operations in almost every
corner of the globe.

From a nucleus of fifteen districts, the league has
now spread into Canada and within the entire United
States (including Hawaii and Alaska); it has thirty-