Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 385
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 385

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

SOCIAL ACTION AND WELFARE 385

By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one for another.”

ALTON WEDEL, Chairman

ARNOLD DEKE, Secretary

GEORGE EBERLE

JuLIAN HorrMAN

WILLIAM STIEVE

ALFRED Y. ARMSTEAD, Staff

Eucene C. GuNTHER, Staff

Eucene W. LinseE Jr., Staff

Lesuie F. WEBER, Executive Secretary

(9-03)

Report of Commission for Services
to the Mentally Retarded

The commission, now in its sixth year of service, was
created to assume leadership for The Lutheran Church
— Missouri Synod in coordinating and unifying the work
among the mentally retarded throughout the Synod.
The commission has recognized that great need exists
to help congregations and their social ministry com-
mittees become aware of their responsibility toward
the retarded and their families and to assist them and
the pastors and teachers in meeting this responsibility.
While many areas of responsibility exist, foremost
among them is to provide programs to meet the spiritual
needs of the mentally retarded.

At the synodical convention 2 years ago in New York
it was announced that the commission had obtained a
full-time executive secretary. Thus the commission has
had the opportunity to attempt to meet all of the duties
and functions as set forth in the Handbook and to meet
the needs of our people, as they relate to the retarded,
in the congregation or in the community or in their
everyday work as indicated by correspondence received.
For instance, this past year the following is an indication
of the support which the commission has been able to
provide for our constituency (indicated by number of
pieces of correspondence): requests for our “Packet”
of helps— 75; Sunday school information and help —
individuals — 28; Sunday school information and help —
pastors — 27: confirmation assistance to pastors — 21;
aid for residential care placement —6: inquiries from
high school and college students — 38; requests for ma-
terial — 200: information about residential care — 12;
inquiries regarding our recent emphasis on National As-
sociation for Retarded Children’s Month (November
1968) — 25; requests from congregations for bulletin in-
serts for above month — 1,000; general correspondence
— 450: additional requests for The Star — 200; total
correspondence — 2,082. All this as of February 1969.

What Is Being Done?

Teacher Training Institutes— Since the establish-
ment of the commission, the commission has conducted
institutes and training programs at 18 locations across
the country. As a result of the institutes the commission
has realized an increase in the number of religious edu-
cation classes that have been established throughout

the Synod. Speaking engagements were filled at four
workshops sponsored by congregations and agencies
during this past spring. Moreover, we have now con-
ducted the annual survey of existing Sunday school
classes for the mentally retarded, and in the last report
published in the Parish Education Bulletin (November
1968) a general increase was evident for serving these
young people in our various churches.

College Programs —Information is being received
that various programs initiated by students at some of
our seminaries and colleges to provide and conduct re-
ligious classes for the retarded at various state institu-
tions are being conducted. Some of these programs are
being held in Austin, Tex.; Fort Wayne, Ind.: Higgins-
ville, Mo.: Springfield, Ill; and St. Louis, Mo. There
are probably others about which we have not yet been
informed.

Publications and Public Relations — The commission
continues to keep on file for distribution a “Packet of
Materials” which is available for a small fee to all who
request it. The Star is published quarterly by the com-
mission in St. Louis. The mailing list totals 15.000. The
emphasis is generally religious concerning classes, teach-
ers, lessons, materials, and book reviews as they refer
to church-school classes or to confirmation training:
Take Five for M. R., bimonthly, is a postcard for pas-
tors and provides basic information relative to counsel-
ing parents: Teacher Exchange, quarterly, is only for
teachers of church-school classes for the mentally re-
tarded: an insert in Advance, once a year, for congrega-
tion church-year planning and to alert all members to
National Retarded Children’s Month in November: and
a Church Bulletin Insert or Bulletin Back Cover for
use during November of each year with suggestions for
members’ volunteer services to the retarded in church
and community.

Exhibit Materials have been prepared and are avail-
able for display at conventions and at other meetings.
Requests for use of this material for display purposes
should be made to the commission. The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod is regularly represented by
the commission at the various professional organization
conventions. as well as parent and teacher organization
conferences: this serves as a public relations endeavor.
As of this writing our Synod is the only major church
body providing a central office to serve the mentally re-
tarded within its membership. Also in this category and
toward a more complete awareness by our pastors and
teachers are our packets that are distributed to the
newly graduated pastors and teachers in order to pro-
vide them a ready file of pertinent facts and figures re-
garding the mentally retarded they are liable to find
and meet in their new assignments.

Committee Work —In order to further accomplish
the policies of the commission, the following subcommit-
tees have been functioning within their prescribed areas:
a. Committee on Parish Materials. This subcommittee
reviews requests for materials that can be used by chil-
dren, parents, pastors, and others in a parish setting.