LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 50

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50

SYNOD REPORTS
5. It seeks to educate the members of the Synod in their own history
through museum exhibits, educational materials, and online resources.
6. It conducts conferences for the general public on Lutheran history and
to train archivists of the Synod’s districts, congregations, auxiliaries,
and other entities in their work.

2. Goals and Assignments
1. The 2007 LCMS convention (Res. 2-08) called on CHI, in cooperation with the President of the Synod, to engage in several activities
“To Celebrate Significant Synod Anniversaries,” specifically the 200th
anniversaries of the births of Wilhelm Loehe (2008), F. C. D. Wyneken
(2010), and C. F. W. Walther (2011).
2. As the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation in 2017
approaches, the Institute will be involved along with other entities
of the Synod in promoting an awareness of the significance of our
Lutheran heritage and how God’s people in the Synod have worked
to further the Gospel-centered ministry that was the focus of Martin
Luther and the other reformers.
3. The Institute is working on repairs and upgrades to the CHI Museum
located at the LCMS International Center.
4. It is the ongoing goal of CHI to improve its services to the Synod and
it members, as enumerated above, by continuing to gather and preserve
historical records and artifacts, make them available for research, educate the church and the general public about our Lutheran history and
heritage, and help others to care for the records of their work.
3. Performance Assessment
1. Special exhibits were developed at the museum in the Institute’s headquarters in fulfillment of Res. 2-08 of the 2007 convention.
Exhibits on the life and work for the first two presidents of the
Synod—C. F. W. Walther and F. C. D. Wyneken—celebrated the 200th
anniversary of their births in 2011 and 2010 respectively. These exhibits continue in place for visitors to the Institute’s facilities.
Articles on the life and work of Wyneken and Walther were published
in the Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly. The Institute staff
made special presentations on these leaders at meetings of various
organizations.
The Institute hosted a traveling exhibit on the 300th anniversary of the
birth of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg in 2011 prepared by the Halle
institutions in Germany. Conference exhibits and presentations also
have noted the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and ways in which
the church, particularly in Missouri, was affected by the conflict.
2. The CHI Museum project at the LCMS International Center was
designed to present an overview of the Synod’s history rooted in the
Lutheran Reformation of the 16th century, from its origins out of the
German Lutheran immigration movements of the 19th century through
the development of the Synod as a national church body, its worldwide mission outreach, and its expanding use of modern resources to
share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.
The museum was dedicated and opened to the public on July 26, 2009.
It is open during the regular hours of the International Center and
is staffed by volunteer greeters throughout the day. It is designed to
provide a self-guided walk through the Synod’s history. Groups may
arrange in advance for a docent to accompany the group through the
museum, highlight special features of the stories that are depicted, and
answer questions. The museum’s presence in the International Center
offers the opportunity for visitors to the Synod’s headquarters to learn
about its background and witness the examples of mission dedication
of those who have gone before us in the faith. Participants in meetings
and conferences at the IC from around the world also have this opportunity to understand more about the Synod’s history and heritage.
The Institute staff is currently working on upgrading some of the exhibits in the museum and making needed repairs.
3. The work of gathering and preserving historical records has continued, though financial challenges continue to limit the full processing,
arrangement, and cataloging that the records require for their effective
and efficient use. New resources continue to come to us from around

2013 Convention Workbook

the Synod and from interested individuals. We regularly provide
guidance to congregations that are closing for the proper preservation of their significant records and to individuals who hold important
resources from the ministries of their ancestors.
The restructuring of the Synod that began with decisions of the 2010
convention resulted in the transfer of numerous records from the
International Center to the Institute. Much work needs to be done
with the arrangement and description of these records so that they can
be consulted efficiently.
Reference services to individuals, congregations, organizations of the
church, scholars, and the general public have continued to grow significantly and keep our part-time reference staff busy. Family history
inquiries make up the largest portion of the requests that are received.
We have been able to make use of modern technology—email, scanning, digital images, etc.—to a great extent in providing efficient
assistance and answers to questions.
4. Challenges and Opportunities
1. Since May 2008, the Institute has been functioning with a part-time
executive director because of financial limitations. With the provision of additional funding from the LCMS Board of Directors and
with the assistance of the Mission Advancement Team of the Synod,
the Institute is working toward calling a full-time executive director
by the end of 2013.
2. A major challenge facing the Institute for the future is the need to
provide for the preservation of and access to Synod records that are
created in electronic form. Closely related to this is the need to digitize existing records in order to make them more readily accessible
for use through the Internet. The Institute has been working with various Synod entities toward this goal. Priorities are being established
to determine the most useful records to make available in this way.
3. Planning has begun for CHI’s participation in the 500th anniversary of
the Reformation in 2017, including the production of a comprehensive catalog of Reformation commemorative coins and medals in the
Institute’s collection.

Scott J. Meyer, President
R3-03-01

Atlantic District
The Atlantic District is composed of the eastern portion of New
York State, including Long Island, New York City (the capital of the
world), the northern suburbs of New York City, the Hudson Valley, the
state capital region around Albany and Schenectady, and points north
to the Canadian border. It is one of the most beautiful geographical
regions of the United States and one of the most densely populated.
As Iowa is to corn, so New York is to people.
Mission outreach has been the main focus of the Atlantic District
endeavor since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. The theme of the
national LCMS convention, “We Are Baptized for This Moment,” was
the marching order of Lutheran Disaster Response of New York after
Sept. 11. The Atlantic District theme is “Engaging the World with the
Gospel of Hope.“ This theme was developed by the president of the
Atlantic District for presentation on Sept. 11, 2001; has been resoundingly affirmed at the district’s conventions in 2006, 2009, and 2012;
and is now the basis for our national church body’s outreach “engagements” in word and deed.
During the triennium 2009–2012, the board of directors and staff
of the Atlantic District addressed the mission and vision statements
of the district. The results were ratified at the 2012 district convention as follows: