Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1958, Page 134

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134 Proceedings of the Forty-fifth Convention

18. Insurance Reserve —$500. This amount is being set aside
annually to cover possible fire and windstorm losses which may occur
and cause damage to our properties in Africa.

19. Charity — $500. Missionaries are approached frequently by our
African Christians for financial aid. Certain needy cases are taken
care of out of this budget allowance.

20. Miscellaneous and Contingent — $5,000. Various operating costs
connected with our office work at Obot Idim; office repairs, cables, long-
distance calls, postage, foreign-exchange premium, etc.; also provision
for contingencies.

21. Africa Visitation — $2,550, Many problems presently exist in
connection with the retention of our primary schools in the nine dis-
tricts of our African fields. The Synodical Conference is aware that
the continuation of the elementary school system is of the utmost
importance for the expansion of our mission work. At the 1956 conven-
ion (Proceedings, page 118) the Missionary Board was urged to “do all
within its power that our schools may not be placed in jeopardy.”
In view of recent developments the Board has authorized an official
visitation of the African field during the spring of 1959.

EFFECTS OF BUDGET REDUCTION
June 19, 1958

When the Missionary Board of the Lutheran Synodical Con-
ference prepared its budget for the fiscal year 1958—1959 (July 1,
1958, to June 30, 1959), the specific needs of our setup were care-
fully tabulated for the present and future conduct of our missions,
both at home and in Africa.

Although salaries should have been raised in the budget to
higher levels in order to equal the amounts paid to workers by
District mission boards, it was deemed a wiser procedure to appeal
directly to the subsidized congregations to assume this responsi-
bility over against their servants. From all indications the Mis-
sionary Board will be compelled to grant higher subsidies to con-
gregations in the next fiscal year, since many of their congregations
failed to supply sufficient funds necessary for a livable salary for
their workers.

It is apparent that no reduction in salaries could be made in our
budget for 1959 in compliance with the report of the Budget Con-
trol Committee of the Missouri Synod to reduce our needs. The
amounts indicated for salaries are imperative for providing the
bare necessities of life for those who are serving the Lord in the
field of missions.

The Missionary Board gave further consideration to other
categories in the budget which would bring about a reduction in
the requested amount. It focused its attention on a capital-invest-
ment amount of $50,000, which was originally set aside for the
establishment of a new and much-needed mission station near
the industrial section of New Orleans. This new area had been
thoroughly explored and seemed most suitable for an expansion
program, In its plenary ruling on April 16—17, 1958, the Missionary
Board passed the following resolution:

“IT WAS RESOLVED to eliminate from the suggested budget

for 1958—59 the $50,000 for capital investments and the $10,000 for
Church Extension.”