Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1958, Page 135

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Lutheran Synodical Conference, 1958 185

The curtailment necessary to reduce the over-all budget for
all purposes made it imperative for the Missionary Board to elim-
inate for the present this item for $50,000 until such a time when
appropriations could be made for the establishment of a new mis-
sion station or stations in the populous and strategic city of New
Orleans. It is regrettable that this action had to be taken in view
of the fact that mission opportunities beckon at this time in a city
in which we have failed to open new stations for the past five

ecades.

Another item in the proposed budget for 1958—1959, which
called for the sum of $10,000 for the Missionary Board’s Church
Extension Fund, was eliminated in accordance with the Missionary
Board’s resolution as noted above.

This annual amount was sorely needed to bolster the Board’s
Church Extension Fund. The removal of this $10,000 from the
Board’s original budget will seriously affect future plans for gen-
eral expansion work, since only current loan repayments will flow
back into our revolving fund. The annual sum of $10,000 served as
a source for the building up of our fund. The Synodical Confer-
ence made provisions for increasing the capital amounts of the
Church Extension Fund by accepting the recommendation of the
floor committee, which reads:

We recommend that the Missionary Board be encouraged to in-

crease the amount set aside each year for the Church Extension

Fund from $5,000 to $10,000.

Another reduction was authorized by the Executive Committee
of the Missionary Board in its meeting on May 8, 1958. It reads:
IT WAS RESOLVED that we agree to eliminate another $10,000
from our proposed budget in order to conform to the request of
Dr. Herman Mayer of the Missouri Synod. The Treasurer, Mr.
Russell Rolling, suggested that the $10,000 requested for primary
schools in Africa be eliminated with the understanding that,
should this amount be needed, an emergency request be place:

before the Board of Directors of the Missouri Synod.

In the convention of the Synodical Conference in 1956 the
plight of our Lutheran schools in Nigeria was depicted. Due to new
British regulations, congregations opening new mission schools
would be compelled to assume all financial responsibility of these
schools. It was pointed out that in all probability we would find
it necessary, in order to retain our schools, to assist the congre-
gations in the retention of same by providing some sort of subsidy.
The Board, therefore, placed the sum of $10,000 in the budget for
any emergency which could arise. We have eliminated this item
from the budget for the time being. However, should an emergency
arise, we feel confident that assistance will be given us to cope
with such a situation.

In order to bring about a reduction in the 1959 budget in the
amount of $70,000 (Missouri Synod’s share — $59,500), we have
focused our attention on expansion items and capital investments.
However, should further curtailments be imposed on our operating
budget, our work would be seriously hampered, both at home and

abroad. Tue Misstonary Boarp
OF THE LUTHERAN SYNODICAL CONFERENCE
Kari Kurt, Executive Secretary