Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1935 · 36th Convention, Cleveland › Page 108
LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1935, Page 108

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

Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1935. 108

information for the improvement of organized societies. We have
tried to keep the purposes and activities of societies in harmony with
the principles and policies of the Synod. We have sought to restrain
influences and proposals from within and without the Walther League
that we regarded as injurious to its growth and usefulness.

On the basis of these general objectives we submit herewith a
more detailed account of the matters that engaged our attention.

A. In 1927 the Board made a study of the young people’s work as
carried on in our Districts. The result of these investigations was
communicated to the Districts with the request that the conventions
of that year place young people’s work on their program. It was sug-
gested at this time that the Districts appoint committees of their own,
and a tentative set of instructions for such a committee was submitted
to the District Presidents. Again, in 1928, Districts that had not
organized such a committee were encouraged to do so. In 1929 a
study was made of the transactions of the. previous years, and the
resolutions of District conventions were tabulated, mimeographed,
and sent to all Districts. In 1988 the data were once more collected
for dissemination, and at this time all Districts except Southern Cali-
fornia had empowered committees with the supervision of young
people’s work. (Southern California has a contact man for the Wal-
ther League.) The record of contacts between these District com-
mittees and the Walther League district boards was tabulated and, in
a separate mimeotype of four pages, sent to all Districts in 1934.
This document shows active supervision of, and cooperation with,
Walther League boards in all synodical Districts except three. In
the same year the suggestion was transmitted to all synodical Dis-
tricts that not only the District, but also the circuits hereafter foster
and supervise young people’s work in their areas. In all these com-
munications the position of the pastor as the active adviser and super-
visor of organized young people’s work in his congregation was
stressed. A new set of instructions was at this time mailed in a ten-
tative way to the District committees.

In the same year our Districts without exception had young
people’s work on their program, heard reports from their committee,
and based resolutions encouraging the work and appealing to con-
gregations and pastors to recognize the supreme importance of watch-
ing over the youth of the Church. Extracts from these reports and
resolutions were made by your Board and were sent to all District
Presidents and District committees. This was a mimeotyped docu-
ment of thirty pages.

B. In 1932 your Board collected data on the various fraternities
and sororities that invite our college youth to join them and trans-
mitted this information to the District representatives and also to
the officers. of the Walther League. The replies expressed opinions