LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 352

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SPECIAL AND SUNDRY MATTERS 349

Weis. A member of the Board since 1962, Paul W. Kluge
was called to his eternal home on 10 February 1973.

The Institute’s full-time staff consists of the Director,
Aug. R. Suelflow, who observed his 25th anniversary in that
pesition on 1 February 1973; a Reference and Research As-
sistant, Marvin A. Huggins; two office secretaries; a financial
secretary; and a receptionist. Several seminary students,
working part time, serve in technical areas.

Director Suelflow was reelected to a 2-year term as
president of the Lutheran Historical Conference in 1972. The
Conference is an agency which coordinates archival-histori-
cal work among North American Lutheran archivists, his-
torians, and librarians. He also serves as chairman of the
Church Archives Committee of the Society of American
Archivists, working on projects with the archivists of most
denominations in the country. He continues to conduct a
course in archival administration at Washington University,
St. Louis, and serves as lecturer on church archives at the
Archives Administration Institute offered jointly by the
National Archives and American University in Washing-
ton, D.C.

To help archival-historical needs and to obtain counsel
and advice from professionals in various areas, the Institute
continues to be served by such working committees as His-
torical Studies and Resources, Educational Advisory, Parish
Records, and Ethnic Archives and Records. Some 24 indi-
viduals give freely of their time and attention to such com-
mittee work.

Forthcoming Anniversaries

The Synod will be interested in significant anniversaries
to be observed during the next biennium:

1. The 150th anniversary of the births of C. H. R. Lange,
O. E. Cloeter, F. J. Biltz, and J. A. F. W. Mueller (1975).

2. The 125th anniversary of the birth of A. L. Graebner,
the death of G. H. Loeber, and the gift from Wilhelm
Loehe to the Synod of the Michigan Indian Missions (1974).

3. The centennial of the births of F. C. Streufert and
J. H. C. Fritz (1974) and of Enno Duemling and E. W. A.
Koehler (1975).

4. The 75th anniversary of the founding of the Brazil
mission, the inauguration of F. W. Herzberger as the first
synodical city missionary, and the death of August Reinke,
deaf missionary (1974).

5, The 5Cth anniversary of the opening of the college at
Nagercoil, India (1974).

6, The 25th anniversary of the opening of the Seminary
in Nigeria, West Africa (1974), and the first services con-
ducted by the Missouri Synod in Hong Kong (1975). 1975
also marks the 25th anniversary of the deaths of Walter A.
Maier, W. G. Polack, and Theodore Graebner.

Financial Matters

The Institute is in need of expanded building facilities,
financial income and professional staff for these reasons:

1. The continuing receipt of historical-archival materials
from synodical boards, commissions, agencies, and institu-
tions. In spite of the synodical records management pro-
gram, the archives are destined to receive materials in the
same ratio as the Synod continues to produce them.

2. Every available square inch of space in the Institute
is in use. The present building, constructed 1952, was de-
signed to be adequate for 10 years. Since then, 21 years have
elapsed. We are living in hope that the 125th Anniversary
Thankoffering will provide the $500,000 required for an addi-
tion to our present facilities. We are grateful that these
needs have been labeled “extremely critical” by the Anni-
versary Committee. In the meantime. Concordia Publishing
House continues to provide warehouse space for our bulging
collection.

3. The daily requests by mail and phone for reference
and research services are increasing. The six full-time staff
members are no longer able to respond quickly to such re-
quests. Sometimes delays of several months occur before
the staff can get at them. One additional professional staff
member is badly needed to help in doing research, in pre-
paring catalogs, inventories, and retrieval tools, and in main-
taining the collections.

4. Operational costs are constantly increasing because
of inflation and rising charges for technical service. The
average cost for lamination runs $1.00 per page, while bind-
ing an average-size document costs a minimum of $7.50.
Cleaning and restoring priceless paintings may cost over
$100. Because of the Institute's service orientation, about
three fourths of its budget is allocated for staff salaries, leav-
ing little for operational costs.

The Institute is more closely intertwined with the Synod
than any other agency. Its primary purposes are to pre-
serve and to serve. Its most precious commodities are
(1) the accumulated resources of the past 125 years, reflect-
ing the hopes and dreams of those who have gone before,
and (2) a staff able to organize, catalog, and service these
resources.

During the past years, the Institute has operated with
the following funds:

Type of Income 1969 1970 1971 -1972,——«21978
1, Synodical Treasury 69,000 58,590 60,800 62,800 64,355
9. Memberships and

Other Income ————_—_ 7,300 12,090 14,600 15.104 17,235

3. LLL Microfilm Support — 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800

Total ——————_ 76,100 72,480 77,025 79,704 81,590
Projections for 1974 and 1975 indicate the following:
Type of Income 1974 1975
1. Synodical Treasury 76,110 90,000
2. Memberships and Other Income ———— 19,370 20,500
3. LLL Microfilm Support ————_—— 1,800 1,800
Total 97,280 112,300

Memberships and Congregational Archivists

The Institute appeals to every congregation and individual
to become an Institute member and subscribe to the Quar-
terly.

If congregations have not already provided for the office
of congregational archivist (Denver convention, Res. 31-13),
they should appoint a willing worker as early as possible
and file his name and address with the Institute. Institute
Bulletin 2 will be most helpful to such a worker.

Is the Quarterly received by your community library?
If not, one of your parish organizations may wish to con-
sider underwriting such a subscription.

Recommended Handbook Changes

The Institute Board of Governors recommends the fol-
lowing Handbook changes:

1, That Section 15.45a2 outlining the Institute’s objec-
tives be amended with the following addition: “... including
significant Lutheran and synodical anniversaries. . . ”

The entire paragraph as revised would read:

2. to serve as a general advisory and correlating
agency for the historical interests within The Lu-
theran Church — Missouri Synod, including signi-
ficant Lutheran and synodical anniversaries.

2. That Section 15.43 a dealing with the membership on
the Institute Board of Governors be revised in such a man-
ner that special representation from the SELC District on
the Board be eliminated in view of its District status. The
Commission on Constitutional Matters has recommended this
change. In_ addition, the Institute has consulted with the
officers of the SELC District and has received their concur-
rence in this proposal. The Institute, it should be noted, is
devising ways to continue preservation of and research on
Slovak Lutheran Resources.

The section, as revised, should read:

a. The Board of Governors of the institute shall
consist of 10 members. Five members shall be ap-
pointed by the President of the Synod after con-
sultation with the Vice-Presidents; five members
shall be elected by the membership of the insti-
tute at its biennial meeting. The members of the
Board shall serve terms of 4 years in such a way
that the terms of half of its members shall alter-
nate with the terms of the other half.

3. That Handbook Section 2.109 b 1ff., which now gives
the Commission on Theology and Church Relations the func-