Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1938 · 37th Convention, St. Louis › Page 306
LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1938, Page 306

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

306 Financial Matters

SUPPORT AND PENSION MATTERS

Report of the Board of Support
(Memorial 704)

For the seventh time your Board of Support submits its trien-
nial report to the Hon. Synod assembled in convention.

For our regular meetings in the past three years we again have
enjoyed the hospitality of the Concordia Mutual Benefit League at
Chicago.

As a result of the division of the Iowa District the number of
advisory District boards increased from 30 to 31. Now the total
number of men engaged in the work of investigating the requests
coming before your Board is more than one hundred.

Once in three years, immediately before the convention of the
General Body, representatives of the District boards meet with us
as the “Support Conference” in order to become personally ac-
quainted, to study our particular problems, and to agree on a uni-
form practise in solving them. Usually several members of the
committee appointed by the President to deliberate on our report
and to make suitable recommendations to Synod attended our con-
ference in order to become more familiar with our work.

One of our greatest problems still arises from the deplorable
fact that it becomes more and more difficult to place workers of
middle age who without fault of theirs, but not on account of ill-
ness, lost their position and cannot find other employment, but are
well able and willing to serve for a number of years if some con-
gregation would call them. Synod ruled that “cases of need which
do not come within the scope of the operation of the Board of Sup-
port shall be referred to the Board of Relief.” This is being done,
and the Board of Relief is granting them subsidies for immediate
need, but cannot offer a permanent solution.

The regulations are strictly enforced. Every applicant fills out
a blank with more than 50 questions, not only when the first request
is made but annually. This application must be countersigned by
the pastor and an impartial member of the respective congregation
and then submitted to the District Board. After careful considera-
tion the District Board forwards the request with its recommenda-
tion to the General Board for final action. This double check pre-
vents hasty action and protects both the applicant and the fund.
Whenever the circumstances of a beneficiary improve sufficiently,
he or she is asked to forego further help from Synod; four applica-
tions were withdrawn on account of assistance received from the
respective States. Still the number of beneficiaries is constantly
growing. ;