What Can Each Member Do For His Synod?

1. He can pray for it. Let us all remember the missions and colleges of our Synod when we say: "Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come!"

2. He can tell others about his Synod, its history, its faith, its works. And in order to be able to do this, every one ought to read the papers published by our Synod, Der Lutheraner and The Lutheran Witness, which explain to all men what we teach, what we stand for, and which also tell our Christians what our Synod is doing.

3. He can and will give of his money for the support of colleges and missions. He will try to give regularly, and according to his means. Sometimes he will go to the minister and hand him an extra donation and say, "Please give this money to a poor student," or, "The Lutheran Witness says that the treasury for Negro Missions is empty; here are five dollars," or he will ask his congregation to introduce the envelope system, by which everybody is enabled to give a little every Sunday for missions.

Do you know how much we would have for our missions and colleges if of our 600,000 confirmed members only 500,000 would give, every week, five cents for these purposes? One million and three hundred thousdand dollars -- or four hundred thousand dollars more than we now receive! But why should we give so little? Has not Jesus given His life for us? Shall we not do all we can to bring others to faith in Him?

From The Story of Our Church in America (Told in Simple Words). Th. Graebner. Concorda Publishing House, St. Louis, 1922.