Evening star., 1949-02-01
By Cospor Nonnes
Stor Sfoff CORRESPONDENT

NEW YORK, Feb. 1.-The church
should prepare itself to act as a
bulwark against fear, in the event
of a sudden change in economic
conditions, DR.. William G. Sodt of
Milwaukee, Wis, president of the
National Lutheran Council, declared
today.
Speaking before the opening ses-
sion of the councils annual meet
ing, DR.. Sodt said admittedly, the
economic curve in our country will
change its direction.
Should such a change be sudden,
the world will need the steadying
influence of the church as never
before he declared. I'm such a
critical period, we dare not dissipate
our strength and energy in internal
pickering and differences
DR.. Sodt warned the enemies of
the church are marshaling their
forces everywhere.
Not only are they ideologies that
are foreign to our land and foreign
to our philosophy of a God-pleaSing
life, but there are agencies and
movements in our own midst that
manifestly fail to appreciate lasting
values and appear ready to pay any
price in order to change our mode
of life" he asserted. I'VE have no
reason to believe that such forces
will halt their march when they
reach the Pacific in the East and
the Atlantic in the West"
DR.. Sodt told the council the time
has come to think lin terms even
broader than a united Lutheran
front. wherever We turn we find evi-
oence that God seems to be trying
to lead us to common ground"
Church leaders here indicate that
prospects for federal ton or even or
ganic union of the eight bodies COM
priSng the National Lutheran Coun-
Gil appear more promising now than
ever before. The council. organized
in 1918, is composed of the United
Lutheran Church in America, Evan
gelical Lutheran Church, American
Lutheran Church, Augustana Lu-
theran Church, Lutheran Free
Church, United Evangelical Church,
Finnish Suomi Synod am Danish
Lutheran Church. These booies have
nearly 100000 members. or about
two-thirds of American Lutheran
ism.
DR.. Reed E. Tulloss of Springfield.
Ohio. president of Wittenberg Col
lege. declared eventual union of
Lutherans in the council is newt
able"
Every major factor points to the
desirability and the necessity of
such action" he said. Recent de-
velopments in various conferences
have justified strong hopes that
definite steps in this direction may
be taken within the next few
months"
DR.. Franklin Clark Fry. president
Of the United Lutheran Church in
America, noted that, at meeting
last month in Minneapolis, COM
mittee of IS, representing the eight
bodies in the council, was appointed
to prepare possible plans looking
toward this end. The proposals are
to be ready this fall, in time for
submission to the 1850 meetings of
the Lutheran bodies.
A memorial service for DR.. Ralph
II. Long. executive director of the
council for 18 years before his death
last February, opened the meeting
this morning. DR.. Thorvald o.
Burntvedt of Minneapolis, Mimi,
president of the Lutheran Free
Church, paid tribute to DR.. Longs
contributions to the council and to
Lutheranism in general
The Rev. r. E. Van Deusen, exec
utive secretary of the Washington
Church Center, told the council cost
Of remodeling the center to meet
District of Columbia building and
fire regulations amounted to $43,l24.
The center houses, three council
Offices, as we'll as four other Lu-
theran agencies. The council Offices
are the Bureau of Service to Mill
tary Personnel, the Chaplaincy
Service, Division of Welfare and
the Washington Office, Division Of
Public Relations.
Mr. Van Deusen was nominated
as full-time Washington secretary
of the Division of Public Relations,
beginning March l. He has served
in this position in a part-time ca
pacity during the past year, also
being manager of the center and
secretary of the Bureau of Service
to Military Personnel. Col Gynther
Storaasli will be nominated as Sec
retary of the Military Personnel
Bureau to take Mr. Van Deusen's