Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-06-20
For the REGIsTER.l
General Synod Convention of the Lutheran
Church..

The thirty-seventh biennial session
of the General Synod of the Lutheran
Church of the United States convened
in Hagerstown, Md, on the evening
of the 9Th of June. The General Syn
cd represents It's, 900 Lutheran COM
municants, or about one-seventh of the
l,225,000 Lutherans in the various
general bodies in the United States.
This Synod was organized in the Lu-
theran Church of Hagerstown, where
this session was held, in 1920.
Rev. DR.. H. L. Baugher, of the
Theological Seminary of Gettysburg,
was elected president, and Rev. DR..
w. S. Freas, of York, Pa, secretary.
After the appointment Of long list
of committees on all phases of the work
of the synod, the secretary of the Board
of Foreign Missions read the report OF
the board, covering the work of the
foreign missionary operations in Africa
and India during the past two years.
The total moneys contributed for for
eign missions by the church was $780,
658, of which 81, 75l was received
from legacies. Twenty-one American
born and educated missionaries and
host of native pastors and helpers are
sustained in India and Africa mission
fields.
The Home Mission Board reported
total receipts for home missions in the
United States of $85, $50, or an in
crease over the previous biennium of
$7,429-a good showing during these
two years of financial depression. Of
this amount 81 ,618 was received from
legacies. With this amount about one
hundred and fifty mission churches
have been sustained during the two
years, scattered in almost every State
in the union, especial attention Of late
years being directed to the great GEN.
tres Of population.
The report Of the Board of Church
Extension is the handmade of the
Home Mission Board, the latter sus-
tanning the pastor, and the former as
sisting the newly organized congrega-
ton to build church, by granting a
donation, or loan for a certain period
without interest. The report Of this
board showed total receipts during the
past biennium of over 100000, gain
of about $4,000 over the previous re-
port. Over 100 congregations have
been helped during the period covered
by the report, and the working and
available assets of this board is now
in the neighborhood of 100000.
The Woman's Missionary Society
of this church presented the report of
the work done by that society by Mrs.
Hunter, the president Of the general
society, of Columbia City, Ind, men,
Der of Rev. C. H. Rockey's former
church. The amount given to missions
by this society was $4,000.
Thus the benevolences Of the Gen
eral SYNOD amounted to over 100000
for the two years for missions alone.
There has been steady advance all
along the line, and no indebtedness to
stare the church in the face, as is often
the case in these days of stringency.
The sum of $4,000 was given to
pastors fund and the apportionment
was doubled for the coming two years.
A new hymn book was ordered
published as reported, revised and en-
larged, and the common liturgical ser
vice urged to be used.
The publication institution of the
Synod reported assets Of $4,000 and
a movement was put on foot to estab-
lish a new printing and publishing
plant in the coming year.
The Lutheran Church of Hagerstown
treated the Synod to banquet on
Tuesday night and free excursion to
the Gettysburg battlefield on We'd
nesday.
Two noticeable features Of the church
represented by this Synod are First,
the steady advances being made. Its
communicate membership is constant
ly increasing, and the work of the va
rious departments of her activity en-
larging. She has now become, in all
her bodies, the third largest protest
ant church in the United States and
the largest in the world, numbering
fifty million souls. One new Lutheran
Church has been built for every day
Of the two past years.
The second encouraging and promls-
ing feature is the total absence Of he
retical tendencies and division of her
forces. The Lutheran Church stands
today solidly and unitedly on the doc
trinal bases of the Augsburg Confess
sion. Her creed does not need revis-
ion, and, while not perfect, still so
near the perfection mark that her
scholars cannot find today any occasion
for improvement. Her central theme
is the justification of man through
faith in Jesus Christ. To the saliva
ton of the world she is earnestly and
unitedly bending all her energies, and
God is richly blessing her efforts.