Evening star., 1901-05-11
N THE CHI RCHE IS

| Rev. Drs. NJ w. HANNA, president, and
| w. E. Parson, vice president Of the board
| of home missions of the Evangelical Luthe-
J ran Church In the United States, both of
| this city, will, 1t Is expected, go to Des
| Moines. Iowa, to attend the twentieth an
niversary Of the organization of the west
ern supervision Of general synod home mis-
sion work, which will occur June /. The
| event will be celebrated at the fortieth
| convention of the general synod, and will
| be the second time convention of that
| body Is held beyond the Mississippi river,
the first being at Omaha. Neb, in 1887.
General Secretary Hartman Of the home
mission department Is authority for the
statement that no benevolent agency Of the
church has served it well nor contrib
| uted so largely to its growth and pros
perity as home missions, and upon none
does its future progress and power SO
| much depend. The important and far
reaching step of organizing the western
supervision was taken twenty years ago
by the general synod at its meeting In AL
toona, Pa, at which time Rev. DR.. 8. B.
| Barnitz. then pastor of a church at Wheel
Ing, w. Va, was appointed to the position
Of western secretary. The results, 1t Is
stated. have been very great, and in view
Of what has been accomplished and In hope
of further Increasing the interest. the
board has authorized a suitable commemo-
ration OF the twentieth anniversary Of the
Inauguration of western supervision. Facts
are to be set forth in the report and ad-
dresses, and special observance are to mark
the anniversary.
At the time Of the appointment of the
western secretary there was no English
Lutheran Church in the great city Of Chi
cago, no work at all west Of Nebraska
and Kansas and comparatively little In
those states; no institution Of learning west
Of the Missouri river. Now they have Mid
land College and the Western Theological
Seminary, direct outgrowth Of western
supervision. There are also more than
ten general synod Lutheran ministers In
Chicago, and have occupied new states
and territories and many Of the larger
towns and cities in some Of the older west
ern states.
Mrs W. j. H. Robinson of Mount Vernon
place M. d. Church South, this city, Is the
energetic superintendent of the baby rolf
Of the Baltimore conference. At the meet
Ing of the women's board OF home missions
held in st. Louis this week Mrs. Robinson
reported that she had the names of 415 ba-
btes on her roll 1t is stated that there is
q: total membership in this class OF more
enterprises Of the board Of home missions,
which is represented in forty-one confer
ences by LAB adult and juvenile auxlliaries,
with membership Of nearly 24,000. The
Woman's Home Missionary Society, which
Is under the general supervision Of the
board above mentioned, was founded by
MISS LUCINDA Is. Helm OF LOUISVILLE, KY,
| who was at the time associated with the
late DR.. David Morton In the work of the
church extension board. In that office she
had the opportunity Of knowing how the
work of the church was hampered by lack
Of parsonages for the itinerant ministers
! and their families. and set herself the task
Of devising some plan by which this state
Of affairs could be remedied Going before
the general conference, she asked the priv
| ilege of organizing the women of the church
into a society for parsonage building. To
this was added supply department which
has yearly sent out hundred Of boxes and
barrels Of clothing, groceries and house
hold articles to needy ministers and their
families, many Of whom could not have
remained at their posts Of labor but for
the help thus given.
Word has been received In Washington
that Very Rev. P. ]. Garvey, who has many
friends in this vicinity and who for some
time past has been rector of the Theologi-
cal Seminary Of st. Charles Borromeo, will
be created a bishop. Some time ago it was
decided that a new diocese should be erect
I ed, with Altoona, Pa, as the center 1t be-
came necessary, therefore. to choose for 1t
| q head, and the nominations are now pend
names were sent to Rome, as Is customary
| on such occasions. These were Very Rev.
r. L. Tobin, one Of the two Wears general
Of Pittsburg: DR.. Eugene Gavey and DR..
| Garvey. The last mentioned has, 1t Is un-
| derstood. the support Of Archbishop Ryan.
| and this. it Is believed, will secure for him
| the appointment. Father Garvey was born
| in ireland in 1912 and came to America
when boy. He was educated at Mount
| st. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, and at
he went to Rome. and for five years studied
at the American College, when he was or
dained to the priesthood. Since then he has