Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-05
THE MISSOURI SYNOD
LUTHERAN BODY TO MEET IN
BALTIMoRE SOON.
Fortieth Annual Session Of the East
ern District Will Convene In st.
Paul's Church.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BALTIMORE. Nd. May 5.-The fortieth
annual session OF the convention OF the
eastern district OF the Lutheran synod OF
Missouri will be held May clio at st. Paufs
Lutheran Church. Saratoga street and Ere
mont avenue, Rev. Christian kuehn. pas
tor. The committee of which Christian Hem
meter is president expects to provide homes
for about 32o pastors. teachers and lay dele
gates.
1t will be an important meeting, division
Of the territory now included in Its limits
having been authorized by the general body.
1t Is more than likely that this will be the
last meeting of the old eastern district,
which was organized in Baltimore In the
year 1855. The church at that time stood
on Saratoga and Holiday streets, and IN
its vestry room the organization was per-
fected. Out of the II pastors. II churches
and teachers of that time there have
grown 1873 pastors and professors. pa con-
gregations and Il parish school teachers.
The session will be opened by service on
Wednesday, May in ST. PauIs Churcn at
10 am The Rev. P. Brand, DID, of Pitts
burg Pa. the first vice president or the
Missouri synod, will preach the opening ser
mon. Two sessions will be held daily. AT
St Paul's Church there will be services on
Friday evenipg,- May IL, at which the Rev.
c. Horst of Allegheny. Pa, Will preach the
sermon on Christian Education" Monday
evening. May IA, Rev. II. Schroeder OF
Washington. D. c., will preach the pastoral
sermon. Sunday morning Rev. Henry Birk-
ner of Boston Mass, will occupy the pulpit
of st. PauIs. and Rev. f. P. Wilhelm Of
Bridgeport. Conn. will preach
Visiting pastors will preach in the other
churches of the Missouri synod on Sunday.
For the entertainment of the delegates an
organ recital has been planned, and an ex-
cursion down the bay to Annapolis will be
given. Permission to land at the Naval
Academy dock has been kindly granted by
the comma ndant. Admiral James Sands. and
an effort is being made to have the state
house. with the historic old senate chamber
and the state library. opened for the in
spection of the delegates.
The Lutheran Bodies.
There are five general bodies and seven
teen independent synods in the United
States. OF these general bodies, declarations
of synods, the general synod, which is very
largely represented and numerically very
strong in Baltimore. is broad in its doc
trnal position and not exclusive toward
other denominations The general council,
which is a little more strict in its doctrinal
position than the general synod, is also q
large body and is growing rapidly. The
united synod south is very much smaller,
and, as It's name implies, confined to the
southern states-Virginia, North and South
Carolina. Tennessee Georgia and Missis-
sippi, The fourth general body of Lutherans
Is the United Norwegian Church. The fifth
and largest is the synodcal conference of
North America. 1t is also the strictest IN
doctrine and practice. 1t was organized IN
1872 is composed of six synods, the largest
of which is the Missouri synod which has
far eclpsed all others in growth. The synod
ical conference is almost wholly German in
its constituency.
The Lutheran Almanac and Year Book
published by the general synod for the year
1906 reports the following figures:
General synod twenty-five districts)-Min-
listers, ,2SS: congregations. 1,735; confirmed
members, PAL ,09S.
General council twelve districts)-Minis-
tiers. lap; congregations. 2,232 confirmed
members. 800 943.
United synod south (eight districts)-Min-
listers, 22S; congregations, 451; confirmed
members, Al, 30S.
Ohio synod 90 dstricts)-M Ministers. 527:
congregations, $50; confirmed members,
103O95.
Synodical conference twenty districts
Ministers. 2366; congregations, 3 S05; con-
firned members 629 1876.
Territory Embraced.
The eastern district of the Missouri synod.
about to convene here. comprises the states
New Hampshire. Massachusetts, Rhode Is
land, New York. New Jersey. Pennsylvania,
Maryland. Virginia, North Carolina and
two congregations in London, England The
officers are: President. Rev. II. Walker of
York, Pa: first vice president, the Rev. A
Biewend. Boston, Mass; second vice presi
dent, the Rev. f. Stutz. Albany, N. Y: sec
rotary. the Rev Z. Fischer. Danbury
Conn: treasurer Mr.. Charles Spilman, pres
ident of the German Savings Bank Balti-
more and Eutaw streets. of this city.
There are 1870 congregations In organic
connection with this district 81 churches
are served by pastors belonging to the synod
and taking full and active part in all the
work of the synod. but not yet formally ad-
mtted. Besides these there are "a preach
ing stations. a total of 292 places regularly
served by 1S3 pastors and professors These
churches contain 50 020 souls 81 9S1 commu-
meant members: voters, males over twenty
one years. 1854. The term voter means
males over the age of twenty-one who have
applied for and have been received into the
ruling membership of the congregati lions and
does not by any means denote that all those
of legal age and legal voters are also voters
in their congregations. There are 1877 re-
ligious weekday schools taught by 81 pas
tors and II male teachers and 43 lady teach
ers. Pupils. S,6SS; baptisms 4SOS: con-
firmed, 1850; married. 2,015; burials S93
This district has a college at Hawthorne
N. Y. with four professors and 60 students
Within this district there are several char
table institutions-an orphanage at Mar
wood. Butler county Pa, with 81 children:
one at College Point, L. l., with 125 inmates:
the Wartburg Home for the Aged at Brook
lyn, N Y. with so inmates the, Lutheran
Hospital. at East New York; the Augsburg
Home for Orphans and Aged at Baltimore