Evening journal., 1915-05-17
LUTHERAN Mother
SYNOD TO convene
16Sth Annual Convention
Opens in Philadelphia
May 27

When the Rev. John A. W. Haas, d.
d., LII d., president OF Muhlenberg Col
lege, Allentown, as president of the,
Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium OF
Pennsylvania and Adjacent States, opens !
the coming convention on May 27, the
venerable body will be assembled for the |
one hundred and siNty-eighth time The
session will be held in Holy Communion
Church, Twenty-second and Chestnut
streets, Philadelphia, of which the Rev.
+. p. II. Pfattecher, Ph. d., is the pastor
and will occupy the time of some four
hundred clergymen and two hundred lay
men for nearly a week. In addition toI
the regular business sessions, which will
take up the hours of the days, there will
be three evening services. On the open
ing day there will be a service at which
thesis on congregational Efficiency"
viii be discussed; on Friday night a.
mission service will be held and ON Mon
day evening, May 81 the ordination ser
mon will be preached by the Rev. Il. W..
kretschman, PHI d., pastor of st..
Stephens Church, West Philadelphia.
and a class of young men will be or
dained TO the gospel ministry. Tho ex-
animation of candidates for the minis
try will take place on the day preceding
the opening OF the convention.
The territory of the synod covers
Eastern Pennsylvania. New Jersey
and Delaware and the membership of
the five hundred and seventy-seven
congregations belonging to the synod
total almost 100000. The strongest
Lutheran centers in the territory are
Philadelphia, Reading Allentown,
Lancaster, Easton, Bethlehem and
Lebanon, while a large portion Of the
strength lies in extensive country par
ishes in Berks and Lehigh counties.
In 1914 these congregations raised
over S1.0O0,000 for current and special
expenses, and $176,6S5.63 for mis-
sions. The figures are expected to
run far ahead this year, despite the
financial depression. Lutheran peo-
pie throughout the State will be in
terested in the doings of this conven-
tion. for every other district synod in
the State traces its beginnings from
| the ministerium. Many of the sister
synods will send fraternal delegates
to the sessions.
The strenuous work required to
transact the multitude of important
church activities of so large a Chris
! tian body will be lightened and
hastened considerably by placing in
the hands of each pastor and layman
Digest" This pamphlet of some
fifty pages will contain the scheduled
out line of the order in which reports
! elections and other business will be
conducted. and also all the reports
of the various boards and standing
committees. Advance copy of this
digest shows that the sessions will
be busy ones and that the discussions
will be animated and lengthy. One
of the items of business which viii
require considerable attention is tn
General Educational Fund Of 100000
The work of gathering this fund hai
, not been completed, yet other press
! ing matters connected with the oh
servance Of the four hundredth ami
, versary of the Protestant RefOrma
J ton in 1917 are clamoring for recog
milton. Muhlenberg College and thu
Mt. Airy Theological Seminary. whicl
are the benefciaries of the fund. will
make an earnest effort 10 prevent th'
matter from being side-tracked. Th
largest possible interest of the lay
men is centered on two proposition
presented by them at last year
meeting. A special committee viii
bring in report on the matter of hav
ing a salaried presidency and Will,
this would involve no constitutions
changes and give no larger power t.
the executive. yet there will be plent,
Of other diffiulties in the way Of il
adoption. The laymen, however. de
sire it as an efficiency measure. The.
: are strong also for a change Of thi
constitution which will permit the an
nual sessions TO open on Monda.
t evening, enabling the business to b.
transacted by the close of the week
This. too, is regarded as essential 4
greater efficiency.
In addition to the regular election
of officers and members of the boards
the synod will elect its quota of cleri
{ cal and lay delegates to the biennia
= meeting of the general council Of tn
! Lutheran Church in North America il
3 Rock Island, H.. in September, 1915
! II is highly probable that the boar
of directors of the Mt Airy Seminar
. will nominate two professors to b
} elected by the ministerium to fill tn
vacancies caused by the death of DI
!. G. f. Spieker in 1918 and that of tn
J Rev. DR.. E. T. Horn early this yeai
= 1t is expected that the president
\ report will contain some interestin
, matter in reference to a closer unio
of the various Lutheran synods of tn
y country. and that the executive com
: mittee will ask for the appointment
= of the secretary of systematic benevo
( lence.