Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-05
BIC PROBLEM FOR
SYNOD IS MISSION
Augustana Body Has Task OF Minis.
tering to Million and Half Swedes
in North America.
QUESTION BEFORE ANNUAL MEET
Many Important Matters on Program
of Annual Gathering to Be Held
This Week in Galesburg.

Considerable important business is to
come before the annual meet OF the
Augustana synod this week in Gales
burg. The ministerial delegates will
meet on Tuesday morning at 8 O'Clock
to examine the candidates for ordina-
ton. There are Is young men who
have successfully passed the examina-
ton of the theological seminary at
Rock Island, and have made applica-
ton to be received into the Augustana
synod. Before this request can be
granted the candidates must appear
individually before the ministerium and
pass satisfactory examination as to
their spiritual experiences. Then they
are recommended for ordination, and
the rite of ordination will take place
on Sunday, June II, at p. m. This
is a very impressive service.
Thursday morning the president of
the synod will read his report In the
afternoon the synod will receive the
reports of the president of Augustana
college, as well as the reports of the
president of the board of directors and
the treasurer of the same institution.
The board will recommend that an ad-
ditional chair be established in the
theological seminary, and it is possible
that the synod may elect a professor
for this chair.
Hasselquist Anniversary.
| All of Friday afternoon and evening
will be given over to the celebration of
| the Tooth anniversary of the birth of
Dr. T. n. Hasselquist, the patriarch
Of the synod. DR.. Hasselquist, who be-
gan his great work for the Swedes of
America in Galesburg, where he was
pastor of the First Swedish Lutheran
| church from 1852 to 1863, eXerted such
great and lasting influence on the
| spiritual and external work of the
synod that his name is to this day a
household word in its homes. One of
| the speakers on this occasion, DR.. Nils
Forsander, was student under, and
co-worker with. Dr. Hasselquist. 4
festival poem has been written for the
OCCASION and will be read by the au-
thor, Rev. c. A. Lonnquist of AXtell,
Neb.
Reports will be received from the
various boards having in charge the
| foreign mission work in India, China,
Japan and Porto Rico. The synod will
decide the amounts which the various
conferences must contribute during the
coming year for this work. Special
work must be undertaken this year for
the relief of the German missions in
India Two men will be consecrated
for the foreign mission work on Mon
day evening, June u, in Trinity
church.
The synod's greatest problem is the
home mission work. There are up
wards of $50 missions supported by
the various conferences, some OF
which are unable to do all the mission
work which is necessary on their fields
The synod as a whole assists the work
wherever necessary. A few of the con-
ferences are practically all mission ter
ritory, as far example the Canada con-
ference
Immigrants Scattered.
There are about 100000 persons OF
Swedish birth or ancestry in North
America, and the synod has the stu
pendous task of gathering in all the
unChurched among them. There are
difficult problems involved in the work
on account of the scattered condition
of many of the immigrants and also
on account of the language transition
The educational work of the synod
with the exception of the Augustana
College and Theological seminary, is
in the hands of conferences; the same
is also true of the charitable work
Only the Emmanuel hospital and dea
coness institute at Omaha is under the
direct control of the synod.
Considerable time will no doubt be
taken up with the discussion of The
pension fund for retired pastors. wild
ows and professors A committee Of
100 laymen has been elected to raise
100000 for this fund.- and its report
will come before the synod for ap
rarn1-al