Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-05-24

close of the second service Rev. Err
thai submitted some facts from the
history of the congregation. The Of
fering was for the Negro mission
which is carried on by the Synodical
Conference which also celebrates it's
11ftieth anniversary and to which the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT, a branch of the
Norwegian-and the Slovakian synod
belong The singing Of the quartette
was highly appreciated It was alto
gether festival long to be remem-
bered.
On April &c, 1S47, twelve ministers
OF the Gospel gathered in Chicago at
meeting which was destined to mark
the beginning of one Of the most re-
markable movements in the history
of the Christian Church in the United
States, and formed what is now known
as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod Of
Missouri, Ohio and other states, the
church-body which this year celebrates
Its seventy-hfth anniversary.
During the three-quarters Of a CEN
fury which have passed since DR.. G. F.
w. Walther, the consecrated leader
of the Saxon immigrants in Missouri,
assumed the presidency Of this
Synod, this church body has ex-
perienced a growth that Is nothing
short of phenomenal. Its pastors have
increased from the original twelve to
1900; it's congregations from the six
teen that were represented in Chicago
on the day Of organization to $500
with 1000 additional preaching sta
tons. It's membership embraces more
than one million souls in all parts Of
the United States and Canada, and
together with other Synods affiliated
in the Synodical Conference it forms
the largest Lutheran church body in
the world.
The secret Of this growth is to be
found in the fact that from the very
beginning this church was determined
to accept the great missionary chal-
lenge that came from the unchurched
masses in this country. With sacri-
fees almost unknown in these days,
the first missionaries Of this church
blazed the trail for the Gospel through
the West long before the railroads
pushed their way across the prairies:
They entered the cities and towns of
the East and besides founding mis-
sions that today are large and flour
ishing congregations they established
Christian day schools for children,
where in addition to the instruction in
the elementary branches, the Bible
and the principles Of Christianity were
given prominence.
Home Missions
Since the trials and struggles of
those pioneer days this home mission
airy effort has Increased to such an
extent that withs$the exception OF
South Carolina every state in the
Union Is represented In the home mis-
sion field Of this church. From Maine
where the determined members of the
first mission congregation have built a
Lutheran church with their own hands,
to- California, where this body has for
many years carried on extensive home
mission work; from the frozen north
lands Of the Alberta and Saskatchewan,
where the first Canadian Lutheran col
lege has been erected to recruit young
men for the missionary task in the
great Northwest, into the very heart
Of Mexico, where Lutheran mission.
aries are now active in the cause OF
salvation; in the Industrial and com.
mercial centers Of our country and in
isolated settlements where the Gospel
has never been preached before, these
ambassadors of Jesus Christ are daily
winning new victories for the faith
shat overcometh the world"
Their testimony is heard in ten diff
ferent languages in our country, In
addition to the English, which is be-
ing used more extensively every year,
especially in missionary work, and the
German, the language Of the pioneer
Lutheran workers. In Yiddish it tells
the Israelite of Christ as the promised
Messiah; in Italian this Gospel is COM
batting the atheism and religious in
difference which is becoming so
markeds~among the sons Of Italy in
this country in Polish, Slovak, Lithu-
anian, Lettish, Norwegian, and Danish
it brings the Gospel to those who have
come from the north of Europe; 1t
greets the Indian in his own tongue, and
the unfortunate deaf mutes are happy
to be under the spiritual care Of men
trained to bring the message Of saliva
ton in the sign Language. For the past
fifty years, ever since the founding OF
the Synodical Conference, it has car
ried on extensive work among the
negroes Of the black belt; it has es.
tablished church schools where the
third generation Of colored Lutherans
is now being trained; 1t has built col
leges for the higher education OF the
young negroes in the South. At pub
lie and charitable institutions the mis-
sionarles Of this church bring light tc