Evening star., 1950-10-09
United Lutherans Told
836,816 Participate
In Sunday Schools
By Cospor Nonnes
Stor Stoff Correspondent


teachers in the Sunday schools Of
the United Lutheran Church in
America, DR.. L. Ralph Tabor of
Washington, president of the de-
nominations parish and church
school board. reported today.
DR.. Tabor told the 900 delegates
to the 17th biennial convention of
the church here that 646,0 ,054
students were enrolled in the
schools. 18,499 in the home de-
partment and 96,832 in the
nursery department. There are
75,4Sl teachers in the 4.o5s
schools.
The Washington pastor noted
the 1949 figures represent a gain
in teachers and students of 29,180
over the 1948 enrolment of 807,-
1856. He also pointed out that the
denominations 1858 weekday and
vacation schools totaled 10,867
teachers and 98, ,499 students.
Program Outlined.
A five-point program for for
warding of parish and church
school work was outlined by DR..
Tabor. 1t suggested "a plan Of
parish education for the congre-
CATION, preparing literature for
parish education, developing lead
ers. promoting more extensive
parish education helps and meth
ods of administering the boards
work.
Two awards for 1851, one in
literature and one in music. were
announced today. The award in
literature, called the Rung award,
went to prose dealing with Chris
tian living. Opened for the first
time to other than United Lu-
theran Church members, the
award is for $4,000. In music.
the winner of a contest for original
hymns will receive a prize to be
announced later.
1.-THE Lutheran" official news
magazine for the church. reached
an all-time high of 88,270 copies
in its March 20, 1850 issue, Hiram
H. Keller of Doylestown, Pa, pres
ident of the denominations board
Of publications reported today.
This was more than double the
44,030 copies distributed the same
week in 1948.
A move by some members of
the denomination to have the
church head designated bishop
instead Of president, as Is now
the case, will be discussed today
by the convention. A committee
studying the problem recommend
ed against it's adoption at this
time, but suggested the executive
board request other Lutheran
bodies to discuss the question at
future general assemblies to learn
what the general attitude towards
such a change is.
DR.. Franklin Clark Fry of New
Rochelle, N. Y, Is president of the
United Lutheran Church.
A total of 9,015,174 Bibles, Tes-
taments and portions were dis
tributed in the United States, and
4.2s7.548 in foreign countries.
The society reported it dis
tributed 356,264 volumes to the
armed forces during 1949. In the
same period the society distrib-
uted 1891 volumes, specially en-
bossed, for the blind and 10.375
talking book records.
DR.. Ralph J. Bunche, 1850 No
bel peace prize winner, last night
told a youth meeting that de-
mocracy has not attained its
maximum strength because it has
been marred by minority group
problems.
DR.. Bunche. senior director of
the United Nations trusteeship
department, spoke to the group
by long distance telephone from
his home in Jamaica, Long Island.
His call was heard by 800 United
Lutheran youths through an am
plifying system.
Asserting that freedom loving
nations everywhere are looking to
the United States for the preser-
vation Of democracy, the Nobel
Prize winner declared "but our
witness to democracy abroad is
jeopardized by our actions here at
home"
There is a grave difference be-
tween profession and the practice
of democracy" he continued. 1T
is not enough to believe in de-
mocracy and pay lip service to it.
Democracy must live. We must
see that relations with our fellow
man are democratic no matter
what his color or race"