# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S419
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

MISSIONS 419

IV. MISSIONS

eport of Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Missions
(Memorial 401)

The Twenty-sixth Delegate Convention of our beloved Synod
gonvenes at the mid-point’of the twentieth century. Perhaps never
thefore in the history of man have there been fifty years which

fos ing century. These changes have profoundly affected not only
e course of world history, but also the history of our own nation,
e history of the Christian Church, and the history of our beloved

During these fifty years governments have come into being
d have crumbled and fallen. The map of the world has under-
gone one radical change after another. As we reflect upon the
foourse of our own nation’s history during the past fifty years, we
marvel at the tremendous progress which has been made in almost
ery phase of modern life. Our incomes, our standard of living,
ar luxuries and conveniences, far exceed those of any other people
the earth.

And yet we must bow our heads in shame. In spite of the
umbered blessings which God has showered upon us as a nation
d as a Church, the first half of the twentieth century has been
era of almost unprecedented bloodshed, violence, and wicked-
ess. The Commandments of our Lord have been flagrantly trans-
essed at almost every turn. Indeed, the first half of the twentieth
entury is a black page in the annals of human history.

It is not without purpose that the Lord has placed our Church
to the present world scene and has given us His Gospel message
or such a day as this.” Into our hands He has placed the message
edemption and has commissioned us to proclaim this message
r.and wide in this dark moment of mankind’s history. What
privilege! What a challenge! — to be alive and to work for Christ
a day when almost unbelievable media of communication have
een placed at our disposal: the telephone, the telegraph, the radio,
levision, photography, the movies, the airplane, the automobile,
e’ Diesel engine, and other means which God has given us to
read His Gospel of salvation far and wide.

- « What a blessing it is to be a member of The Lutheran Church —
Missouri Synod, which the Lord permitted not only to survive the
sonslaughts of the Evil One during the perilous period of 1900 to
#1950, but which He also permitted to make unprecedented mis-
és jonary gains during those critical years. The following figures
give us a picture of the numerical growth of our beloved Church