# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S428
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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_ of home missions. As we look at the accomplishments of the p

1946, when 135 representatives of the District Mission Boa

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428 cal MISSIONS

Home Missions in North America

Although your Board gave much attention to the developm,
of our work in South America and extraterritorial fields, it pl
its major emphasis, of course, on the work here in the home
It has always proceeded on the assumption that only in the meas
in which the Church takes care of its home mission field will’
be able to grow larger and larger and thus to undergird its w6:
in foreign fields. The development of the home base is of supr
importance! Your Board for Missions in North and South Americ#g
was constantly on the alert to intensify and to expand our prograin

triennium, we offer a prayer of deepest gratitude, but when
consider the work which still remains to be done, we fall on our
knees with the plea: “Lord, grant us a greater passion for souls!’
The annual Epiphany Mission Conferences which have be
held since 1946 have made a telling impact upon our Ch
The spirit of home missions, spécifically of evangelism, is definitel
abroad in every section of our Synod. aoe
You will recall, this tremendous forward thrust was inaugues
rated at the first Epiphany Conference held in Detroit in Febru

together with 150 other leaders of our Church, decided to laur
an “intensive, systematic, progressive, unified, nation-wide miss 0
expansion program.” Few movements in the history of our Chi
have been more abundantly blessed by our Lord than the so-call
“Each One Reach One” effort which was begun in 1946 and whi
is still continuing at unabated pace. It is with grateful and joyful
hearts that we report that within the three years following
inauguration of the “Each One Reach One” movement no fe
than 102,682 adults were brought into our Church by confirmatio
Baptism, and by confession of faith. (Statistics for 1949 were
available at this writing.)

Since the Epiphany Conferences have played such a viti
part in arousing our District mission boards and the church..at
large to a greater consciousness of their mission opportunities :
their mission obligations, we cannot but voice our deep re
that because of a lack of funds the 1950 Epiphany Conference had:
to be omitted. nk

Vacation Bible Schools.— ‘Another effort which has enjoyed
the evident blessing of God was the promotion of vacation
schools which your Board for Missions in North and South Am
sponsored in co-operation with Syngd’s Board for Parish Edu
tion. These schools have indeed been an instrument in the haild
of God not only to bring precious blood-bought souls within thé,