# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S466
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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472 MISSIONS

UNPRINTED MEMORIAL 35

This was a communication to the members of Committee
presenting the need and opportunities in Japan and asking that
permission be granted to call twenty pastors and to appoint twenty
vicars for two years to Japan and that Synod make provisions for
the added expenditures which this move would entail.

ACTION
Upon recommendation of Committee 2, Synod adopted the
following resolutions:
Resolution 11

I

Whereas, The Lord of the Church has during the past three
years so signally blessed our missionary work in foreign lands,
giving us a wide-open door in the Philippine Islands, in New
Guinea, and in Japan; and

Wuenreas, The gracious Lord has also permitted us to continue
the preaching of His salvation in China under most trying circum-
stances, even in the midst of our enemies; and

Wuereas, The Lord has poured a special blessing on our work
in India, granting us 35 national pastors, permitting our Christians
of that land to organize the Lutheran Church of India, and moving
many congregations to become self-sustaining; and

Wuereas, The Lord graciously protected Drs. Henry Nau and
Otto H. Schmidt on their official journeys to the missionary fields
of the Near East and East; therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod in this convention assembled offer a
special prayer of thanksgiving to God for His mercies and our
privilege of being His co-workers; and be it further

Resolved, That Synod extend to all of its missionaries on their
widespread frontiers its cordial greetings and express to them its
deepest appreciation for their consecrated services on our behalf,
‘pledging them our continued interest as well as our prayers and
offerings in support of their labors; and be it further

Resolved, To make special mention of the glorious victories
‘achieved in Japan, to commend both our Board for Foreign Mis-
sions and our missionaries for their aggressive and courageous
prosecution of the work in this our newest field, and to acknowl-
edge with gratitude the timely support given to this work by the
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, the Walther League,
Gamma Delta, our school children, and scores of individual

MISSIONS 478

II

Wueress, Just at this time Japan offers very unusual mission
opportunities; and

Wuereas, Just at this time there is an unusual amount of in-
terest for missionary work in Japan among the members of our
Synod; and

Wauereas, Time is of the essence in this matter; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Board of Foreign Missions be encouraged
to undertake special and vigorous efforts to meet this extraordinary
challenge and that the Fiscal Conference be requested to make
provisions for the special and additional costs of this unusual
situation.

Mailing Mission
(Memorial 413)

WuereEas, The distribution of Christian tracts was first popu-
larized by Dr. Luther and was in a large measure responsible for
the rapid spread of the Reformation in his lifetime; and

Wuereas, It is still used very effectively by many denomina-
tions; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church has largely neglected this
method, at least in comparison with Rome, which claims a circu-
lation in the neighborhood of a million tracts a week; and

WHEREAS, We have a wealth of contacts: the fan mail of the
Lutheran Hour and our other radio programs, removal and de-
linquent lists of our congregations, shut-ins, canvasses for new
missions not yet begun, and many contacts of our members and

pastors throughout the land and beyond; and

Wuereas, Some have begun such work, the Hansens building
up a list of some 5,000 names; and

Wuereas, Such contacts, if developed, would be valuable in
the founding and development of new missions in all our Districts
and of winning and preserving souls for the kingdom of our
Savior beyond the reach of our churches; therefore be it

Resolved, That we encourage each District of Synod to study
the advisability of organizing a Mailing Mission, to mail tracts,
devotional booklets, and other Gospel literature to people in its
territory who are not adequately reached by the churches;
and be it

Resolved, That lists for these mailings be gathered from pastors
and members, from Lutheran Hour and.other radio mail, and from
any other sources; and be it further , ,