# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S269
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

MISSIONS 269

\OMMENT: The progress of the work in Belgium has continued
é past triennium. While the progress measured in actual
r of souls gained looks small, yet when considered in the
3f percentage of annual gain, this field indeed looks very
g. In Antwerp, for example, the annual gain in baptized
arship over the last five years has been 15%, the average
4]. gain in communicant membership has been 20%, and the
annual gain in attendance at services has been 17%.
slarly in Brussels the average annual gain in baptized mem-
“has been 23% over the last two years, and the average
“gain in communicant membership has been 150% over the
iod, and there has been an average gain of 10% a year
attendance. .

‘Board has been deeply impressed with the forward-looking
xpansion and church activation which Pastor Hobus has
tted to us.
recommendation that “Our sister churches in other Euro-
untries ought to be encouraged .. . to assume a warm
in the work of our brethren in Belgium” has been im-
ted by the Lutheran Free Church in France, which has
‘the two Belgium brethren members of their church or-
ation.

‘tee

Abe
se

any
-General Statement.

e work of our Church in Germany is represented primarily
‘Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Germany and the
lical Lutheran Church ‘im frueheren Altpreussen’ (Breslau
The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church of Germany
about 15,000 souls and the Breslau Synod about 43,000.
x pastors are ministering to 85 congregations and 515
stations. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Dias-
mechtlingsmissionskirche), supported by the Joint Synod
sonsin, and the ‘Selbststaendige’ Evangelical Lutheran
‘are in fellowship with the above-named two churches.
loststaendige Freikirche’ is maintaining a flourishing mis-
South Africa, in which the other two sister synods, espe-
e. Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, are giving active
This is an endeavor in which the recently established
p among the three Free Churches finds further active

work in Germany must be considered under two aspects:
the West Zone and work in the East Zone.

‘West Zone Problems.

sy work of the Church in the West Zone can be done
-by government restrictions. The fact that many of
of worship were destroyed in the Second World War
‘more than five million Lutheran refugees, who were driven