# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S404
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

404 MISSIONS

Sixty Years of Gospel Preaching to the Deaf by Our Synod

During these sixty years God has been with us and has richly
blessed our work, as also the following figures will bear out:

Missionaries Commu- Baptized Confirmed
Year Full-Time Part-Time nicants Adults Children Adults
1896 ss «1 2 32 —_ — —
1926. 17 1 1,013 22 3 88
1956 __..__ 37 2 4,213 73 98 161
Contributions:
Year Home Purposes Synod’s Work
1896 ee
1926 ss Ct:C«éS«G,00.06 (1925) $ 676.44 (1925)
1956 «$70,331.44 = (1955) $18,362.00 (1955)

In 1926 we had fourteen organized congregations and 120
preaching stations, and today in 1956 there are 36 organized
congregations with 507 voting members and 228 preaching stations.
We also have about 80 deaf-blind under our care.

“What hath God wrought!” Num. 23:23. “The Lord hath done
great things for us, whereof we are glad.” Ps.126:3. Oh, give
thanks!

Work in Schools for the Deaf

As of October 1954, there were 309 schools and classes in the
United States, among which are our Lutheran School for the Deaf
in Detroit and our Lutheran School in Mill Neck Manor, New York,
the only Protestant schools in the United States. In that year the
total attendance of all these schools was 22,474.

In 1896 no work was being done in schools. Thirty years
later we were working in sixteen residential and in four city
schools. Today, after another thirty years, we work in 47 resi-
dential schools, sixteen city schools, and in three schools for
mentally retarded. In many of these schools we have religious
classes, with an enrollment of 1,819 deaf boys and girls. In other
schools our workers address the assemblies, often reaching up
to 300 deaf. Indeed, God has been with us also in our school work.
Our work is highly spoken of by the school authorities.

Our Missionary Staff

At the present time we have on our active list 34 ordained
men and three vicars. There are also two part-time workers,
one who works also in our Mission to the Blind and ministers
to a number of deaf and deaf-blind, and the other who ministers
to the deaf in his community aside of his hearing charge. We have
39 fields, and each missionary must do quite a little traveling,
each one having about five or more stations. We thank our good