# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1884_S73
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Fourth Delegate Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1884.   73

important port city for the German emigrant. Most emigrants come by
way of Bremen to New York, and the line from there to Baltimore is
coming more and more into use. Since the closing of the mission
founded there eleven years ago, under Mr. B. Zieger, we had no
representative there to advise and assist our emigrants. It is true
that for some years the *Unirten* [members of the Prussian Union
church] have taken the emigrant mission in hand, but no immigrants
were assigned to us by them; rather, they allied themselves
exclusively with the local General Council mission and worked openly
against us — indeed, they went so far as to warn people against our
missionary. They hold worship services with the emigrants whom they
gather up from the various inns, and celebrate the Lord's Supper,
inviting all present to it without further ado. Even members of our
Lutheran Free Church in Germany have let themselves be led astray by
them and have gone to the Lord's Supper with them in Bremen, but
afterward fell into no small distress of conscience over it. This
forced us to take the safeguarding of our interests over there into
our own hands. That is the reason we have placed Mr. W. Vopel, who
came well recommended to us, among others, by Pastor Brunn of
Steeden, in Bremen, especially to look after the emigrants moving
into our Synodical Conference. It is true that the Unirten are
bitterly angry over our move into Bremen and have tried hard to make
Mr. Vopel's work difficult; but despite this the work there continues
its blessed progress. Mr. Vopel's appointment, salary, and oversight
rest entirely in our hands. It would now be desirable that those who,
sooner or later, emigrate by way of Bremen to New York or Baltimore
and join our church be made acquainted in good time with Mr. Vopel's
address (No. 9 Wiesenstrasse) and his office, so that they may get in
touch with him from the outset and place all their travel affairs
trustingly in his hands. Emigrants who pay their own passage over
there and wish to travel by way of Bremen should buy their steamship
tickets through Mr. Vopel. The profit thereby earned then benefits the
cause, and the emigrants know that they are in trustworthy hands.

    "Since our break with the emigrant house on State Street, the
rumor has repeatedly been spread, in writing and by word of mouth, on
both sides of the ocean, in that house's interest: that our emigrants
were being lodged in dives. That this is a malicious slander can be
attested by all those who have received lodging from our missionary.
Among these were not only actual emigrants but also pastors and
teachers. But all of them, to our knowledge, went away satisfied. As
long as we have no house of our own, we make do with such as are
available. There have always been good inns here