# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1905_S77
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

11th Delegate Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States, 1905. 77

...on the part of the steamship company. Naturally, this reduced his
income, so that we had to make up $282.64 from the Pilgrim House
fund last year.

In Bremen, Mr. F. Gillhoff labors with complete faithfulness; he was
appointed at the start of 1903 in place of Mr. W. Schmidt. In Bremen
the difficulties under which the missionary works are even greater than
in Hamburg. There the sources of income are almost entirely blocked
for the missionary. Nor is there much hope that matters will improve
greatly in this regard. In the years 1903 and 1904 we had to make up
$1,420.12 there. Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that these stations
should be maintained, since a presence in these important port cities
still seems necessary to us. Your committee also believes it has found
ways and means by which the burden that the Pilgrim House bears with
these stations can be eased. — The report on these stations, submitted
by Mr. Gillhoff, is at hand and reads as follows:

"'However strongly emigration is flowing through our German ports
at the moment, the number of German-Lutheran and Evangelical
emigrants is declining. And this fact presses the question: Is it
necessary that the two German branch stations of the Lutheran Pilgrim
House continue to exist?

"'As far as Hamburg is concerned, there is probably no compelling
reason to discontinue this mission post.

"'True, the business profit declined so much last year that a
significant subsidy from the head office in New York became
necessary. But this deficit has more than once been offset by
considerable surpluses in previous years. It is also to be expected that,
once the war in East Asia — which now seals off all of Russia's borders
— has ended, a strong emigration of Germans from Russia will set in,
which should benefit Hamburg in particular. In any case, it seems
improper to doubt the return of the tide on account of the present ebb.

"'But it is not only in business terms, but quite especially also in
church terms, that conditions in Hamburg are favorable.

"'From the efforts of the evangelical circles of the state church, one
can see how important the emigrant mission in Hamburg appears to the
state-church clergy, even though it, like the Catholic clergy, forgoes
business profit here in Germany wholly or almost wholly.

"'Let us now turn, on the other hand, to Bremen, where with the