# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1911_S108
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108 Proceedings of the 28th General or

A detailed explanation and justification of this petition is contained in the full report of the subcommission of the Mission Board of the California and Nevada District. This report is appended and is to be regarded as part of this petition.

To the Mission Commission of the California and Nevada District.
Dear Brothers!

When, about a year ago, Pastor Hansen visited Arizona on behalf of our conference — specifically Phoenix, Globe, Tucson, and Bisbee — and sought out fellow Lutheran believers in these towns, he was told in Bisbee that some 500 Finnish Lutheran families were said to be living there without any church care. On the advice of our Präses [president], this was first reported to the Commission for Foreign-Language Missions, with the request that it take up the cause of these Finnish fellow believers. That Commission, however, replied that it could not act in this matter, because the Synod had not taken up the Finnish mission as part of its work. The subcommission therefore inquired whether there was not, in America, an orthodox Finnish synod, or at least such a pastor, perhaps within our own Synod. A Finnish Lutheran synod was found, headquartered in Michigan, but it is affiliated with the General Council. Finally, on inquiring at Springfield, we received word from Prof. Pieper that there was a graduating senior that year, an Estonian who nevertheless spoke Finnish, ready to enter the work among the Finns; but he would need to apply himself more to the language if he were to be called. Thereupon the South California Conference charged the undersigned with first traveling to Bisbee and inquiring among those Finns themselves as to whether they wished to be given church care, and generally, how matters stood there.

This was done in December 1910, with the following result. It is a fact that about 500 Finnish families live in and around Bisbee; the men, and besides them a number of young people, work in the various copper mines in and around Bisbee. Four-fifths of these Finns, unfortunately, are given over to socialism and want nothing to do with God's Word. They revile and mock the church and all authority. When I was in Bisbee, these people, who had built themselves a large hall costing $9000.00, were about to dedicate it at Christmas with dancing and beer, singing, and free-thinking speeches.

All the sharper, then, stands the contrast between these and the earnestly Christian, Lutheran Finns. Of these families there are, as far as I could determine, 60 to 70. I visited twelve of them at four different places, namely Bisbee, Johnston's Addition, Finland, and Warren. These places lie close together, within a circle of two to three miles. It was difficult to communicate with the people, since they understand little English. I negotiated with them through interpreters. A year ago, right after...