# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1911_S298
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 84 —

To the Mission Commission of the California and Nevada District.

Dear brothers!

When, about a year ago, Pastor Hansen, on behalf of our
conference, visited Arizona — specifically Phoenix, Globe, Tucson, and
Bisbee — and sought out Lutheran fellow believers in these towns, he
was told in Bisbee that some 500 Finnish Lutheran families were said
to be living there without church services. 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 replied, however,
that it could not act in this matter, since the Synod had not taken
up the Finnish mission as part of its work. The subcommittee
accordingly inquired whether there might not be an orthodox Finnish
synod in America, or at least such a pastor somewhere in our own
Synod. A Finnish Lutheran synod headquartered in Michigan was found,
but it is affiliated with the General Council. Upon inquiry at
Springfield we finally received word from Prof. Pieper that this
year's graduate, an Estonian who nevertheless speaks Finnish, was
willing to enter work among the Finns; he would, however, if he were
to be called, need to apply himself further to the language.
Thereupon the South California Conference commissioned the
undersigned to travel to Bisbee beforehand and inquire of those Finns
themselves whether they wished to be served by the church, and, in
general, 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, along with a number of young people besides, work in the various
copper mines in and around Bisbee. Unfortunately, however,
four-fifths of these Finns are devoted 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 on the point of
dedicating it at Christmas with dancing and beer, singing, and
freethinking speeches.

All the sharper, therefore, is the contrast between these and the
earnestly Christian, Lutheran Finns. Of such 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 make myself understood with these
people, since they understand little English. I negotiated with them
through interpreters. About a year earlier, shortly after Pastor
Hansen had been there, a traveling Finnish pastor — a member of the
synod mentioned above, though not sent by it — had come there and had
preached to the people every evening for a week, baptized children,
celebrated the Lord's Supper, and performed marriages. The people
begged him earnestly to stay with them; they wanted