# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1878_S59
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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it had to insist that Missionary Döscher resume his round trip at the beginning of January, and asked the Rev. P. Obermeyer in Little Rock to continue the mission work with the help of several members of the congregation. Since, however, the efforts of the dear brethren in this regard proved inadequate, your Board thought it must yield to the requests of Missionary Döscher and of the advisory mission committee in Little Rock and call a second missionary, and therefore turned to the Reverend Presidents of the institutions at Columbus, Springfield and St. Louis with the request, if a suitable man should be found among their graduating students, to propose him. In consequence, Student Zahn of the seminary in Springfield was first proposed and called. But when it turned out that Mr. Zahn had "an exceedingly strong antipathy against colored people," so that it is "almost impossible for him to associate with them," we thought we must refrain from him, and called Student F. Berg of the seminary in St. Louis at a salary of $600.00 a year, who then also, after passing his examination, entered upon his office soon after Easter and is now working with blessing. On 15 June he was permitted to baptize a still unbaptized Negro half an hour before his death, after preceding instruction and at the sincere desire of the person concerned, upon the confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and on the following day to bury him in a Christian manner. This was thus the first Lutheran Negro baptism and Negro funeral of our mission.

"According to Missionary Berg's report the Negroes are by no means as inconstant as is commonly supposed. He says rather of them: 'If the Negro does not like the preacher and the preaching, he is not to be won by anything; but if he has once come to love the same, he goes through fire for his pastor and church, if need be.' The Negroes are strongly represented in Little Rock; there are about 6000 of them there, of whom two fifths are heathen or at least without a church. Also in the surrounding area, where Missionary Berg now also has a preaching place, there are many Negroes. The Methodists, Episcopalians and Romanists too are now beginning to carry on mission work in Little Rock with zeal.

"Since, according to the assurances of Missionary Berg himself, as also of the Rev. Pastors Obermeyer and Niemann and of the advisory mission committee there, it appears absolutely necessary for the prosperity of the mission work there to build a church of its own, and the same could be put up for about $350.00 on a rented lot which would cost $60.00 ground rent annually, your Board of Missions, on the advice of the Delegate Synod held in St. Louis, resolved, in God's name, to proceed to the building of the first Ev. Luth. Negro church in America, although the cost of it amounts to about $200.00 more than first stated, whereby, however, the building also contains two living rooms for the missionary, which can later easily be taken for the church space, if desired. The first Ev. Luth. Negro congregation has already been organized in Little Rock and Missionary Berg called by it as pastor.