# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1879_S37
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 37 —

burden of debt and a temporary grant of the right of tenancy to the congregation. The Visitor too, Pastor Köstering, was of the opinion that this was a favourable opportunity to obtain a further mission station. But according to the resolution of the Honorable Synodical Conference [*Synodalconferenz*], which prescribes that the Commission go in the carrying out of church buildings only as far as the means of a church-building fund to be established reach (see Report of 1878, p. 64, on Proposal 5), the Commission did not consider itself entitled to comply with the repeated urgent requests of the congregations in Sherman, but rather had to leave the decision to this honorable body itself.

"Since the Honorable Synodical Conference at its sessions last year had resolved on the publication of a mission paper of its own, your Commission took the appropriate steps to carry out this resolution. Pastor F. Lochner, after the removal of his initial misgivings, took on in God's name the chief editorship of the paper assigned to him; one of the elected assistant editors, Pastor J. Brockmann of the Honorable Wisconsin Synod, however, has to our regret refused to accept this office without giving his reasons. Your Commission then had its president inquire first of Pastor A. E. Frey regarding the transfer of his "Ev.⸗luth. Miſſionsblatt" [Ev. Luth. Mission Paper] to the Synodical Conference. He was also ready to hand his paper over to us on the condition that we continue to have it printed at the press of the "Ev.⸗luth. Verlagsverein" [Ev. Luth. Publishing Society] in New York. This condition, however, we believed we could not well accept because of the great distance of the editorial office from the place of printing. So, since the beginning of this year, the new little mission paper has appeared, in God's name, under the title "Miſſionstaube" [Mission Dove], and had already several months ago over 13,000 subscribers. May God give his blessing to it, that it may help to carry the olive leaf of the Gospel ever further.

"A monthly church periodical in the English language has also appeared since March under the title: "The Lutheran Pioneer." Its editor is Professor R. A. Bischoff in Fort Wayne. All German Lutheran Christians should take the dissemination of this excellent paper to heart, put it into the hands of their sons and daughters who like to read something in the English language now and then; Christian young men should subscribe to it, and it should also, as far as possible, be given to the English-speaking population, especially to the Negroes, to read, because it gives them an excellent opportunity to get to know the pure doctrine. —

"Your Commission held it necessary to be represented at the sessions of the Honorable Synodical Conference by one of its members, and the undersigned was therefore elected delegate of the Mission Commission to this year's convention of this honorable body.

"Even if it was only a small thing that your most devoted Commission at