# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1890_S22
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

22 Proceedings of the thirteenth convention

whole remained the same in recent years. The congregation now numbers 63 souls, among them 21 communicant members. The services are attended by about 40, the Sunday school by 34. The weekday school has 75 pupils. 17 children and adults are under instruction. In contributions and collections the little congregation raised $238.80 in the last two years, which is, to be sure, a quite considerable increase over earlier times.

2. Mount Zion, New Orleans, La.

As our mission in New Orleans was a very promising one from the beginning, so too the progress of this work has so far been, by God's grace, a truly blessed one.

The Mount Zion Mission is our second-oldest station altogether and the oldest in New Orleans, and was begun as early as the beginning of the year 1878 in the notorious Sailors' Home, later taken over here by Missionary N. Bakke and then in the year 1882 moved to its present location on Franklin Street. Without interruption Missionary Bakke has so far worked with blessing at this station. It has a school of two classes. The upper class is headed by Teacher Vix. In the lower class the colored student Berkhalter of Springfield was employed on trial in the autumn of 1888. Despite all the effort our missionaries gave to the man, it simply would not go with him; he was wholly useless both for preaching and for keeping school, and yet at the same time conceited and demanding. Since all attempts to make him into a useful missionary or teacher failed, the Commission finally saw itself compelled to dismiss him from the service of the mission. Although one had been patient with him for over a year, Berkhalter managed to spread the opinion within the congregation that he had been wronged. But in a congregational meeting held for the purpose the congregation had to convince itself that he had been rightly removed from his office. Some months later Berkhalter expressed in a letter to the Commission the wish that he might go to Addison. The Commission resolved to try this too with him; but we have heard nothing more from him since. We were in great embarrassment on account of the school. Then Missionary Bakke succeeded in provisionally employing the 17-year-old Negro youth Emmanuel Burthlong, whom he had himself brought up in his school, and this experiment has turned out very well. But Burthlong wishes this autumn to enter the teachers' seminary in Addison for thorough schooling, and we shall therefore have to try to call another teacher for this class. Missionary Bakke has for some time pointed out that, if opportunity offers, the mission grounds should be enlarged, because the children already have no playground any more; for that very soon would