# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1910_S32
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

32 Proceedings of the twenty-third convention

six or eight Lutheran men from Meherrin to hold a Lutheran service in a
boarding house. He did that twice; then the
people had disappeared again. They had returned to Meherrin.
But they came again in larger numbers. For about four years
Pastor v. Schlichten held services every two weeks before 25 to 30
Negroes. Then came a time of decline. Pastor Schooff of Meherrin
and Pastor J. C. Schmidt of Greensboro visited Yonkers and sought
to revive the mission; the Commission was asked to take care of
the mission there but could not help, and so the services had
to be discontinued. Three years ago, however, Pastor v. Schlichten began this mission again and has since had 10 to 40
hearers. About 40 Negroes from Meherrin have now settled there. They were instructed in Meherrin by Missionary Schooff
and have a fairly clear knowledge. Unfortunately in Yonkers
the influence of the Methodists, Baptists and Episcopalians among the
Negroes is strong, and our people are in danger, especially since Pastor v. Schlichten,
because of his many other labors, cannot look after them sufficiently. On 8 July of this year he founded, with 10 Lutheran
men and women, the Ev. Luth. Bethany Congregation.
Now he asks, with the endorsement of the local conference of New York,
that the Commission send a missionary to the East, who would take over the
young congregation and carry on mission work in the city of New York.
Our Lutheran Negro congregation there is the fruit of long years of
labor. It would be a great pity if our Lutherans
fell prey to the sects. Besides, as Pastor v. Schlichten
writes, there are Negroes enough in New York. If the sects can found one mission after another
among the Negroes, then we Lutherans too could and should
care for a congregation of Negroes and make a
mission attempt. This report, which came to the Commission only recently, will certainly be received with joy by the Reverend Synodical Conference, and the request for a missionary
should be granted.

7. North Carolina.

a. Concord, Grace Church. (Missionary: Pastor H. C. Messerli.)
In January 1909 the previous missionary, Pastor J. Ph. Schmidt,
called as theological professor to Immanuel College, moved to
Greensboro. His successor was Candidate H. C. Messerli, from the
seminary at St. Louis, installed on 12 September 1909 by Prof.
J. Ph. Schmidt. Pastor Messerli's work has so far been a blessed one.
Since March of this year the missionary has taken over the upper classes of the school,
since Teacher Carter was transferred to Greensboro. Miss
Wilmar Barnhardt, a colored teacher, has the lower classes.
The congregation numbers 161 souls, 55 communicants, 17 voting
members, 100 school children and as many Sunday school pupils. — Mount
Calvary, in Sandy Ridge, is a branch. This congregation numbers