# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S46
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

46 Proceedings of the twenty-fifth convention

see to it that a Lutheran preacher would be appointed in Atlanta. Our nearest missionary, Missionary McDavid in Charlotte, is 267 miles away. He has traveled to Atlanta once a month and has held services in a dwelling house, which were attended on average by 37 persons. A Sunday school has been founded and numbers 30 children. The station has 10 souls and 5 communicant members. The Commission has called to Atlanta the colored candidate for the ministry Karl Stoll, who took his examination in Immanuel College in June. But we must now buy a lot and put up a chapel on it. A building lot can be had for 300 dollars, and a chapel 24×34 feet would cost about 600 dollars.

3. Illinois.

Springfield, Holy Trinity. (Vacant.) Prof. Otto C. A. Böcler of the seminary in Springfield has also served the congregation faithfully as vacancy preacher during the past biennium, now 4½ years in all. At the end of last year the congregation numbered 39 souls (that is, persons who are under the pastoral care of the preacher, big and small), 27 communicant members (that is, confirmed persons, young and old, who are entitled to take part in the Holy Supper) and 7 voting members (that is, male members who are entitled to cast a vote). Springfield has a colored population of 2,961, which is again growing. Prof. Böcler writes in his report: "Attendance at church and at the Lord's Supper in the local congregation has been, if not brilliant, yet satisfactory. Among the Negroes of our congregation too it happens that they stay away from the service for trivial reasons, although, when I look at white congregations, I have no particular ground for complaint. But this I must praise highly, that they always bow beneath God's Word. In these 4½ years I have had less cause to complain about the conduct of my Negroes than many a pastor in white congregations. For that reason the Negroes have become especially dear to me. — In the period from July 1912 to July 1914 my congregation spent $266.45 on painting and repairing the church property, of which all but $16 has been paid. This money was raised by contributions and by the Sunday collections, over which one must rejoice. To be sure, the current expenses — light, heating and minor repairs — were also paid out of the Sunday collections."

The congregation has now again received a missionary of its own, the candidate for the ministry Georg A. Schmidt, who has been called to the St. Louis-Springfield station and will preach in Springfield every two weeks.