# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1920_S35
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1920. 35

former chairman of the Commission. He accepted the call and took over the duties of the office after Easter.

2. The Commission held 68 meetings in the years reported, among them 22 extra meetings. Important problems lay before it for deliberation. Everything has been exactly minuted.

3. Treasurer Schüttner declared that the management of the mission treasury required considerably more time than he had at his disposal, and submitted his resignation. Since he let himself be persuaded to remain in his office, which he had performed with great skill and great fidelity, if help were given him, the Commission chose Teacher Karl Römer as assistant treasurer, and when he accepted a call, Teacher H. A. Dittmar (Mount Calvary congregation) was chosen. The new arrangement, which has proved itself well, will probably find the approval of the Rev. Synodical Conference.

4. The Mission Commission has taken pains to spread information about the Negro Mission and to awaken a greater interest in it. It has therefore continued to follow the plans named in the previous report. It further called, at the beginning of 1920, a pastor not in office, who was to give lectures and sermons on our Negro Mission in congregations as well as at synods and conferences and also win readers for our two mission papers. Unfortunately he declined the call. A third lantern-slide lecture (on the Negro Mission in the Black Belt of Alabama) was prepared. A short pamphlet about our mission, suitable for mass distribution, is in preparation.

5. At the convention four years ago in Toledo the following recommendation of the committee which had to examine the Commission's report was adopted: "We recommend that at this year's new election of the Commission one half of the members be elected for two, the other for four years, so that in future only half of the Commission's members will eventually leave office at one time." According to this resolution the term of office of Pastors W. J. Schulze, R. Jesse and Theo. F. Walther would have expired. (Since Pastor J. H. C. Fritz could not serve, the Commission elected Pastor Walther in his place. Here it may also be mentioned that the latter has rendered very good service as manager of our three lantern-slide lectures.)

Details.

1. In our mission there are three conferences, which are attended by all the workers, namely the Luther Conference in Louisiana, the Immanuel Conference in the southeastern field and the Alabama Conference. Next year a general conference — a kind of synodical assembly — is to be held and also attended by representatives of the congregations. We approve the plan, and indeed also on the ground that it seems to be a step in the right direction, namely the direction that leads to self-support and self-government of our Negro congregations.