# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1926_S6
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

6 Proceedings of the thirtieth convention

N. Y., and at other places. Had there not been a lack of men and means,
the work would perhaps have been begun in Oklahoma, Texas
and other states as well. At present mission work among the Negroes is being carried on in the following
fifteen states: Alabama, Arkansas,
California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri,
New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Virginia.

Increases.

Two years ago the number of souls, or baptized
members, under the care of our missionaries stood at 4,110.
Today, on the other hand, the number of souls is 4,917. That means a net
increase of 807 souls in these two years. This is probably the
greatest increase to be recorded in two years in the history
of our Negro Mission. In the last decade the number of souls has
increased by 121 percent, that is, more than doubled; it has risen
from 2,222 to 4,917. For this glorious growth we want
to thank God humbly and fervently; for it is he who has given
blessing and prosperity to the sowing and planting of our dear missionaries in church and school.

Besides the 4,917 baptized members under the care of our
missionaries, there are some 3,000 Negro children who are being
instructed in our schools and Sunday schools in God's Word and Luther's doctrine. If one adds the strangers who attend
the services, as well as the strangers who are visited during the week by
our mission workers, the result is a figure of
about ten thousand people who are served pastorally in our Negro Mission week after
week. So the work we are carrying on among the Negroes is gradually becoming
a great one. —

In what follows we shall first present the individual mission
stations.

Mission Stations.

1. St. Paul's, Little Rock, Ark. Missionary Ad. H. Poppe.*
(Those marked with an asterisk are white.) This is our first
and oldest congregation. In the last thirty years it was for about
twenty-eight years without its own pastor. Since the end of July 1918
Rev. Poppe has served it regularly again. He is pastor of the large
white congregation in Little Rock. Statistics: 20 souls; 6
communicant members. (Explanation: By "souls" is to be understood all
baptized and confirmed members who are under the care of the
missionary. "Communicant members" are all confirmed members
who are entitled to go to the Lord's Table.)

Louisiana.

2. Mount Zion, New Orleans. (Founded 1878. Missionary:
Oskar W. Lücke,* since August 1925.) This is our first and
oldest congregation in New Orleans. The number of souls has risen from 266 to
274. The members live very scattered. Missionary Lücke
reports: "Mount Zion has just painted the exterior of the church.
The men of the congregation did the work. Some now want to
paint the school building too, and then the interior of the church. — In the
past school year, with the help of the teachers, we won twenty-five
school children for holy baptism. — Until now the
congregation has sent only $50 monthly to the treasurer in St. Louis. We
hope to increase this sum considerably in the autumn. — We are glad