# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1938_S180
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

180 Various Missions

Foreign Missions

Report of the Mission Board
(Memorial 410)

The three years of Foreign Mission work covered in this re-
port have been very full indeed. Tremendous opportunities, almost
disastrous shortage of funds and man-power, drought and floods,
vexing practical problems — all these were the order of the day,
together with joyous reports of successful Gospel-work.

While God certainly blessed the labors of our missionaries and
the general secretary of the Board, He also permitted severe trials
to visit us, chief among which is the disastrous Sino-Japanese war,
at this writing still spreading ruin and horrors without number,
hampering and disrupting much of our work, isolating the northern
field (Hopei Province, Rev. Bee) completely.

The statistics for 1937 bring the following facts regarding our
mission-fields:

India. — We have 182 congregations and 47 out-stations, a total
of 229. On Oct. 31, 1937, we had 46 male and 4 female missionaries;
these, together with 40 wives of missionaries and 107 children, con-
stitute a total foreign missionary personnel of 197. Of Indian
mission-helpers, all classes, there are 436. Christians connected
with us live in 558 villages. Souls, 17,267; baptized members,
12,790; communicants, 3,581. Of primary and secondary schools
there are 120. Pupils in primary schools, 6,862; in middle schools,
1,435; in high schools, 360; grand total of 8,557 pupils. A total of
504 inmates live in our boarding~homes. The total enrolment in
training-institutes, in the theological seminary at Nagercoil and
in other institutes, is 106.

In agreement with the resolution of the late Delegate Synod
Dr. N. Leckband was: called and sent out. The hospital at Ambur,
under his care, reported a total number of 21,614 treatments for
1937. Regular services are conducted with the patients in this
hospital.

China. — We are doing mission-work in the provinces of Hopei,
Hupeh, and Szechuan, in 16 organized congregations, 36 preaching-
and teaching-stations, a total of 52. We are very glad to report that
since the late Delegate Synod six students of our seminary at
Hankow were graduated and called into the ministry. On Oct. 31,
1937, we had 17 male and 2 female missionaries, a total of 19.
These, together with 15 wives and 47 children, make our total mis-
sionary personnel, 82 persons. There are 53 native mission-
workers. We are ministering to 2,589 souls, 2,273 baptized mem-
bers, 859 communicant members, and 308 voting members.