# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1941_S197
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Reports on General Missions 195

‘ “During the rest of 1939 the emphasis upon the Call of the Cross

was somewhat replaced by the emphasis upon the Centennial
~Offering. In spite of heroic efforts on the part of the com-
mittee it was impossible to keep out of the minds of a considerable
umber of pastors and of the laity the thought that the whole Call
of the Cross movement should culminate in the Centennial Thank-
offering. While this erroneous conception of the purpose of the
all: of the Cross no doubt had a very salutary influence upon the .
entennial Thank-offering, and was one of the primary causes for
the ‘success of the Thank-offering, it nevertheless did retard the
ogress of the Call of the Cross movement.

' Tenth Step: Due to illness on the part of Prof. E. J. Friedrich,
the author of the series “Let Us Search and Try Our Ways,”
Dr. H.B. Hemmeter kindly consented to prepare the third of the
series “What Is My Relation to My Church?”

The reception of these intimate and searching papers on the
part of pastoral conferences throughout the length and breadth
‘,of. our Synod has been inspiring. Scores of resolutions eminating
‘from conferences and hundreds of individual letters of expression
from pastors prove that the idea of self-examination and self-
analysis has not been lost. The reports of some of these con-
"ferences read like some of the “open confessions” of which
Dr. Walther and other founders of our Church give us glimpses
““in some of their intimate letters.

. Eleventh Step: In September, 1939, the Committee sent to all

‘pastors a manual on The Gospel Preaching Mission. We believe
_ that many congregations followed the suggestions for the preaching
‘mission, but the great majority have not as yet seen the necessity
“for such special services for the unchurched in their territory.

Twelfth Step: Due to circumstances beyond the control of the
Committee, the Synod-wide Call of the Cross pastoral conferences
for the fall of 1939 could not be held until the early part of 1940.
"The success of these 90 plus meetings, held throughout the
length and breadth of our country, often under adverse weather
conditions, are a tangible proof of God’s blessings resting upon
the work of the Call of the Cross Committee. The outstanding
factors that became evident in these meetings were:

. a. An unprecedented loyalty on the part of the clergy of the
Missouri Synod;
b. A growing leadership on the part of District officials.

The special paper prepared for the pastoral section of these
conferences on “Sin-Conscious Preaching” left an abiding blessing
with our clergy. A quotation from a District Supplement of the
‘Lutheran Witness gives a vivid reflection of the reaction on the