# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S162
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

162 Missions

Neosho, Mo., in the Chicago area, in Great Falls, N. Dak., on the
Alaskan. Highway. The Atlantic, the. Central, and the Southern
California - District have. also entered. on Trailer Mission work.
The Wartime Missions and Conservation work still continues,
though some of the war-created centers are already closing and

Returning Servicemen and Returning Workers and Their
Families from Defense Projects. — Already a large number of
servicemen have returned home; other men -have taken their
places; demobilization of some of the defense projects necessitates
another shifting of population or a return to the home area. How
many were estranged from their Church, induced to grow luke-
warm and cold; how many have forsaken their Master, none can
tell. Now is the time for every pastor, for every missionary, for
every congregation, for every member, to consider the spiritual
needs of the returning men and their families and do all that none
of these be lost.

Hawaiian Islands.— At the convention held at Fort Wayne,
Ind., in June, 1941, it was

“Resolved, That the Board of Home Missions be instructed to make
a thorough survey of the mission opportunities on the Hawaiian Islands

‘and that the Board be given authority to begin work there, if in their
estimation such action is warranted.”

In November of 1941 the secretary of missions, together with
the field secretary of the California and Nevada District, went to '
the Hawaiian Islands. A larger number of. Christians from the
mainland of the United States had heeded the call and entered
various defense projects. We had the names of many of these, in
addition thereto the names of approximately 300 men in the armed
forces. On Wednesday, December 3, 1941, a joint meeting of
civilians and men in the armed forces was held to discuss the
Possibility of opening’ a mission station in Honolulu. On Friday
‘afternoon we embarked for home. About 40 hours later, on Sun-
day morning, December 7, 1941, we heard via radio of the terrible
happenings at Pearl Harbor. Some of the men present at our
meeting at Honolulu lost their lives, Chaplain Hohenstein, also
present at the service held in Honolulu, was seriously wounded.
We thank God that he has again recovered.

Thus the war delayed the opening of a new mission station.
The Board of Home Missions turned over the spiritual care of our’
Lutheran civilians.to the Army and Navy Commission. Our Com-
mission purchased a service center in one of the choicest locations