# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S383
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Miscellaneous Matters - 888

affiliation in some form or another with the Lutheran
Since our Missouri Synod could not claim to speak for
jutherans in America, and because the Government is dis-
lined to deal with individual Lutheran groups, it became ex-
lient to form a Lutheran Commission for Prisoners of War

: made up of three members of the
P heran Commission National Lutheran Council and three
onérs of War members of the Missouri Synod. For
the past year this commission has

© Missouri Synod members of this commission. Our mem-
on this committee are Dr. Paul E. Kretzmann, chairman;
aul Dannenfeldt, chairman of the Army and Navy Com-

ng Council; and Dr. J. W. Behnken, ex officio, who has at- —
ded every meeting.
The primary function of this commission has been to render
spiritual services to the more than 150,000 prisoners of war scat- .
ered throughout more than 75 P.O. W. camps in various parts of
the United States. This service has been rendered by means of
ature, a special hymnal, the regular German edition of our
tional booklets series, and Der Lutheraner.
At the present time there are 29 civilian pastors of our
Synod and 5 of the N.L.C. in charge of spiritual work in
$8.camps. In addition there are 19 of our U.S. Army chaplains
id 17 belonging to the N.L.C. serving in 36 prison camps.
us the Lutheran Church is at work in 69 P.O. W. camps.
- . Of an Easter service Rev. Theo. Brackmann of Puyallup,
Wash, writes:
~. “At six.P. M. I started the services , among the German pris-
oners of war, having driven twenty miles. to.camp. My fatigue
of the Easter work earlier in the day vanished when an audience’
’ of about 100-German men appeared. The
ss / Does It Pay? men,had even decorated the. chapel, plac-
ing soft ferns and trilliums on the altar,
mostly i in tin cans. In this service I was to administer the Lord's
per for the first time among these men. I never preached to:
ore attentive audience anywhere, and that same attention
characterizes every service.”

ssion; Rev. L. Meyer, executive director of the Emergency ~