# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S416
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

416 Radio Address

1,000,000 souls a fully accredited American educational curriculum
‘ with a definitely Christian emphasis. . ;
“And now may I have a personal word! As evidenced. by ‘th

' rousing cheers which greeted Mr. Abernethy when he was. i
troduced to our delegates last Wednesday morning, I know that

Abernethy: Thank you, Pastor Meyer. And now for a quick

roundup of a few other items. The past was brought very close

' to the present last Sunday when a pilgrimage was made to Fran-
kenmuth and a great outdoor service held in the very grove where
Pastor August Craemer began his lonely and difficult mission work
among the Indians 100 years ago. Ample evidence that Pastor
Craemer’s work has borne abundant fruit in that section of Mich-
igan was to be found in the fact th '
gathered in that historic grove for the afternoon service and heard
Dr. John Behnken, President of the convention, plead for a re-
newed dedication to the faith of the Franconian pioneers and to
the great truths of the Word of God upon which their churches
were built.

For its President during the next triennium the convention.
re-elected Dr. John W. Behnken, who presided over the long and:
sometimes involved sessions with eminent fairness and dispatch
Selected as the four Vice-Presidents were Rev. Herman Harms of
Davenport, Iowa; Rev. G. Christian Barth of. Cincinnati; Dr. Arthur
Brunn of Brooklyn; and Dr. Henry Grueber of Milwaukee.

Along with all other religious bodies, Lutherans have felt the’
effects of the large shift in population during the war years. ‘Some .
congregations have lost as high as 60 per cent of their resident
membership. Others have increased up to 300 per cent: To face
the problems posed by these Lutherans-on-the-move, a National’
Advisory Emergency Planning Council was set up. One of the
results of the Council’s work was an exhibit on the high school °:;
grounds —a: fully equipped church-on-wheels. Trailer mission:
work is now being carried on in Montana, on the Alaskan Highway,
in'the Southern California, Atlantic, and Central Districts.

There seems to be no end to centennials for these Missouri
Synod Lutherans. Plans were furthered at Saginaw for the next .
convention three years hence, which will be held in Chicago, where 2
in 1847 the Missouri Synod was organized. When that day comes;
it will mark the beginning of a second century of Christian servicé
on the part of these conscientious and devoted servants of God.