Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 123

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

Ev. Luth, Synodical Conference of North America, 1954 128

the depletion of numbers chiefly on account of migration. Cotton
fields in many localities have been turned into pasture land, and
mechanized farming has displaced the day laborer and share crop-
pers, with the result that in some communities more than fifty per
cent of our people have moved out. In Kingdom building, this has
meant gains in many of our northern congregations, but in statistics
these migrations have not helped us in the South. However, some
of the migrations were made to cities in Alabama, where it is our
endeavor to use these Lutherans in the founding of new preaching
Stations. In this way a nucleus of fifteen communicants in Bessemer
was used for the founding of our mission in that industrial and
fast-growing suburb of Birmingham.

In finances we are thankful to be able to report a steady in-
crease. The total of $30,619.28 for 1953 is an increase of 86% in
the past decade, an increase of 34% in the past five years, and an
increase of 13.7% over the 1952 offerings. All praise be given to
the Triune God. However, on account of substantial salary in-
creases during the same period, it is regretted that the increase
in contributions could not all be applied to subsidy reduction.
The subsidy from the Missionary Board for 1953 still totaled
$56,486.61 (not including the Academy budget allowances). Con-
sistent effort is made through voters’ meetings and pastoral-con-
ference discussions to work faithfully toward self-support in order
that mission-treasury funds be released for new areas.

Mission Expansion

Five new mission stations have been opened during the past
four years: Trinity Gardens; Point Clear; Tuskegee; Bessemer;
and Montgomery. Trinity Gardens is located in a rapidly increas-
ing population center in the Mobile area near Prichard. Pastor
Wm. Jones and members from Faith Lutheran have been working
hard in building a new church in this area to be dedicated before
the Synodical Conference meets. Point Clear is another mission
on the Gulf Coast. Here Pastor A. Dominick’s labors are being
blessed in the building of a new chapel-and-school structure. At
Tuskegee Institute an average of two thousand Negro students
from thirty States and six foreign countries are in attendance from
year to year. Here is most certainly an opportunity for sending
out our light. The Missionary Board has recently authorized the
purchase of a plot here, and the architect’s plans for a new church
and ‘school are in preparation. Rev. V. Boriack of the Southern
District is now serving this station. Bessemer is a thriving indus-
trial suburb in the Birmingham iron-ore area. Within two years
our Christian day school has grown to fifty-one pupils, ably taught
by Mrs. Grace Wood, whose former congregation was Midway, Ala.
The average attendance at preaching services is 35. We are serv-
ing these people in rented quarters. A church and school should
be built here in the near future. Montgomery is the capital of
Alabama and is called the heart of the Confederacy. Here Pastor

city’s 40,000 Negroes, and there should be encouraging reports on
the ingathering of souls in this city through the future. We have
now been laboring there nine months.

Thus it is the policy to launch out into new mission areas as
speedily as man power and funds will permit. Our shrinking rural