Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 161

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Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America, 1954 161

time religious classes for 74 third- and fourth-graders. When the
additional facilities for a new church building are a reality, we
have a potential of serving 500 children with instruction in the
Word of God. A robed children’s choir sings at services every
other Sunday.

Youth work is making gradual progress. More adults attend
Bible classes. Our men’s club is affiliated with the L.L.L. Our
ladies are active as a service guild. Our people are active in the
local Missionary Association and Auxiliary. Faith Church is mak-
ing a spiritual impact on this community of 30,000 people. Pre-
liminary plans for the erection of a $35,000 chapel are in the
making. The undersigned is pastor of the church.

Martin E, Nees
Wichita

In March of this year the District Mission Committee studied
the possibility of opening a mission in the Negro community of
Wichita. According to an excellent survey prepared by the Rev.
Alfred Scholz of Muskogee, Okla., and the Rev. Karl E. Lutze of
Tulsa, Okla., the non-white population of Wichita has grown 300
per cent in the last thirteen years, from 6,500 in 1940 to an estimated
27,000 in June, 1953. A committee in Wichita, headed by the Rev.
Walter A. Kirk, is looking for a site where this new mission project
may be launched. Martin E. Nees

MINNESOTA DISTRICT — WISCONSIN SYNOD
By the Rev. Arthur P. C. Kell, Chairman of Mission Board

St. Philip’s, Minneapolis, Minn. ,

By the grace of God we were able to hold our own in St. Philip’s
during the past year in Spite of serious difficulties which we have
reason to believe were of a temporary nature. There were many
obstacles, But the Lord has heard our prayers; St. Philip’s is show-
ing signs of progress. Since the beginning of this year, church
attendance has increased and, even though Pastor Lau, former
pastor of the congregation, had accepted a call into a white con-
Sregation, the renewed interest has prevailed even during the
vacancy. On one recent Sunday there were 20 adults and 18 chil-
dren in attendance. Two of the children of this parish are attending
Pilgrim Parochial School.

Pastor Robert L. Schumann, the vacancy pastor, reports the
following figures:

Baptized Members — 26 Communicant Members — 14 Voters —5

We look confidently to the Lord of the Church to further bless
our work also in this field if we faint not.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS DISTRICT
By the Rev. A. H. Semmann, Mission Counselor

Greater Chicago now has over 600,000 Negro inhabitants. Con-
sidering that the Savior died for every one of these — what a tre-
mendous field for the preaching of the Gospel! The old evil Foe
tries every possible way to prevent the bringing of the message of
salvation to these people, who are so sorely in need of the pure
Word of Life and who seem so easily misled by the emotional and
sensational, rather than follow the plain Gospel presentation. It