Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1958, Page 93

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

Lutheran Synodical Conference, 1958 93

church. In many of the congregations, Boards of Elders have now
been elected by the congregation and have taken over the leader-
hip in the church. This is a tremendous and wonderful improve-
PB ment over conditions as they prevailed in the churches previously,
and as they still prevail in the majority of the churches. In the
F churches where there is not an elected Board of Elders or Deacons,
‘the leadership of the congregation is not only held, but is taken
by the more importantly stronger and the richer members of the
congregation. Many times the leaders of the congregation are even
*’ men who are in disrepute in the congregation because of matters
F of polygamy, cheating, and things of that type. In those congre-
gations where a change has now been made, the new order was

= not in every instance greeted wholeheartedly. Many of the former
FE leaders, who felt that because of their position in the church and
* their wealth they should be the leaders of the church, also now
F find that the people in the congregation have not chosen them, but

have selected other men of lesser importance in their place.

May God’s choicest blessings rest upon our churches and all
~ our workers, so that many more souls may be brought to the
Savior. This is my fervent prayer. Wittram WINTER

LUTHERAN MISSION, OBOT IDIM, UYO, NIGERIA

June 16, 1958
Tre MIssIONARY BoarpD OF THE
LUTHERAN SYNODICAL CONFERENCE
210 North Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri

Dear MEMBERS OF THE MISSIONARY Boar:

The Board of Governors of the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary
of Nigeria and the Board of Governors of the Lutheran High
School at Obot Idim held a joint meeting on May 26, 1958, for the
purpose of discussing the need of a chapel to serve both institutions
and to ascertain ways and means to meet that need. The results
of their deliberations are herewith forwarded to the Missionary
Board for its consideration:

The Need: As every Lutheran Christian knows, the whole

scope of a Christian education does not end with the hours spent
in a classroom, but includes the entire activity and life of the
student while in attendance at a Christian institution, and wor-
shiping plays no small role.
A real awareness of the need for corporate worship, proper
worshiping facilities, has in the last few years prompted our Lu-
theran Church in America to emphasize the CHAPEL as the focal
point of a Christian campus.

Our Seminary and High School have emphasized the need for,
and blessings of, morning and evening devotions, as well as the
regular mid-morning chapel service.

From the beginning of the two institutions, the High School
and Seminary student bodies have been holding chapel services
in separate buildings, the High School using their dining hall for
this purpose. At present there are 205 students in the High School,
and by January 1960 there will be an enrollment of 300. Needless
to say, the dining hall is neither large enough for the chapel serv-
ices nor is it conducive to worship.