The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 148

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148

TIE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

being required before a contract of sale may be
negotiated.

f) The purchasing congregation shall make a
cash payment of no less than 25 per cent. of the
purchase price established according to the pro-
cedure described in paragraph e) and shall enter
into a contract of sale with the Board for Colored
Missions, which contract shall specify that the pur-
chasing congregation agrees to make additional
payments at the rate of no less than 5 per cent. of
the purchase price per annum. This contract shall
further specify that, after the purchasing congrega-
tion shall have paid 50 per cent. of the purchase
price and shall have become entirely self-sustaining,

Prof. L. Fuerbringer,
President of the Synodical Conference.

as far as local expenses and pastor’s salary are cqn-
cerned, the Board for Colored Missions shall de-
liver a warranty deed conveying the property to the
purchasing congregation, which warranty deed shall
contain a clause preventing the said congregation
from selling the said property without the consent
of the Mission Board of the Lutheran Synodical
Conference; the purchasing congregation, in turn,
giving its note or notes, secured by a first mortgage
covering the balance of the purchase price. The
notes secured by the first mortgage shall require an
annual payment on account equal to 5 per cent. of
the original purchase price.

g) During the life of the contract of sale the
purchasing congregation shall be held to keep the
property in a reasonable state of repair.

h) Any and all general and special taxes levied
after the date of the contract of sale shall be paid
by the purchasing congregation.

12. The Mission Board. — The term of office of
the following members of the Board has expired:
Prof. Theo. Graebner; Prof. O. C. A. Boecler; Rev.
Theo. Walther; Rev. Walter A. Hoenecke (Wiscon-
sin Synod). At present there is only one layman
on the Board — the treasurer, Theo. Eckhart.

There has been a vacancy in the Board for some
time. The Board has at various times discussed the
question whether the vacancy should be filled by
choosing a pastor or a layman. If a pastor were
chosen, he could take over the secretaryship. On
the other hand, it cannot be denied that it would
be most desirable to have at least two laymen on
the Board. It will be possible to fill the present
vacancy with a pastor and still secure another lay-
man for the Board by making a slight change in
paragraph eleven of its Regulations for the Field
Secretary as adopted in 1912. This paragraph now
reads: “He shall be a member of the Board.”
Under the circumstances the Board recommends
that this be changed to read: “He shall be ex officio
an advisory member of the Board,” etc.

13. Mission in Africa.— Our colored fellow-
Christians have already collected over $2,400 for
a mission in Africa. Of this $2,463.97 is in the
hands of the Board. When the Synodical Confer-
ence was informed at its last convention that it
was the earnest wish of our colored Christians that
our Church bring the Gospel to their brethren in
the Dark Continent, this body resolved to request
the Board for Colored Missions to bear in mind the
matter of opening a mission in Africa, gather all
possible information, and report at the next con-
vention.

The Board resolved at its meeting held April 11
and 12, 1928, to call the attention of the Synodical
Conference to the Sara people in Central Africa,
since they form a tribe of 200,000 heathen among
whom as yet no work has been done. The Saras
inhabit the territory lying between the Shari and
Logone rivers. The Board recommends that an
exploration committee of two be sent to Africa.

14. The Jubilee Book.— The golden anniver-
sary of our Colored Missions gave the Board occa-
sion to publish a jubilee book. It bears the title
Half a Century of Lutheranism Among Our Colored
People. It is a book of 111 pages, is written in
simple language, and gives a graphic description
of our work among the American Negroes. The
price is only 75 cents. The Lutheran Witness says