The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1929, Page 45

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER. 45

Throughout the Lutheran Church of America
renewed activity on the part of Lutheran church-
bodies in Home Mission work is to be noted for the
year 192%. The success of this Home Mission
endeavor is proved by the notable increase in mem-
bership, the increase in the number of congrega-
tions, especially the urban centers, the metropolitan
districts of New York, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis, St. Paul, and similar centers. In
Canada a concerted effort is being made by the
various synods in order to reach the unchurched
Lutherans; even the formation of a “Lutheran
Church of Canada” is under consideration.

The work of the United Lutheran Church in
Home Missions was marked by a notable advance
during the first year of the existence of the con-
solidated Board of American Missions. All the
work of the former five boards was advanced, and
new work was inaugurated, notably among the
American Indians and the Hungarian immigrants.
This Board of American Missions aided the work of
509 pastors in 638 parishes, consisting of 777 con-
gregations of the United Lutheran Church in
America. ‘The board has outstanding church-
extension and interest loans totaling more than
$2,000,000.

The United Lutheran churches on the Pacific
Coast have been strengthened during the year. The
New York Synod of the United Lutheran Church
successfully established the Lutheran Builders’ As-"
sociation of Metropolitan New York and started
a fund for loan on church-extension and home-
mission building in the metropolitan territory. The
New York and the New England Synod created
a fund of $100,000 for a similar purpose. The
Joint Ohio Synod established a new Board of
American Missions. It is thus proved that the con-
sciousness of the need and responsibility for Home
Mission work has at last reached the layman in
the pew. :

Throughout the Iowa Synod, district auxiliaries
for Home Mission work have been organized, and
in the Augustana Synod, Illinois Conference,
$70,000 for church extension was raised. The Nor-
wegian Lutheran Church reports 275 pastors giving
most of their time to Home Mission work. The
United Danish Church established a West Canada
Board to care for Home Missions in Canada, and
the Lutheran Men’s Association of Portland and
Vicinity was formed during the year by men,
mostly from the Danish churches, for the purpose
of advancing the Lutheran Home Mission work in
New England, especially Maine. The Missours

Synod reports a keener realization of opportunity
and responsibility due primarily to their evangelis-
tic work among the churches. The Negro Mission
Work of the Synodical Conference celebrated its
fiftieth anniversary, or golden jubilee, in Selma,
Ala., August 24 to 27, 1927.

Inner Missions.

Distinct advances were made by the Inner Mis-
sion work of the Lutherans, both institutional and
non-institutional.

Under the United Lutheran Church is to be
noted the establishment of the Williams-Henson
Home and School for boys at Mount Olive, Knox-
ville, Tenn., the erection by the congregation of
Albuquerque, N. Mex., of the National Lutheran
Sanitarium, a one-hundred-bed institution for
tuberculars, on a 160-acre farm located at the foot of
San Dia and Manzum mountains, at the edge of the
city of Albuquerque. The Lutheran hospital facili-
ties were increased in New York, Brooklyn, Mil-
waukee, Pittsburgh, Cuero, Tex., and a $50,000
chapel was erected on the grounds of the Augustana
Synod deaconess ‘home at Omaha. In the Norwegian
Lutheran Church, the Department of Charities, or
Inner Missions, grew during the year, extending
its work in the care of orphans, old people, and the
otherwise unfortunate.

The Canada Synod established an Immigration
Board to aid Lutheran immigrants to Canada.

The Missouri Synod maintained uniform Lenten
services throughout the various cities of the United
States, as did groups of churches in many other
general bodies. ;

The Inner Missions Conference held a successful
meeting at Baltimore, in 192%, and looks forward
to a similar meeting in Chicago during 1929. The
Associated Lutheran Charities of the Synodical
Conference held their 1917 convention in Cleveland.
Their statistician, M. Ilse, reported the following
interesting figures covering Synodical Conference
Inner Mission: work : —

z E ae 3
Institutions and Societies Se] 32 3
7] 33 Bs
APES |S

Hospitals .........--- 32002|$3879397/$1549863
Deaconess Schools .....| 4)..-[------[e+ssseee]eeees ae
Orphanages ........... 199863
Child-placing Societies. |10 138366
Educational Institutions 182474

European Institutions. .
City Missions .........
Woman Auxiliaries ....
Homes for the Aged...

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