The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1929, Page 125

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

125

the Anglicans particularly. However, the missions
established in the nineteenth century have largely
remained and have flourished.

At present the Lutheran missions in India are
as follows, beginning in the far South: the Mis-
souri, Swedish, Leipzig, and Danish missions, in the
Tamil country; the missions of the Joint Synod
of Ohio and the United Lutheran Church, in the
Telugu country; the Breklum Mission, in the
Telugu country and among the Jaipur aborigines;
the Upsala University Mission, in Bengal; the
Scandinavian-American Mission, among the San-
tals; the Gossner Church, in Chotanagpur and
Assam; the Evangelical Swedish Mission, in the
Central Provinces, and possibly one or two other
smaller bodies. The oldest of these bodies is the
Leipzig Mission, and the largest, numerically, is the
United Lutheran Church Mission. The total number
of Lutheran adherents in India is over 300,000. The
languages used are Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Santali,
Hindi, Uriya, and others. There are more Lutherans
in the Telugu area than in any other.

During the Great War, when the German mis-
sionaries were sent away from their fields, their
missions were looked after by other bodies. The
Leipzig Mission was taken over by the Swedish Mis-
sion, and the old Basel Mission, which was never
a Lutheran mission proper, but had in it mission-
aries with Lutheran ordination, was parceled out to
five or six non-Lutheran bodies. The Breklum Mis-
sion was handed over to the United Lutheran Church
Mission, which also had for a time considerable
responsibility for the old Hermannsburg Mission,
now administered by the Joint Synod of Ohio. Later
a few of the United Lutheran Church missionaries
assisted in the administration of the Gossner Mis-
sion. These temporary arrangements held until
sometime after the signing of the Versailles Treaty.
In the past few years several German missionaries
have returned to their former fields of labor, and
a reorganization has taken place or is taking place
in several missions. It was necessary to make many
adjustments, some of them radical. The properties
of the former German missions were sequestrated by
act of the British Government in accordance with
the Versailles Treaty and have been administered
since, first by custodians of enemy property and
later by boards of trustees. The government of
India is now taking steps to dissolve these boards
of trustees and make over the properties to the
former missions or to temporary holding bodies.

The Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church de-
serves special mention. Bereft of all its mission-

aries at the beginning of the war, suddenly thrown
into the hands of the local Anglican bishop, and
utterly inexperienced in self-government, the body
of 115,000 Lutherans which composed the former
Gossner Mission had to endure the hardships of the
war and finally had to make the choice of a union
with the Anglican body (which they believed to be
absorption) or of autonomy, for which they were ill
prepared. We all know the result: they chose rather
to suffer than to give up their faith. To-day,
although the Gossner Church has grown in numbers,
in experience, and in financial ability, it is probably
suffering more than ever before because.of the
greatly decreased grants from the National Lutheran
Council in America and the inability of the Gossner
home board to assist it to any appreciable extent.
Nevertheless, it is carrying on its congregational
activities and maintaining its institutions as best it
can and is enduring long-drawn-out hardships with
Christian fortitude.

The future of the Lutheran Church in India is
bright, but it would be brighter still if the Lutheran
Church in America and other countries would give
it more adequate support. — V. L. C. News Bulletin.

Items of Missionary Interest.
(By the Eprror.)

Northern Pastoral Conference.— This conference,
consisting of pastors engaged in work among the
colored people of our Northern States, met at
Chicago, June 18 and 19, where they enjoyed the
hospitality of Pastor Carter and his members. The
Director of Colored Missions, Rev. C. F. Drewes, and
the President of the Mission Board, Prof. 0. C. A.
Boecler, attended the conference on the first day.
Professors Lynn and Lehman, who are attending
classes at the Chicago University, attended the
evening sessions. Pastor Schauer, of Cincinnati,
and Pastor Kroenk, of St. Louis, were not able to
attend. Much of the time of the conference was
devoted to the consideration of questions of casuistry,
the African Mission, Order of Service; and the like.
Pastor Carter read a fine paper on how to conduct
classes preparing for confirmation. Pastor Mueller led
in the criticism of a sermon. The Wednesday evening
session was open to the members of the congregation.
Pastor Schulze, of St. Louis, read a paper on “An-
nouncement for Communion.” The January confer-

ence is to be held in Cleveland.—Currrorp L. Buiss.

Director of Home Missions of the Central District.
The Central District of the Missouri Synod has called
Pastor Walter Birkner, of Elyria, O., to direct its