The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 62

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_ rejoicing for all.”

62 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

the singing of the old hymns was an occasion of
If more of our members would
do like this Christian, the Gospel of Christ would
gain many more victories than it now does.

Golden Anniversary. — The Southern District
of the Missouri Synod recently celebrated its golden
anniversary. We extend our hearty congratulations.
For years our Colored Mission stations in New Or-
leans practically constituted our Colored Missions.
Prior to 1882 the territory of the present Southern
District belonged to the Western District.

Home Missions in the Minnesota District. —
In the past year forty-nine home missionaries of
the Minnesota District of the Missouri Synod have
spread the Gospel-tidings in 142 localities of that
State. Eleven new Home Mission stations were
opened in 1931; but four others were either aban-
doned or else absorbed by self-supporting parishes.
The home missionaries of the District are serving
9,472 baptized persons, of whom 5,374 are com-
municant members. In 1931, 512 persons were bap-
tized, among them forty-one adults, and 377 were
confirmed, of whom ninety-nine were adults. The
net increase of baptized members was 4588, while the

net increase of confirmed members was 384. Espe-

cially the large number of adult baptisms and con-
firmations shows a fine gain from the number of the
unchurched. — The forty-nine home missionaries of
the District conduct 460 divine services every month.
The number of mission-stations served by each mis-
sionary varies from one to eight. — The Home Mis-
sion prospects in Minnesota are still great. Here
are a few proofs: Two new stations have been
opened this new year. Last fall a certain missionary
had only one station to serve, but at the end of the
year he was serving five.

Home Missions in Southern California. — The
Southern California District of the Missouri Synod
is subsidizing twenty-two mission-congregations,
three preaching-places, and five schools at a total
cost to the District last year of $27,845.98. The
communicant membership of the mission-congrega-
tions is 1,287. The net gain in the twenty-two sub-
sidized congregations was 196 communicant mem-
bers, almost nine for each worker. This net gain
is particularly gratifying since several of the mis-
sion-congregations sustained great losses due to
removals. Faith Church at Los Angeles had a gain
of thirty-nine communicant members, of whom fif-
teen were adulis, whom the pastor had instructed
and confirmed. Nine communicants were lost by
death and transfer, leaving a net gain of thirty.

The recently established mission at Lynwood had
a net gain of twenty-seven in its communicant mem-
bership. Two mission-congregations gained each
twenty-three adult communicant members last year.
Two congregations have decided to become self-
supporting. — At San Pedro the mission-congrega-
tion of the Rev. John C. Schmidt has laid the
corner-stone of a new church.

Church Extension Fund. — Most church-bodies
have church-building funds, out of which they help
struggling missions to get a house of worship of
their own. Experience has shown that by means of
these funds many a struggling mission-congregation
has been put upon the road to healthy growth. The
Atlantic District of the Missouri Synod helped six
mission-stations last year from its Church Extension
Fund to the extent of $26,840.84. During the year
the fund received in repayments from other mission-
stations that had borrowed moneys the sum of
$21,776.14 — a fine sum when one considers the
present depression. The Church Extension Fund
of that District has $18,650 in its keeping which

- members of congregations have loaned this treasury

to carry on its blessed work.

India’s Population. — The total population of
India, according to last year’s census, is about
353,000,000. This represents an increase of about
eleven per cent. over the population of 1921. In
these ten years the Christian population grew from
4,500,000 to 6,000,000, an increase of thirty-three
per cent. in the decade. These figures show that
the Christian population of India is growing three
times as fast as is the general population. Of
course, the Christians are still a very small por-
tion of the entire population. About two-thirds of
the population of India are Hindus, about one-
fourth are Mohammedans, and the Christians rep-
resent only one-sixtieth of the total population.
Only one person out of every sixty is a nominal
Christian, which shows the vast work still to be
done in the way of evangelizing that country.
About half of the Christians are Roman Catholics.
The number of Lutherans is 329,744.

China Flood Victims. — The aerial survey made:
by Colonel Lindbergh and his wife reveals the fact
that at least 40,000 square miles have been flooded
exclusive of lakes. It is estimated that 50,000,000:
persons have been directly affected and that millions
of these are utterly destitute. Medical schools were:
asked to close for a period of three months, so that
their faculties and older students could go out to:
bring relief to the flood victims.