Collection › LCMS Convention Proceedings (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1935 · 36th Convention, Cleveland › Page 163
LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1935, Page 163

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

Ey. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1935. 163

12 other workers. There are under the care of our workers 16,082.
souls, 10,407 baptized members, 2,781 communicant members. In 1932
we reported 7,700 baptized and 1,827 communicant members. In
China 17 male and 2 female missionaries are working in our field.
The Chinese mission-helpers are: 2 pastors, 1 evangelist, 9 vicars,
47 teachers, 20 other workers. The souls to whom our workers are
ministering number 2,495, the baptized members 1,835, the communi-:
cant members 707. In 1932 our report read: 915 baptized (the re-
cently baptized not included) and 447 communicant members. .

We may say, then, that there has been a substantial increase in
the number of those who have been won for Christ. The only serious
hindrance that developed on the part of the governmental authorities
was the order of the mayors of Hankow and Enshih (Shihnan) that
our schools in those cities be closed because they were not registered.
Till now it has not been possible to bring about a revocation of this
order. We ought to add that our schools were not registered because
of the conditions imposed for registration, their nature militating
against conscience.

Although expansion had been barred since 1930, the Lord forced
us to enter two new fields in China. A new district was opened in
Hopei Province in Northern China (the province in which Peking is
located) through the efforts of Evangelist Pi, who visited his relatives
there and won a group of Christians, who finally extended a call to
him as their pastor. A missionary explored the field and recommended
that work be begun in that section. The expenses of Mr. Pi’s work are
not charged to the mission treasury, but are borne by our Christians
in China. Another station was opened up at Simakow, in the Han
River district, from which the Lord granted us a large number of
converts during the flood of 1930. When these people after the flood
returned to their villages, they on their own initiative opened up
mission-work there, showing a remarkable spirit of devotion to the
Gospel-message. The field is so important that we placed Missionary:
W. Werling in it.

We have to deplore the loss, during the past triennium, of eight
able and gifted workers, who for various reasons were compelled to
relinquish their labors in the Orient, causing vacancies, of which only
one was filled. Especially do we mourn the death of a very devoted
and: zealous worker, Teacher N. W. Nero, who quite suddenly was
taken from his field of labor in China, where his consecration and
talents were much appreciated, which seemed to lead him to ever
greater usefulness.

Both in India and in China our seminaries have been functioning
without interruption. In India 14 students were graduated and are
now being employed as evangelists in order that they may have an
opportunity of proving their fitness for the Gospel ministry. With