Lögberg - 20.08.1936, Blaðsíða 2

Lögberg - 20.08.1936, Blaðsíða 2
9 LÖGrBERG, FIMTUDAGINN 20. AGGST, 1936. Fimtugasta og annað ársþing Hins evangeliska lúterska kirkjufélags íslendinga í Veáturheimi Haldið í Arborg, Manitoba, 18. til 22. júní 1936. A8 þessu loknu lagði dr. E.'T. Horn fram þessa skýrslu trú- boSa kirkjufélagsins í Japan, séra S. O. Thorlákssonar: May 29, 1936. To The Icelandic Lutheran Synod at Arborg, Manitoba. Dear Friends: Twenty years have passed since the Convention of Synod at which your Missionary was ordained and sent out to be your obedience to Christ’s great Command: Go ye! We are not in a mood to reminisce for we are ever mindful of two other inspired injunctions, i. e., “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God,” Luke 9:62 and “Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching íorward to the things which are before,” Phil. 3:13. However we are human enough at times to pause and wonder. No, I am not going to ask questions in this letter-report, but if I could be present with you there are some very pertinent questions which we might ask each other and discuss together. For us, the past tvventv years have been so full, packed full of God-given privileges, opportunities and responsibilities, not of the spectacular or emotional kind that some people might wish for, but the kind that has kept us more than busy every day in this parts of God’s Vineyard to which we have been áksigned. Yes, the Cause that was worthwhile giving our lives to twenty years ago, is even more worthwhile today and had we twenty lives to give we would give them all in t'he same way. Not that we are particularly satisfied with what we have done or what we may have accomplished, this side of the picture humiliates us, yes shocks us, but God has been good, we know that His Mercy is sufficient for even us. There is only one phase of oúr responsibility which causes us considerable alarm, we fear that this dedication of our life has not perceptibly aided in revivifying the congregational life of our Synod. We hardly dare to ask you to confirm this fear! I know that some will say (at least think) that we should have been more prolific in writing to you the thrilling, the romantic and the heroic events of Missionary life on a foreign field so that you might catch some of the inspiration which has been ours. I shall not defend myself on this score, but just remind you that there are two or three sides to this picture also. Be this as it may, the fact is that your Missionary is today shouldering such heavy responsibilities that even if he were able to write in the msot glowing terms of a first rate narrator, shortage of time would absolutely prevent his putting pen to paper for anything but routine statements and annual reports! Not that we have anything wherin to boast save Jesus Christ, but a summary survey of our present responsibilitjes may convey to you some- what of a predicament in whitíh we find ourselves when we have to write! The proverbial sword hanging over one’s head is no fiction in a Missionary’s life! Supervising the work of 16 centers on one of the world’s main highways 400 miles long (Hiroshima to Hamamatsu) being responsible for the upkeep and repairs of buildings from Tokio to Kumamoto valued at several thousands of dollars, planning and building new equipment whenever money is on hand for same, being custodian and dispenser of several thousand dollars every month, being constantly in touch with in- dividuals who bring their sorrows and their joys to be shared, does not leave any leisure time for editorial flights. We shall enclose herewith a copy of our Report written at Christmas-tide 1935 which was sent to our Board of Foreign Mis. sions at Baltimore for their 1936 Annual Rejx>rt from the various Fields, which you can consider a part of my report to you along with the following survey of my centres of work, set forth in geographical order from West to East. Hiroshima:—A city of about 200,000. In eight years this place has suffered from too many tíhanges in its personnel of Pastor or Evangelist, and we have had to give up trying to keep the aided-church status, requesting our Synod this year to drop our status to that of a Preaching Place only. Kobe:—(a) West Kobe Church has taken on a new lease of life with the new church building and change of pastor. Rev. Okuma, one of our best pulpiteers, is going at the work in a most acceptable way. (b) East Kobe Church with a rally of its old members and a new church building in sight during the coming year has turned its corner of defeatism. The Church Council has taken a hold in such a way that it is only a pleasure to be associated with them even though we are having to face again a readjustment due to a change of pastor. Our new man is a third generation Christian, son of one of our senior Pastors, so the future is again most hope. ful in this place. Ashiya:—A residential suburb of Kobe of about 20,000. This place is in much the same state as where it was left by Dr. Hepner when he was transferred to Tokio last year. Our Evangelist, in spite of his handicaps, hás been doing acceptable work among the children of the neighborhood, through which activity we are gradually getting home contacts. Obayashi:—A rural village of about 5,000. This is our rural center where Mr. and Mrs. Morishita have continued their ener- getic work for the children and the young people of the village. Rev. Aoyama since his semi-retirement from active service last fall has been helping us here very faithfully by conducting a Morning Worship and Preaching Service in the Morishita home every Sunday morning. Tsukaguchi:—A residential suburb of Osaka of about 5,000. What the future may have in store for us here if anything, the missionary has not yet been able to discover owing to a non-desire on the part of the former pastor to co-operate. This man was re- moved at the recent Convention of the Japan Lutheran Church. With the help of a 1936 graduate from our Seminary we are now endeavoring to establish the work here. Toyonaka:—A residential suburb of Osaka of about 20,000. This is another suburban residential section for Osaka-ites where we have quite a promising group which as yet is enrolled in the Tennoji Church of Osaka, but within a year or two will be able to qualify as a local group in its own aided-church. Osaka:—(a) Tennoji Church under the efficient leadership of its Evangelist, Mr. Koizumi is making remarkable forward strides in the matter of church consciousness. The activities of the Church Council and a member of groups indicate a congrega- tion wide awake to its opportunities. (b) Sumiyoshi Church pegs away in a good old fashioned way with one of our veteran pastors at its head. Kyoto:—(a) East Kyoto Church has declared its independ- ence and under the ledaership of our American trained Rev. Kishi should be able to maintain a prominent piace among our growing list of self-supporting churches. (b) At North Kyoto is another one of our infant churches. (Jur senior, Rev. Yonemura is as young in spirit and as active as our best, nor is it too mutíh to say that he is one of our best field workers. Nagoya: (a) Chikusa Church is handicapped with an asth- matic Pastor. But the kindergarten is doing excellent work in making an impression’ on the community. (b) Ozone Church has a unique opportunity in an historical residential section of Nagoya. Our Evangelist here is just trying his spurs for the first time, so the less said the better. Koromo-Asuke:—These are the centers of our Aichi Ken Rural work. On this field alone we could write reams but suffice it that our opportunity for model work among the farmer class is unparalleled. We are trying to carry on from Kobe our farm project at Koromo as best we can (a long range effort) until Mr. Knudten returns to the field to prosecute same as intensively as his energy and resourceS will permit which we know to be considerable. Hamamatsu:—A city of about 700,000. This is a manufactur- ing center between Tokio and Nagoya where the Japan Lutheran Church at its recent Convention decided to open up new work. We have already visited the city a number of times and studied the possibifities. We have helped our Pastor to get located and started in a very promising part of the city. But as we are still in the preliminary stages here, we hope that by next year we can report progress. We are hoping that at this Convention of Synod you are * having with you one of our fellow Missionaries, Dr. Horn who is now on furlough. (I almost put the article “the” before “one”, but on second thought decided to refrain from any personal rambles!) During the past month we have had the pleasure of entertaining three of our U.L.C.A. pastors visiting all our Mission stations, two of whom were from the Synod of the North-West. I know Rev. W. P. Gerberding of Fargo would be glad to visit our Synod next year and give you the benefit of his observations and experiences. This year we are having to send back to America for their schooling and adjustment to Amercian life our two oldest children, Margrethe and Octavius, which means the disintegration of our home life. During the past two years especially this eventuality has been haunting us. We have finally decided on sending them to one of our Church Colleges located at Parkland, Washington, at least for the first year while they are making their adjustment. May the next twenty years of our Missionary life and that of our Synod reveal unto us all more and more of the glory which is surely ours if we are but faithful to Him who has called us into His Kingdom. Very sincerely yours, S. O. Thorlaksson. 1935-36 Ccntral Japan — 3 in 1 Report Staions: Kobe, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hamamatsu. Since our last report before July ist, 1935, we have become the proud yet humbled possessor of a field many times the extent of any other one-man’s field in the Mission. Besides superintend- ing the work of this enlarged field, we still enjoy the privilege of dispensing monthly checks as per the payrolls of the Mission and of the Japan Lutheran Church. According to the first half of our “job,” we might in this report indulge in a geographical survey of our territory. But a lesson in geography is 'hardly what the reader of our annual reports is looking for. We venture the opinion that what you want is some (time and space forbid the enumeration of all!) of the high lights of our experiences. A church which a few years ago was likened to a shattered cutglass bowl is slowly but surely finding itself again in that old members are rallying and new members are being added. Come to any one of our recent monthly church council meetings to con- vince yourself of this joy! Another church which has been satisfied with the status quo for the past number of years, has had a change of Pastor and promises to become a very aggressive instrument for the spread of the Gospel in its neighborhood. The tíhurch council men together with their new Pastor are already on their toes! In one station, one of our young men, a graduate of a high- school, is patiently working in a shop until his younger brother has been put through his schooling when he himself hopes to go to our Seminary to prepare himself for the Ministry. In another, a member has made a misstep in the contraction of his second marriage, confessed and is exerting his utmost with the help of God and man to set things right. A man and a wife are living a cat and dog’s life. Both have confided in your Mis- sionary. The ramifications of the sixth Commandment are more than sufficiently born out in our experiences on the foreign field! A young city engineer with a tubercular spine, an invalid on his back for six years, faithful to the end, has passed on to his Reward. His younger brother also a civil engineer 'has dedicated his life to the Cause of his brother’s Faith and seeks admission to our Seminary in order íhat he may become an Evangelist to work for the redemption of their native village, A politician has been apprehended by the police, accused of bribing votes in a recent election. In jail he maintains his inno- cence and appeals to the Pastor of our church where his children go to Sunday School to open up to him the meaning of the Bible which his wife has included with the few belongings she has been permitted to send him. The righteousness of God for man is his heart’s desire as he awaits the verdict of the court. Our rural Evangelist has been extended an enticing call from a self-supporting city church of another denomination. Shall he leave the simple life on the farm with the chickens, the goats and the pigs, and of course with his neighboring farmers for the regu- lar and safe existence of a city pastorage? After months of prayerful consideration, he has definitely turned down this tempt- ing offer for the uncertainty of his “job” with the Mission. A Doctor has asked your Missionary to find a suitable wife for his oldest son. A Pastor seeks a suitable husband for his daughter. Another would like to find a Christian mate for his sister-in-law. The marriage customs of this country are so en- tirely different to those of our own where we ourselves ask the lady in question, who of course is one of intimate acquaintance, whether or not she will. But here the contracting parties are most often complete strangers brought together by the mediation of a go-between. Thus, on and on we might multiply these paragraphs of con- tact problems and of human interest stories. Such experiences, together with preaching, catechizing, baptizing and visiting the sick and needy keep your Missionaries on the job and on the go. It must be borne in mind that all this activity is conducted in a for- eign and acquired language, the daily use of which represents not only a handicap but a tremendous mental strain which defies de- scription. In spite of this handicap and many other, we are glad to report that the love of Christ alone constraineth us, hence we press on and on toward the Goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Here we live and work in an area which includes twenty odd- cities ranging in population from 80,000 to 2,000,000. Do you wonder though at times we feel as Peter when he said, “What are they among so many?” Maybe you think the question more per- tinent were you to ask it concerning your diminishing and un- replenished staff of Missionarjes on thís field. Were it not for the modern Miracles of 'Missions today, we surely would despair. If you do not believe in miracles, God help you! But when are the officials of our Foreign Mission Boards going to get out and con- vince you that the Great Commission is not being lived up to b> a Church which sends out only a few Commissioners to represent Her zeal for and devotion to Her Lord and Master? When shall we begin to shoulder and to share our heavenly responsibility of Glory to God in the Highest, Peace on Earth and Goodwill among Men ? Sincerely in His Service, Y. O. Thorlaksson. Kobe, Japan, Christmas 1935. Þá lagÖi dagsskrárnefnd fram þessa skýrslu : MeS þakklæti fyrir góSar g greinilegar skýrslur frá forseta og skrifara kirkjufélagsins, leyfir dagskrárnefndin sér aS leggja til, aS eftirfylgjandi mál verSi tekin til meSferSar á þessu kirkju- >ingi: 1. HeimatrúboS. 2. KristniboS erlendis 3. Betel 4. Jóns Bjarnasonar skóli 5. Útgáfumál 6. Fjármál 7. Samband og samvinna viS önnur kirkjufélög 8. Prestþjónustumál 9. Ungmennastarf og kristileg uppfræSsla 10. Ensk þýSing á kirkjufélagslögum og frumvarpi til safn- aSarlaga. 11. AfstaSa kirkjufélagsins viS mannfélagsmál 12. Prestafundir 13. Bindindismál. Á kirkjuþingi í Árborg 19. júni, 1036. G. Guttormsson N. S. Thorlaksson J. /. Myres. Var skýrslan rædd talsvert, en síSan samþykt, TekiS var fyrir 1. mál á dagsskrá: Heimatrúboð. Var máliS innleitt meS ítarlegri ræSu af forseta. Fóru síSan fram almennar umræSur um máliS. í þeim umræSum var minst á ýms prestlaust svæSi og bygSir. Þar á meSal VatnabygSir í Sas- katchewan. I því sabandi var minst á nokkurn hóp fulltrúa þaSan aS vestan, er eigi höfSu haft tækifæri á aS vera útbúnir meS venjuleg kjörbréf til þings. Samþykt var í e. hlj. aS veita þeim bræSrum full þingréttindi. Héldu umræSur síSan áfram þar til kl. 4 e. h., aS samþykt var fundarhlé í hálfa klukkustund, til aS þiggja kaf fiveitingar i samkomusal bæjarins. Þegar fundur hófst á ný, héldu áfram umræSur um heima- trúboSsmáliS, þar til samþykt var aS vísa því til 5 manna þing- nefndar. í nefndina voru skipaSir séra S. Ólafsson, séra Rúnólfur Marteinsson, W. G. Hillman, Jónas Th. Jónasson og Björn John- son. Þá lá fyrir 2. mál á dagsskrá: Kristniboð í útlöndum. Samþykt var, nærri umræSulaust, samkvæmt tillögu séra H. Sigmar, aS fresta því máli þar til eftir aS dr. E. T. Horn, trúboSi frá Japan, og virSulegur sendiboSi United Lutheran Church in America, á þessu þingi, hefSi flutt erindi sitt, er fyrirhugaS er aS verSi kl. 8 e, h. þenna sama dag. Sé máliS hiS fyrsta er tekiS sé fyrir aS morgni næsta dags. Var þetta samþykt í e. hlj. Þá lá fyrir 3. mál á dagsskrá: Betel. MáliS var rætt um hríS, þar til séra H. Sigmar gerSi þessa tillögu til þingsályktunar: ÞingiS, sem þegar hefir veitt viStöku skýrslum Betel nefndar. innar, sér enga þörf á aS fyrirskipa nokkurar sérstakar ráSstafanir um starfrækslu heimilisins, er veriS hefir i svo frábærlega góSu lagi, heldur leyfir sér hér meS, aS þakka stjórnarnefnd, fostöSu- konu og öSru starfsfólki á Betel ágætlega unnin störf, og skorar á almenning, aS styrkja stofnunina, eftir mætti, vel og drengilega. Var þessi þingsályktun samþykt í e. hlj. — | sambandi viS mál þetta var samþykt, aS þakka herra GuSna Brynjólfssyni, aS Churchbridge, Sask., hina höfSinglegu þúsund dollara gjöf, er hann nýlega hefir gefiS Betel. Var þetta samþ. í e. hlj. meS því aS allir risu úr sætum. Var skrifara faliS, aS þingi loknu, aS flytja gefanda, þetta þakklæti þingsins. Þá lá fyrir 4. mál á dagsskrá: Jóns Bjarnasonar skóli. Samþykt var aS skipuS sé 2. manna nefnd til aS semja til- lögu til þingsályktunar i því máli. 1 nefndina voru skipaSir þeir séra N. S. Thorláksson og séra E. Jrl. Fáfnis. Þá var tekiS fyrir 5, mál á dagsskrá: Ú tgáfumái. Samþykt var aS vísa því máli til 5 manna þingnefndar. í nefndina voru skipuS þau J. J. Vopni, B. T. Benson, Mrs. SigríS- ur Tergesen, W. Jónas Sturlaugson og H. J. Helgason. Þá lá fyrir 6. mál á dagsskrá: Fjármál. Samþykt var aS visa því máli til 5 manna þingnefridar. í nefndina voru skipuS þau S. J. Sigmar, Snæbjörn S. Johnson, Mrs. S. W. Sigurgeirsson, Wm. SigurSson og A. R. Johnson. Þá var tekiÖ fyrir 7. mál á dagsskrá: Samband og samvinna með öðrum kirkjufélögum. í sambandi viS mál þetta lagÖi forseti fram og las upp þetta bréf frá séra Jakob Jónssyni, á Wynyard, Sask.:

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