APPENDIX C

Work of Leading Denominations for the Foreign Population

The following facts and figures, received from the leading Home Mission Boards, give some idea of the work which is now being done for the evangelization of the foreign peoples in the United States. We should be glad if the reports were more complete. They do not represent all of the work that is being done, because a considerable part of this work is carried on by the local churches in all of the denominations, and this work is seldom reported and does not enter into the statistics of the Home Mission Boards.

It is hoped that each Board will provide a supplementary chapter, setting forth in detail its work among the foreign population—a work abounding in incident and hopefulness. There is no more encouraging home mission work, and wherever earnest effort has been made, the response has been most gratifying. Write to your Home Mission Board for full information. Where a special chapter is not furnished for a supplemental study, the Boards will send the information and literature that will enable the leader of the study class to show what is being done, with a detail impossible in the general treatment of the subject.

It is significant, in this connection, that all the Boards are calling especial attention to the needs of this work among the foreign peoples and urging large advance in plans for evangelization.

MISSION WORK OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN 1906 AMONG THE FOREIGN POPULATION

NationalityNo. of charges receiving missionary aid Members and probationers in charge receiving missionary aid

Welsh4 185

Swedish135 12,076

Norwegian and Danish85 4,236

German265 19,184

French8 350

Chinese11 298

Japanese30 1,666

Bohemian and Hungarian11 1,666

Italian18 1,014

Portuguese3 86

Finnish9 93

Foreign Populations3 —

— ———

Total582 39,557

Including the charges not now receiving missionary aid, the total number of missions, or charges, among the foreign peoples was 971, not including Spanish work, and the total membership, including probationers, was 92,082 in 1906. The work is extended all over the country.

The Woman's Home Missionary Society supports Immigrant Homes in New York City, and in Boston, Mass., in which immigrants may find protection and counsel as well as a safe lodging. In Philadelphia, Pa., work is also done for incoming strangers, and lodgings provided in case of need. Missionaries are stationed at each of these points. Much work is done for foreigners by this Society through its three large city missions, and its numerous Deaconess Homes.

MISSION WORK OF THE PRESBYTERIAN HOME MISSION BOARD IN 1906 AMONG THE FOREIGN POPULATION

NationalityNo. of Churches and StationsMembership

Armenian3183

Bohemian301,529

Chinese10438

Danes and Norwegians1101

Dutch121,365

French9508

German15613,446

Hungarian (Magyar)151,035

Italian32955

Japanese350

Korean140

Russian1—

Slavic8337

Syrian215

Welsh7414

————

Total29020,415

The Annual Report for 1906 says: In addition to the above it is doubtless true that there are many churches, and even individuals, carrying on religious work among foreigners which has not been reported to the Board. Two facts warrant special attention. One is that the proper carrying on of the work of giving the gospel to these foreign-speaking peoples necessarily includes and is closely allied with other needs—such as schools; literature in their own tongue, including tracts, papers, and the Bible; colporteur visitation; Bible reading, and so forth. It is not sufficient simply to open a church or hall where a meeting can be held and expect the people to come. A great deal of preparatory work must be done.

MISSION WORK OF THE AMERICAN BAPTIST HOME MISSION SOCIETY IN 1906, AMONG THE FOREIGN POPULATION

NationalityNo. of FieldMembers of Mission Fields

Bohemians6196

Chinese12209

Danes20484

Finns13175

French Canadian29650

Germans1485,196

Hungarians342

Italians25391

Japanese268

Jews2—

Lettish231

Mexicans in U. S18113

Norwegians501,095

Poles682

Portuguese242

Russians271

Slavs577

Swedes2057,623

Syrians1—

————

Total55116,545

FOREIGN PEOPLES IN BAPTIST CHURCHES, THE RESULTS OF HOME MISSION WORK

ChurchesMemb'ship

Germans, 190626626,274

Dane-Norwegian, 1903905,530

Swedes, 190333122,625

The number of missionaries among the foreign populations was 312. The Women's Societies maintained a number of workers, including the efficient missionaries at Ellis Island. The Home Mission Society is supporting Italian missionaries in twenty cities. Aside from organized effort, Chinese Sunday-schools are conducted by many local churches, which do not report to any central organization. There is a considerable work done also by the city mission societies, which work independently in part. In some places, local churches also maintain missions among the Italians, Hungarians, and Slavs.

MISSION WORK OF THE CONGREGATIONAL HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY IN 1906

Total number of Missionaries215

German Missions73

Scandinavian Missions89

Bohemian Missions20

Polish Missions5

French Missions7

Spanish Missions10

Finnish Missions6

Danish Missions2

Armenian Missions6

Greek Missions1

Chinese and Japanese22

STATEMENTS SHOWING NUMBER OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES FOR FOREIGN SPEAKING PEOPLES, WITH THEIR TOTAL MEMBERSHIP

ChurchesMembersAverage to a Church

Germans1708,00047

Scandinavians957,49579

Slavs1263658

All other Nationalities,(including Italians, French,Greek, Armenian,Chinese,Welsh, etc)1028,22278

—————

37924,353262

Work of the Protestant Episcopal Church Among the Foreign Population

The Domestic Section of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States carries on work to a limited extent among the Swedes. There is a general missionary in the East, who has charge of this work in the three dioceses of Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts, and one in the northwest. In the eastern dioceses named there were in 1906 fifteen Swedish missions and parishes, with 1,897 communicants, ministered to by five clergymen. The western general missionary visited Sweden during the past year for the purpose of finding suitable university students for the ministry in this country. There are missions in Duluth and at other points. The Annual Report says: "Of all the work under the care of the general missionary, none is more important than the mission to Scandinavian immigrants arriving at Ellis Island, New York, for it acts as a special feeder to the church. The Scandinavian immigrants outnumber those from any other Protestant country."

What further work is done for the foreign peoples is carried on by the local parishes, such as Grace Church, Trinity, Saint George's, and Saint Bartholomew's in New York, which work among the Italians and other nationalities, and equip their missions in a manner worthy of imitation.

Lutheran Work in the United States

Large numbers of the immigrants are Lutherans. The resources of the Lutheran church in America to care for her people are thus stated by the Rev. J. N. Lenker, D.D., in the Lutheran World, the church organ:

For the Germans, 5,000 pastors, 8,000 churches, and 1,200,000 communicant members.

For the Scandinavians, 1,800 pastors, 14,300 churches, and 500,000 communicant members.

For the Finns, three synods, 58 pastors, 187 churches, and 22,149 communicant members.

For the Slovaks, about 200 organizations with a growing number of pastors and a very loyal constituency.

For the Letts and Esthonians, 21 organized congregations and preaching stations, divided into the eastern and western districts.

For the Icelanders, one synod, 10 pastors, 37 organized congregations, 3,785 communicant members.

For the Poles, Bohemians, and Magyars, work is done by the various German synods, the late statistics of which are not at hand. Besides congregations in these languages, many understand German and are served by German pastors.

The whole Lutheran Church of America, including the Swedish Mission Friends with 33,000 members and the German Evangelical Synod with 222,000 members, the constituents of which are nearly all Lutherans, making in all 8,956 pastors, 15,135 churches, and 2,123,639 communicant members are the results of immigrant mission work or mission work in foreign languages or languages other than English.

ANALYSIS OF THE IMMIGRATION FOR 1905, WITH REGARD TO RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS AND EASE OF ASSIMILATION[102]

First class and the easiest to assimilate are

English50,865 Reformed

Scotch16,144 Reformed

Germans82,360 Luth. and Cath.

Scandinavians62,284 Lutheran

Irish54,266 Catholic.

Finns17,012 Lutheran

Letts, et al.18,604 Lutheran

Slovaks52,368 Lutheran

———

Total353,903

Second class and the second easiest to assimilate:

Magyars46,030 Ref. and Cath.

Bohemians, etc11,757 Ref. and Cath.

French11,021 Ref. and Cath.

Ruthenians14,473 Catholic

———

Total83,281

Third class and the most difficult to evangelize and Americanize and the class that makes the new problem difficult:

Poles102,137 Catholic

Italians226,320 Catholic

Hebrews129,910 Israelites

———

Total458,367