# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1906_S54
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

54 Proceedings of the twenty-first convention

our institution always keep Christian upbringing in view!

On all Sundays and feast days services have been held regularly. Two rooms in the large dwelling served as the place of assembly. The preacher stood in the doorway, and the hearers distributed themselves in the two rooms. In the first half of the year I attended to the preaching alone; in the second half my colleagues helped out two Sundays a month. They have besides been of assistance to Pastor Schmidt. Since Christmas one of us has preached once a month in Charlotte. Since it turned out that the Negroes of the neighborhood did not come to the morning services, a Bible hour with catechization has been held in the forenoon instead of a sermon. The pupils of the upper classes in turn delivered a catechization on a previously assigned Bible story. The catechizations were of course reviewed beforehand and corrected by the catechist. This arrangement has proved excellent. After the evening devotions I have often, especially in Lent, given short addresses on the passage read and applied it according to time and circumstances. Thus the Word has dwelt richly among us.

In mission work the young men of the upper classes have gained some practice by being sent out on Saturday afternoons to the unchurched Negroes, to speak with them about the one thing needful and to invite them to the services. Once a month, after the Bible hour on Sunday, I held a meeting with them in which they reported on their experiences, which were sometimes quite dismal, and received hints and encouragement from me. This work too has not been in vain. For to the evening services a goodly number of Negroes from the neighborhood always came, so that the two rooms were crowded, and indeed such have come as otherwise go to no church. The whole neighborhood is occupied by Negroes. There are here two large educational institutions and five larger and smaller churches. A mission field it is not exactly. The unchurched who are still there belong for the most part to the criminal element.

We have not lacked opposition from the part of the sects. We had scarcely become warm in the house when they began their attacks. Not only did they speak publicly against us, but they also went from house to house and urged the people neither to go to our services nor to send their children to our school. It is the old story. But the dear God usually turns such attacks to the best. I have always found a blessing in them. So also here. Not only did we get from the neighborhood all the pupils we could accept, but the people also came to the services.

On 20 May I had the joy of receiving 8 pupils, four boys and four girls, into the fellowship of our church by confirmation