# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1903_S32 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 32 Joint Conference at New Orleans, La. was attended by almost 300 people. Rev. did much to beautify the service. The local congregation had also tastefully decorated the church. On Monday night Rey. F. Lankenau opened the conference meeting by prayer, after which Mr. R. Dixon was chosen president. The pa- per on this evening was read by the under- signed and treated of ‘‘Christian Giving.’’ On Tuesday evening Mr. E. Wilcox was made chairman in the absence of Mr. R. Dixon. Rey. K. Kretzschmar then proceeded to lead in the discussion of ‘‘Christian Education.”’ Great interest was manifested in the meetings, and many were the questions asked concern- ing the matter under discussion. By request of members on the floor it was resolved to dis- cuss church fairs and the like in the next meet- ing, for it was a foregone conclusion with all that there must be more of these conference meetings. The time for holding the next conference was referred to the various congregations for action. It may safely be stated that two, per- haps three conferences will be held annually hereafter. J. KossMAnn. ——- o~< oo “The Critic of Missions Silenced. ae When missionary Weeks of Africa was tray- eling in England, a gentleman, in the same railway carriage, began to attack him as the friend of missions. ‘“What,”’ said he, ‘‘are the missionaries doing abroad? We pay them pretty well, but hear little about them or their movements. I suppose they are sitting down quietly and making themselves comfortable.’’ There sat beside Mr. Weeks another tray- eler, as black as any of the natives of Africa. He quietly waited until the stranger had ex- hausted his silly talk against missions, and then, making a sign of silence to Mr. Weeks, undertook himself to reply to the critic of mis- sions. ‘‘Sir,’? said he, ‘‘allow me to present myself to you as a result of the labor of the mis- sionaries whose work you have been depreciat- ing.”” Pointing to Mr. Weeks, he continued, *‘Iam an African and this man is the means of my having become a Christian and of my coming to this country in the capacity of a Christian minister.’ The man who had assaulted Christian mis- _ sions looked upon the black man with a look mingled embarrassment and amazement. Cj could not be mistaken: there was a genu- African, who had addressed him in the elegant lahguage of an educated and accom- Rissa Englishman; he had, no doubt, felt th er of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ there were in his whole manner the Our three stations at New Orleans recently held a joint service and conference at Mount Zion Church. The service on Sunday night F. Lankenau preached the sermon. The choirs The Lutheran Pioneer. The accuser of missions sank into a reverie. He had no more to say against missions, and when he resumed conversation, it was in a dif- ferent tone: he began to talk with Mr. Weeks upon missionary topics as an interested lis- tener. That black man was none other than Samuel Adjai Crowther, who afterwards became the first native Bishop of the Niger Territory in Africa and who for many years labored suc- cessfully as missionary among his countrymen. Mourned by many, he, in December 1891, en- tered the rest which remaineth to the people of God. 0 oo No Thief. Henry M. Stanley tells how once in the heart of dark Africa a native was dragged before him by some of his followers for stealing a gun. Stanley looked at the gun; it clearly be- longed to his expedition. The poor man who had it was frightened at the mention of Stan- ley’s name, and could hardly find his voice or say a word. Only, ‘‘I am a son of God; I would not steal!’? he repeated again and again. Stanley was interested, and it dawned on him that this man was probably one of the converts of some of the missionaries laboring in that region, and he accordingly gave him the gun, and allowed him to go while they pursued their way. At the next station where they stopped they found the gun waiting for them. It appeared that the gun had probably been lost. This man found it, and when he was set free he at once went to the missionary for instructions, and, by his direction, it was sent where Stan- ley would get it. But what a light must have touched that darkened son of Africa, who, though brought up in all vileness and theft and sin, had come to realize the glorious dignity of a divine pa- ternity, and say, ‘‘I am a son of God; I would not steal !’’ ————+- ~~ om Simple Trust. The Christians of Corea are noted for their simple trust. The term they generally use when speaking of God is simply ‘‘Father.”’ A man will be in trouble, and if you will ask him what he did, he will tell you he told ‘Father’? about it. In one of the villages persecution broke out, and the leader of the little group of Christians suffered hardest, losing his only child, a sweet | in little girl. He came to the missionary and spoke with him about it, tears streaming down his face. The missionary asked him, ‘*What did you do?’”’ As a smile broke through his tear-stained face, he replied, ‘‘I told Father about it, and it will be all right, you know.’’ ‘Your Father knoweth that you have need of these things,’’ Luke 12, 30. God’s Wonderful Ways. Sir Bartle Frere, Governor of Cape Colony, relates the following with reference to India: ‘“Missionaries and others have occasionally been surprised to find people that had hardly seen and perhaps never heard an ordained missionary, and yet had gained some Christian knowledge. In one case, which, as I know, was carefully investigated, all the inhabitants of a remote village in the Deccan District had renounced idolatry, had removed from the temples the idols which had been worshiped from time immemorial, and had agreed to con- fess a form of Christianity which they had themselves gathered from the attentive pe- rusal of a single Gospel and a few tracts. These had not been obtained from a missionary, but they had been left behind, together with some old clothes and other articles, by a merchant, whose very name was forgotten, and who, so far as could be learned, had never spoken on the subject of Christianity to his servant, to whom, on his departure, he had given these things which he no longer needed.’’ Evangelical Lutheran Colored Churches, New ORr.xEans, La. EV. LUTH. ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL. 1625 Annette Str., between Olaiborne and Derbigny. Divine services: Sunday morning at 944 o'clock. sunday evening at 7% o'clock. Wednesday evening at 7% 0 orclCor Sunday School: Sunday morning at 10% o'cloc! pane catechumen class mects at 734 0 mclook ‘Tuesday en: Singing Sebool mects at es o'clock Friday cvening- F. J. LANKENAD, Missionary. EY. LUTH. MOUNT ZION OHURCH. Cor. S. Franklin and Thalia Strs. Divine services: Sunday morning at 11 o'clock. Sunday evening at 7% o'clock. Thursday cvening at o’clock. Sunday School: Sunday morning at 9% o'clock. AEG Neept class mects at 734 oorclock Friday Young, ‘People's Concordia Circle and Len ging School mect We dnesday cvening at 734 0' Kari Re ation EV. LUTH. BETHLEHEM OHAPEL. Cor. Washington Avenue ~ Dryades Str. Divine services: punday: evenin, at 174.0 o’clock. day evening at 734 o’clock. Sunday School at ry vorclock, Adult catechumen class every Tucsday at ™ o’clock and after th e divine service on Thursday evening. Ohoir practice at 734 o'clock on Tuesday evening and after divine service on Thursday even! ng. Circle for Young People meets at the school every Taes- day evening at 734 o'clock. J. W. F. KOS8MANN, Missionary. Ey. Luth. Holy Trinity Church. Springfield, Tl. Divine services at half ppaat 10 (are Sunday morning 5 ae ate ecleck Sunes ny events anda: 001 at 3 0 Oatechamen class meets Monday and Friday evenings. Singing-school Tuesday evening. SN OOOO __ a TT TERMS: Tue LuraeraN PronxER is published monthly, pevape in advance at the following rates, p uded, to-wit: 3 pre FA ose prsten or only allowed if all copies are to be sent one All business communications to be addressed to “Concordia Publishing. House,” Jefferson Ave. and Miami 8t., St. Louis, Mo. All cominunications Sensleoncerning, the editorial de- ent to be ad R. A. BiscHor?, cordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind.