# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1921_S66 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Che Lutheran Pioneer. A MISSIONARY MONTHLY. PousiisHED BY THE EvaNncenicaL Lurneran Synopical CoNFERENCE oF Nort AMERICA. REv. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITOR. Published monthly by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. Subserlption price, 50 cts. per annum, payable serlenly, In advance. Entere d as second-class matter at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1105, Act of October 3, 1917, pabetkt on ‘Tuly 5 5, 1918, Vol. XLIII. sT. LOUIS, MO., SEPTEMBER, 1921. No. 9. We Must Spread the Gospel Message. Our blessed Lord is ever nigh To every trustful, praying soul; He hears and grants the poor man’s .ery, And makes the helpless sinner whole. Our foes, sin, death, and Satan grim, With all their formidable might, Have been disecomfited by Him In bloody, but successful fight. His Word makes known His gracious acts; Let us still hear and read thereof | And spread the message of these facts — The peaceless world has need thereof. Hi. Osteruus. Plaquemine is Calling! To a Christian every opportunity to do good is a claim. If you saw a man naked and could give him clothing, without a home and could give him shelter, that opportunity would be a claim; yes, that chance, an obligation. We read that Christ “must be lifted up.” * Why “must”? Because man’s need awakened Christ’s love, a love that drove Him, compelled. Him, to save by a necessity of its own. For Christ the opportunity to save meant the obli- gation to help. So it was with Paul. He writes. “T must see Rome.” Who compelled him? No one, but something. He had something that he must impart to the Romans, a message that he must de- liver. Men were weak, Paul had strength from on high to impart; men were blind, Paul had light to” bring them; men were in sin and despair, Paul had the means to rescue them. And because men were in such a plight and he had ‘the help they needed, what else could he do as a Christian but bring them the help they needed? Paul regarded himself a debtor to the Greek and the Jew and the barbarian, to every one that had not what he had. That is why Paul said, Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel to the man who does not know it. Dear Christian friend, Plaquemine is calling you and me just as Rome was calling St. Paul. Plaquemine down in the Black Belt of Louisiana is calling. ‘There our faithful missionary, Rev. C. P. Thompson, and his faithful helper and brother, ‘Teacher John ‘Thompson, by hard work have gath- ered a flock of worshipers and a large number of pupils, but because of their faithful confession of Christ they have been expelled from the lodge-hall in which they had been gathering during the past months. Services are being held in private homes. But what about the school, if a building is not provided in the near future? If immediate help is not forthcoming from you and me, the: school may be ruined. Fully realizing this, the Board, trusting in Jesus’ promise, has instructed Mis- sionary Thompson to have the necessary building erected at once. This was the only thing the Board could do. But now you and I are called upon to sce to it that Jesus’ promise is fulfilled. Will we do our duty? Do we really hear Plaquemine cafling us? Director Drewes wrote to the editor a few weeks ago: “The appeals in our August missionary papers will surely bring enough gifts from our friends. The building is not to cost more: than $3,000 — chapel and school under one roof. »” Ts he going to. be disappointed? And what is worse, is our Lord: