# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1924_S81 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 80 The Lutheran Pioneer. 81. Trinity, Elon. (Founded in 1891. Mis- sionary W.. H. Lash, since October, 1923.) The baptized membership has grown from 11 to 18 since last fall, and the services are attended, on an aver- age, by twenty persons. Our North Carolina field comprises 21 con- gregations and preaching-places with a baptized membership of 1,177 and a confirmed membership of 694. South Carolina. 82. St. Luke's, Spartanburg. (Founded in 1913. Missionary John W. Fuller, since December, 1920.) The baptized membership has increased by eighteen during the past two years and now num- bers 90. The services are well attended: in the morning by 94 persons, in the evening, on an aver- age, by 84. The pastor, Miss Pearl Windsor, and Student H. Rivers last year taught 172 children in the day-school. More room is needed for the school. The Sunday-school has an enrolment of 130 pupils and is the second largest in our mission. 83. Greer. This town is situated eighteen miles west of Spartanburg. Last fall Pastor Fuller took up the work here and has so far gained eight mem- bers. Last October a day-school was opened, and Miss Eliza Johnston was put in charge. The school was attended by 60 pupils, and the parents of these children praise the school very highly. One mother told the writer: “It’s just scan’lous de way she learns de chillun de Bible.” (Of course, she used the word “scandalous” in a good sense.) A man had this to say of the school and teacher: “She’s the grandest teacher that has ever been here in Greer. It is surprising how she learns the children out of the Bible. My parents sent me to Sunday- school; but my children loses me in the Bible. I have to look it up. Other parents say the same thing of their children: ‘They just stump us in religion.’ My children learned more this one year than they: did in three years in two other schools. We all want Miss Johnston to come back.” The Alabama Field. In the Black Belt of Alabama lies our latest and most promising mission-field. Though the work was begun here only in January, 1916, we have ' to-day no less than 1,257 baptized members be- longing to our Church in this State. The super- intendent of the field is Pastor G. A. Schmidt. The members of this field are still in the happy days of their first love, and in many respects our congrega- tions remind one of the golden age of the Christian Church. All that have visited this new field haye returned filled with wonder at what God is doing here and praise the Lord for the manifestations of the power of His Gospel as shown in our Negro congregations of Alabama. 34. Christ, Rosebud, Wilcox Co. (Founded in 1916. Missionary Charles Peay, since September, 1921. He lives in Oak Hill.) Here is where we began to work in Alabama. As it is the first, so this congregation is also our largest charge in Ala- bama. We have here a baptized membership of 211, a confirmed membership of 103, and a voting membership of 19. The people of Rosebud love their Lutheran Church and‘are ready to tell any- body of their love. The old chapel and school, one building, is in a bad condition and should be re- placed by a new building. The cost of a new build- ing would not exceed $1,500. 35. St. Paul’s, Oak Hill, Wilcox Co. (Founded in 1916. Missionary C. Peay, since August, 1917.) This is our second oldest and second largest charge in Alabama. Baptized membership, 121; con- firmed membership, 73. During the months of April, May, and June twenty-three new members were received. At present eight adults and two children are being prepared for confirmation. 86. Our Savior, Possum Bend, Wilcox Co. (Founded in 1916. Missionary Edward A. West- cott,* since August, 1921.) Baptized membership, 79; confirmed membership, 41. The church is about four miles from Camden; members heard that there were people in Camden who would visit the Lutheran services at Possum Bend if they had a way of getting there, they at once bought a Gospel-wagon for the convenience of these prospective churchgoers. Since then one may see this Gospel-wagon every Sunday, drawn by two mules, filled with churchgoers, wending its slow way from Camden to Possum Bend and return. Surely the manifestation of a fine missionary spirit on the part of the people of Possum Bend! — When the congregation celebrated its fifth anniversary two years ago, one T'om Williams was present at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. He had been e deacon in some sectarian church for forty years. The Word found root in his heart. Later he said: “Tf ever I wanted to partake of the Lord’s Supper, it was on that Sunday.” He went home with the resolution to become a Lutheran member. He car- ried out his resolution and is to-day a faithful member of our Church. It is only when the creek between his house and the chapel is swollen so high by the heavy rains as to make passage impossible that his place in church is vacant. Then there is and when the.