# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1931_S64 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THE LUTHERAN PIONEER of the Lutheran Church in America has been less than with other church-bodies. This is a comfort, but also an admonition. A Book Mission.— The Book Mission of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America printed and distributed 120,000 booklets and 115,000 tracts last year. All this literature was given away. “The Call of the Hour’ in Southern Cali- fornia. — The Southern California District pos- sibly is weak in number, but gratifyingly strong in missionary enthusiasm, as the seven resolutions its representatives recently passed at Los Angeles, in a special session, plainly indicate. Southern Cali- fornia is growing at the rate of 12,000 persons every month and thus presents stupendous missionary op- portunities to our brethren. And what is so very pleasing is the willingness with which the young District is applying itself to the task of gathering in these multitudes. God grant them courage and suc- cess in their blessed efforts and grant us the willing- ness of the sons of Zebedee to come to the help of our Western brethren in gathering in the “fishes”! “Colored” Items. — St. Philip’s Lutheran Church of St. Louis (colored) is a flourishing, self- supporting, missionary-spirited congregation. Since it moved into its new chapel some five years ago, it has more than trebled its membership. It knows from practical experience what it means to have a real house of worship. Some time ago St. Philip’s celebrated a mission festival. ‘The collection was gratifying. What to do with it? Somewhere, somehow, the news had filtered through that the colored Lutherans of Buf- falo were handicaped by an inadequate place of wor- ship, that they needed a chapel, and needed it badly. A check came through. The Chapel Fund of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Buffalo, N. Y., was enriched to the extent of $54.73,—a part of the mission collection at St. Philip’s. May the “love of Christ which constraineth” these colored brethren also constrain our white brethren to like deeds of Christian love! Easlern District Bulletin. Home Missions in the Iowa District. — This District is employing thirty laborers in the Home Mission field. They are serving forty stations. Nine stations became self-supporting last year. This District is carrying on most of its Home Mis- sion work in the larger cities of the State. Over 3,000 souls are served, among them 1,882 com- municants, ninety-four Christian day-school pupils, and 650 Sunday-school attendants. The work is preponderantly English. The mission-places last year raised almost $33,000 for their own households and almost $6,000 for benevolences. The District subsidized the work to the extent of about $50,000. Minnesota Home Mission Notes. — In this District’s Home Mission field fifty pastors are sery- ing 135 stations. The gain in persons served was almost a thousand, the present number being 9,088. The Sunday-school enrolment is 2,550. The missions raised for home purposes over $20,000 and for synodical treasuries $6,500. Five new churches were erected on the mission-field. The missionaries con- duct 423 services a month, by far the greater num- ber in English. Despite the “depression” twenty- two of the parishes have asked that their subsidies be decreased. The Home Missions in Texas. — Forty mis- sionaries are serving 4,375 persons in the various Home Mission congregations of this vast State. Of the eighty stations served only. fifty-one hav: their own chapels; there are only thirty-one parsonages for more than forty missionaries, not considering the ten teachers; and of the twenty-one mission- schools only eleven are conducted in real school- buildings. These figures plainly show that the progress of Home Missions in Texas is greatly ham- pered by the deplorable condition of the Church Ex- tension Fund of the District and that of the General Body. The superintendent says that, wherever he turns, he sees opportunities for mission-work, but lack of funds prevents the sending of men and the erecting of buildings. A New Professor Called to Immanuel. — We understand that Rev. Arnold Pennekamp of Staun- ton, Ill., has been called to the professorship at Im- manuel Lutheran College, Greensboro, which had become vacant by Professor Gehrke’s accepting the superintendency of the Southeastern Field. Death of Treasurer Theo. Eckhart’s Mother.— On Monday, February 23, Mrs. Eckhart, the mother of Treasurer Eckhart of the Board of Colored Mis- sions, passed away. She had apparently recovered from an attack of influenza, when pneumonia set in unexpectedly. After a short service in the private chapel of a local undertaker the remains of Mrs. Eckhart were taken to Milwaukee, her home. Please Take Notice. Kindly consult the address label on pa paper to ascertain WS avons EOS has expired o: Il soon expire. “April 3. e label means that your “subscription has ex: pired. plenee acy your agent or the Publisher promptly in order to avoid intern Eon} of service. It takes about two weeks before the address label can show change of address or acknowledgment of remittance. When paying yous subscription, please mention name of publication desi! and exact name and address (both old and new, if change of address is requested). ConcorDIA PuBLISHING House, St. Louis, Mo.