The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1887, Page 6

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6 The Lutheran Pioneer.

a house nor the bread of life. Why not rent a
hall, you ask? If one were to be had it would
have been occupied by your Missionaries long
before this. There is but one thing left for us
todo: tosecure a suitable site and erect a chapel.
You will have noticed that our work progresses
slowly compared with that of sectarian churches.
But rest assured in the long run we shall come
out the winner. Your Missionaries and men of
our Synod, far better able to judge than we,
are seeing more clearly every year, that the
religious training of the children is the best
paying work of the Mission. Its immediate re-
sults may not be so apparent but in its final
outcome the wisdom of the method is sure. By
christianizing the future mothers and fathers
of the colored race, we shall have secured a
stronghold for the true church of the Reforma-
tion, against which the gates of hell shall not
prevail. But to accomplish this work we need
and must have churches and schoolhouses, and
pastors and teachers. And will you not supply
us with the means necessary to carry it out? —
We are aware that the calls for your liberal
contributions have been frequent of late. But
we are willing to come in for a small share of
your revenues, when the rest have been sup-°
plied. Like the Canaanite woman begging for
crumbs at her Saviour’s feet, we ask you only
for your crumbs. Give your Dollars and your
tens if you can to our Synodical Institutions,
Home and Emigration Missions. Let the house
of Israel, those of the household of faith, first
of all be supplied. We grudge not their pre-

church was partly renovated. A partition was
built dividing it into two apartments. The
one is to be used exclusively for school, and
congregation meetings, and as assembly room
for the Young People’s Association, the other
for church. The school room has been fur-
nished by the Board with patent benches as the
old ones no longer could be made to serve.
The church-benches were colored, a real altar
has taken the place of the kitchen-table that
formerly served for altar purposes. Pulpit and
altar were painted white and trimmed with red
velvet and gold fringes. The altar platform as
well as the aisles were covered with new car-
pets. The joy of the congregation and school
runs high and the contributions from both are
increasing.

During the past year 18 were added to our
congregations, 172 communed, and 17, of
whom 7 were adults, were baptized. The con-
tributions from churches and schools amounted
to about $450. Pastor Burgdorf’s school in
Carrollton numbers at present one hundred
scholars, while the attendance of the sunday-
school is still larger. This mission has con-
tributed during the eleven months of its exist-
ance about $90 and is in a prosperous condition.

May the Lord continue to add his blessing to
our work and to gather into His Zion His chosen
people. Encouraged by the success with which
we have hitherto met, may we be stirred up to
greater activity for our Mission cause.

New Orleans, La., January 20, 1887.

Letter from New Orleans.

Dear PIONEER :—

The christmas-tree is taken down, its orna-
ments carefully packed away, and every visible
object that reminds us of this most joyful festival
is removed. But the christmas-joy does not
end with the dying out of the candles and the
removing of the tree. The beautiful story of
the Christ-Childs’ birth, the message of the
Archangel, and the songs of the heavenly hosts
still ring in the ears and reecho in the hearts
of young and old. Christmas is not a thing of
a day or a night, but of every hour and day
and month throughout the year. To a christ-
ian every day is a Christmas-day, its story is to
him ever new and ever true. Every Gospel
message is intermingled with the songs which
messengers from the high and holy courts of
heaven brought to the mortals on earth that
night. Every christian home is a Bethlehem
and every christian heart a Saviour’s manger.

But the christmas-tree though but of a night’s
duration or two, plays an important part in
our celebration. To the people among whom
we labor, and who are generally too poor to
afford such a luxury at home, the christmas-
trees in our churches are the center of attrac-
tions. This years’ celebration formed no excep-
tion. For two successive nights our sanctu-
aries were crowded with worshipers, the Trinity
and St. Paul churches not even being able to
hold them all. Great many, no doubt, came

only to gratify their curiosity, but we were glad

to see them nevertheless, and welcome shall MIssIonary. rogative. But let us have the crumbs, your

they ever be, and thankful for the opportunity on Se Se nickles and your dimes, and with these we will
erect churches and schools for our colored

they gave us in telling them of the child born
us and the Son given us and for being able to
direct them to him.

The children were, of course. happy, as they
had every reason to be. Not only were the
christmas-trees decorated in the most tasteful

~ manner with glittering ornaments that almost
dazzled their eyes, not only were the sweet-
meats plenty and delicious and the various
presents beautiful and useful, but, judging
from the answers they give to questions pro-
pounded concerning the Saviour’s birth and
subsequent work for the sinner-world, from the
hymns recited and the carols sung, and from the
close attention with which they listened to the
addresses of the pastors, it was apparent that
their joy came from a different source. In our
schools these children have learned to know
and to love the christ-child, and without much
resistance he has been permitted to take up his
abode in their hearts and make himself there a
‘bed soft, undefiled ;’”? and where Christ dwells
there is joy. — Would to God that those who
listened to us and worshiped with us during
the festival of Christmas, and who were, of this
we are sure, impressed by what they heard,
would to God that they would permit their
‘hearts to be turned into mangers and their
homes into Bethlehems for the Saviour to reign
supremely.
During christmas vacation the Mt, Zion

people that shall stand for generations as mon-
uments of ‘Gods Word and Luther’s doctrine
pure.”’ Let there be a general gathering of
crumbs for a new station at New Orleans, in
all the congregations belonging to the Synodical
Conference. You pastors will lead in this
matter as in all others, you will: plead the
cause of our Mission before your congrega-
tions, and the teachers will tell their scholars
about those colored children who are growing
up ignorant of the blessed Saviour. Nor will
you forget to offer up a little prayer with the
coin you give. But the time is pressing. The
property in the vicinity is rising in value and
the vacant available spots are rapidly vanish-
ing. If the matter is delayed, we shall be
looking in vain for a suitable site for our
church:

All contributions should be sent to the
Treasurer of the Missionary Board, Prof. A. C.
Burgdorf, 1041 Allen Ave., St. Louis, Mo.

New Orleans, La., January 20, 1887.
N. J. Bakke, Missionary.

Shall we have a New Station?

The Synodical Conference in its convention
at Detroit last August passed a resolution to the
effect that the Missionary Board of the Colored
Mission be empowered tostart another Mission at
New Orleansassoon as possible. From the report
made by the Board of the prosperous condition
of our Mission, the Conference was impressed
with the importance and necessity of extending
and enlarging it. But up to date the executives
of the Synodical Conference have been unable
to carry out this resolution for want of means.
And as matters now stand the prospects for a
new Station are rather gloomy. This is sad.
That, part of the city in which we contemplate
to start the Mission, is thickly populated with
Colored people. Hundreds of children are
without schooling and religious training, and a
number of adults have been found who are
without churchly connection. These people
are waiting for us to come and break to them
the bread of life. Shall we let them perish for
want of it? Shall we let them starve, while
we have plenty and to spare? You fellow
christians throughout the Synodical Conference,
who have made it your object to christianize
our Freedmen, will not stand idly by and be
happy in your christian homes and houses of
worship while our colored friends have neither

Poor peasants and simple children now
understand Jesus Christ better than the pope,
the bishops, and the doctors.

—Martin Inher.

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