The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1888, Page 42

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42 The Lutheran Pioneer.

strumental in his hands, in stirring us up to| worship had been made, knew no bounds.
fervent prayer, to greater zeal and activity,| Every one wanted to contribute as the Lord
J .|and in furthering our Master’s cause? As the|had. prospered him. The scholars of the Sun-
On the 17th Sunday after Trinity, Sept. 28,] Word of God never returns void but accom-|day School unanimously resolved to sacrifice
dedicatory services were held in the Ev. Luth.| plishes that for which it is sent, so here. It| their tickets and prices for the benefit of the >
St. Paul’s Church on Annette Str., and the new | took well nigh two years before the fruits be-|church; the young ladies trimmed up their old
structure set apart for the worship of the Triune| come visible, but then it was evident that] hats and dresses to last them for another season,
God according to the Confession and usage of | Christ reigned in the midst of His enemies; | that their hard earned cash, which otherwise
the Ey. Luth. Church. one soul here and one there was gathered into| would have been spent for finery, might flow
The church is a neat edifice of frame in Gothic | the fold of Christ, and that despite the anathe-|into the building fund. The hard working
style. Its dimensions are 54X28 X21 feet high | mas of the Romanists and the malignant in-/ young men, they are but a few, cut down their :
in the clear. The entrance is through a tower | timidatién of fanatical sectarians. To our tried | running expenses and doubled their contribu-
which terminates in a graceful spire, the height|and zealous friend and co-worker, who now/tions. Nor were the older members standing:
of which from the foundation is 55 feet. From They often denied themselves the
the vestibule stairs lead to a gallery sufficiently necessities of life for the sake of having a

Dedication of the Ev. Luth. St. Paul's
Church at-New Orleans, La.

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sleeps beneath the sod, is due to a great extent | by idle.
the success which has here been achieved. With

nickle or a dime

f

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spacious to accom- :
modate the choir
and the organ. In
the rear is 2 room,
1622, used for
the catechumen
classes and as as-
sembly room for
the young people
of the congrega-
tion. The altar,
beautifully carved
and moulded and
painted white,
stands in a recess,
and the pulpit, of
similar workman-
ship, to the right
of the same. The
ceiling isa timber _
roof construction,
cherry stained and
varnished, gallery
and benches of
hard oil finish,
while the doorand
. Window casings
and wainscoting
are grained oak.
The walls have re-
ceived two coats Aa ee
of rough plastering and one of gray watercolor-
ing. It is lighted by 10 windows and one cir-
cular transom of cathedral glass over the main
entrance. Both exterior and interior present
a cheerful, churchly, and inviting appearance.
Materials and workmanship are of the best.
The new church is an improvement and an
‘ornament to the neighborhood, an honor to the
builder, and a monument to the generosity
and energy of Evangelical Lutheran Christians.
Some nine years ago our Mission here was

commenced in a small primitive school house,

wwhich for simplicity, inconvenience, and dis-
comfort hardly has an equal.’ The outlook for
our Mission at that-time was by. no means
promising. Before one friend had been won
for our cause we had, by no fault of ours,

gained hundreds of enemies, a circumstance
| which was ; all pleasing to u
for, which we thank-God now. And why should

‘was not at all pleasing to us then, but

we not thank God for enemies if they be in-

Colored Lutheran St. Paul’s Church at New Orleans.

a few excepticns the congregation is composed
of young people who received their firat christ-
ian training in the school. Yearly a few earnest
young christians were added to the church, and
it was the accession of these young people that
made our mission here an established fact.
Progressing slowly but surely, the ‘‘chapel,”’
as it was called, became at last too small for
the worshipers. This necessitated the erection
of a morespacious building. The friends of the
Mission generously responded to the calls for
contributions. In May this year the contract
to build the church was awarded to Mr. J. H.
Rollfs of this city for $1950, and under the
direction of this efficient and. conscientious ar-
chitect and builder the work made rapid prog-
ress. The joy of the little flock at the sight
of stone being added to stone and timber to
timber until the cross, affixed to the spire, and
the bell from the belfry made known to them
that the last finishing-touch to their house of

to give to the col-
lector when he
camearound. And
they did so gladly,
Every one worked
with willandvigor,
from old grandma
to the little ones,
who are taking
their first lessons
in the art of read-
ing, but who never-
theless pridethem-
selves with being

Lutherans and”
make no secret of
it. And the chil-
dren especially
created such an
enthusiasm and
joy in the com-
munity asifa gold
mine had been dis-
covered.

No wonder then,
that on the 23d
of September, the
day set apart for

the dedicatory
opening services,
the church was crowded with people from
the neighborhood, and this at a time when
no one without necessity would have ventured
out, because of the downpouring rain. The
services began with the singing of the im-
posing hymn: ‘‘Come, Holy Spirit, God and
Lord,’ this hymn, which the Lutheran Church
has inherited from the great Reformer, has
been sung by larger assemblies and on grander
occasions, but scarcely heartier than at the
present. Thus invoked by joyous believing
hearts, there is no doubt but that the mighty
Pentecostal Spirit entered the house we had
built to His glory and the hearts that come to
receive Him. After the responsive service, in
which the Lutheran clergy. of our city. took
active part, Pastor Wegener read the dedica-
tory ceremonies with appropriate Scripture
lesson. Thereupon the choir of the congre-
gation under the able direction of Mr. Kauff-
mann sang # Hallelujah Chorus. This added

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