The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1903, Page 32

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32

Joint Conference at New Orleans, La.

was attended by almost 300 people. Rev.
did much to beautify the service. The local
congregation had also tastefully decorated the
church.

On Monday night Rey. F. Lankenau opened
the conference meeting by prayer, after which
Mr. R. Dixon was chosen president. The pa-
per on this evening was read by the under-
signed and treated of ‘‘Christian Giving.’’
On Tuesday evening Mr. E. Wilcox was made
chairman in the absence of Mr. R. Dixon.
Rey. K. Kretzschmar then proceeded to lead
in the discussion of ‘‘Christian Education.”’
Great interest was manifested in the meetings,
and many were the questions asked concern-
ing the matter under discussion. By request
of members on the floor it was resolved to dis-
cuss church fairs and the like in the next meet-
ing, for it was a foregone conclusion with all
that there must be more of these conference
meetings.

The time for holding the next conference
was referred to the various congregations for
action. It may safely be stated that two, per-
haps three conferences will be held annually
hereafter. J. KossMAnn.

——- o~< oo

“The Critic of Missions Silenced.
ae

When missionary Weeks of Africa was tray-
eling in England, a gentleman, in the same
railway carriage, began to attack him as the
friend of missions. ‘“What,”’ said he, ‘‘are
the missionaries doing abroad? We pay them
pretty well, but hear little about them or their
movements. I suppose they are sitting down
quietly and making themselves comfortable.’’

There sat beside Mr. Weeks another tray-
eler, as black as any of the natives of Africa.
He quietly waited until the stranger had ex-
hausted his silly talk against missions, and
then, making a sign of silence to Mr. Weeks,
undertook himself to reply to the critic of mis-
sions. ‘‘Sir,’? said he, ‘‘allow me to present
myself to you as a result of the labor of the mis-
sionaries whose work you have been depreciat-
ing.”” Pointing to Mr. Weeks, he continued,
*‘Iam an African and this man is the means
of my having become a Christian and of my
coming to this country in the capacity of a
Christian minister.’

The man who had assaulted Christian mis-
_ sions looked upon the black man with a look
mingled embarrassment and amazement.
Cj could not be mistaken: there was a genu-
African, who had addressed him in the
elegant lahguage of an educated and accom-
Rissa Englishman; he had, no doubt, felt

th er of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ there were in his whole manner the

Our three stations at New Orleans recently
held a joint service and conference at Mount
Zion Church. The service on Sunday night

F. Lankenau preached the sermon. The choirs

The Lutheran Pioneer.

The accuser of missions sank into a reverie.
He had no more to say against missions, and
when he resumed conversation, it was in a dif-
ferent tone: he began to talk with Mr. Weeks
upon missionary topics as an interested lis-
tener.

That black man was none other than Samuel
Adjai Crowther, who afterwards became the
first native Bishop of the Niger Territory in
Africa and who for many years labored suc-
cessfully as missionary among his countrymen.
Mourned by many, he, in December 1891, en-
tered the rest which remaineth to the people
of God.

0 oo

No Thief.

Henry M. Stanley tells how once in the heart
of dark Africa a native was dragged before him
by some of his followers for stealing a gun.

Stanley looked at the gun; it clearly be-
longed to his expedition. The poor man who
had it was frightened at the mention of Stan-
ley’s name, and could hardly find his voice
or say a word. Only, ‘‘I am a son of God;
I would not steal!’? he repeated again and
again.

Stanley was interested, and it dawned on
him that this man was probably one of the
converts of some of the missionaries laboring
in that region, and he accordingly gave him
the gun, and allowed him to go while they
pursued their way.

At the next station where they stopped they
found the gun waiting for them. It appeared
that the gun had probably been lost. This
man found it, and when he was set free he at
once went to the missionary for instructions,
and, by his direction, it was sent where Stan-
ley would get it.

But what a light must have touched that
darkened son of Africa, who, though brought
up in all vileness and theft and sin, had come
to realize the glorious dignity of a divine pa-
ternity, and say, ‘‘I am a son of God; I would

not steal !’’
————+- ~~ om

Simple Trust.

The Christians of Corea are noted for their
simple trust. The term they generally use
when speaking of God is simply ‘‘Father.”’
A man will be in trouble, and if you will ask
him what he did, he will tell you he told
‘Father’? about it.

In one of the villages persecution broke out,
and the leader of the little group of Christians
suffered hardest, losing his only child, a sweet | in
little girl. He came to the missionary and
spoke with him about it, tears streaming down
his face. The missionary asked him, ‘*What
did you do?’”’ As a smile broke through his
tear-stained face, he replied, ‘‘I told Father
about it, and it will be all right, you know.’’

‘Your Father knoweth that you have need
of these things,’’ Luke 12, 30.

God’s Wonderful Ways.

Sir Bartle Frere, Governor of Cape Colony,
relates the following with reference to India:
‘“Missionaries and others have occasionally
been surprised to find people that had hardly
seen and perhaps never heard an ordained
missionary, and yet had gained some Christian
knowledge. In one case, which, as I know,
was carefully investigated, all the inhabitants
of a remote village in the Deccan District had
renounced idolatry, had removed from the
temples the idols which had been worshiped
from time immemorial, and had agreed to con-
fess a form of Christianity which they had
themselves gathered from the attentive pe-
rusal of a single Gospel and a few tracts. These
had not been obtained from a missionary, but
they had been left behind, together with some
old clothes and other articles, by a merchant,
whose very name was forgotten, and who, so
far as could be learned, had never spoken on
the subject of Christianity to his servant, to
whom, on his departure, he had given these
things which he no longer needed.’’

Evangelical Lutheran Colored Churches,
New ORr.xEans, La.

EV. LUTH. ST. PAUL'S CHAPEL.
1625 Annette Str., between Olaiborne and Derbigny.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 944 o'clock.
sunday evening at 7% o'clock.
Wednesday evening at 7% 0 orclCor
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 10% o'cloc!
pane catechumen class mects at 734 0 mclook ‘Tuesday

en:
Singing Sebool mects at es o'clock Friday cvening-
F. J. LANKENAD, Missionary.

EY. LUTH. MOUNT ZION OHURCH.
Cor. S. Franklin and Thalia Strs.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 11 o'clock.
Sunday evening at 7% o'clock.
Thursday cvening at o’clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 9% o'clock.
AEG Neept class mects at 734 oorclock Friday

Young,

‘People's Concordia Circle and Len ging School
mect We

dnesday cvening at 734 0'
Kari Re ation

EV. LUTH. BETHLEHEM OHAPEL.
Cor. Washington Avenue ~ Dryades Str.
Divine services: punday: evenin, at 174.0 o’clock.
day evening at 734 o’clock.
Sunday School at ry

vorclock,
Adult catechumen class every Tucsday at ™ o’clock and
after th

e divine service on Thursday evening.
Ohoir practice at 734 o'clock on Tuesday evening and
after divine service on Thursday even! ng.
Circle for Young People meets at the school every Taes-
day evening at 734 o'clock.
J. W. F. KOS8MANN, Missionary.

Ey. Luth. Holy Trinity Church.

Springfield, Tl.
Divine services at half ppaat 10 (are Sunday morning
5 ae ate ecleck Sunes ny events
anda: 001 at 3 0

Oatechamen class meets Monday and Friday evenings.

Singing-school Tuesday evening.
SN OOOO __
a TT

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