The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 23

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

23

New Orleans Items.

An event to which we all look forward with
pleasant anticipations is the 25th anniversary of
St. Paul’s Church which will be celebrated on the
25th of February. The morning service on that
day will be for the members chiefly, and Pastor
Kretzschmar of Mount Zion Church has promised
to preach the sermon. To the night service the two
sister congregations, Bethlehem and Mount Zion,
have been invited, and, no doubt, all that possibly
can will be there, for the Rev. N. J. Bakke of Im-
manuel College, Greensboro, N. C., one of the
pioneers of our mission in this city and the first
pastor of St. Paul’s, has promised to preach the
sermon.

The members of St. Paul’s have decided to
renovate the interior of their church for the com-
ing festival. The latter, indeed, seems to be cast-
ing its shadows before, at any rate, Pastor Lan-
kenau reports not only an increasing interest in
the affairs of the congregation, but also improving
attendance at the services. In fact, considering the
frequent rainy and chilly days of the winter, the
attendance in all our churches here leaves little to
be desired. It is gratifying to report that also
quite a number of strangers are more or less regular
visitors at our services.

Though the weather often is inclement and not
at all conducive to bodily health and wellbeing,
the number of the sick and suffering in our con-
gregations is surprisingly small. In this connec-
tion it may be mentioned that frequently people
who are in no way connected with our churches
send for our pastors when they are ill. Pastor
Kossmann just now reports a number of such cases.

The enrollment of our schools is still increasing.
Prof. Meibohm of Mount Zion School frequently
has more than one hundred pupils present. The
reader can imagine the difficulties connected with
properly taking care of a class of that size. The
pupils are paying tuition more regularly, and the
sums turned in by the schools are very respectable

. compared with reports of years gone by.

Luther College is the scene of thrifty activity
just now; everyone concerned is producing some-
thing, —the instructors are turning out examina-
tion questions, while the 43 students are trying
their best to produce an answer to each: question.
Two of the students will graduate as teachers in
the coming spring.

Tevidences of progress are everywhere, and God’s

blessing is resting on old and young, on congrega-
tions, schools, and missionaries. The sum total of
the contributions and collections in the three con-
gregations and their schools during the past year
is about two thousand dollars, more than half of
which sum has been turned into the general mis-
sion treasury.

aoe -

NOTES.

From Austrauia.— Our Lutheran brethren in
Australia have for some years been carrying on
mission work among the black natives on the
western coast of that country. From the latest
mission report we learn that the labors of the mis-
sionary, the Rey. C. A. Wiebusch, have been richly
blessed during the past year. The seed of God’s
Word has been sown and the missionary has been
permitted to see some fruit of his work. Two of
the natives were instructed in the Catechism pre-
paratory to baptism, which was to take place this
month (February). Two others are to be prepared
for baptism and a class of catechumens is being
instructed preparatory to confirmation. “Such
sower’s work,” writes the missionary, “is a glorious,
precious work, especially when God lets us see such
fruit of our labor.”

Lanorers FoR THE Harvest.—When Dr. Alex-
ander Duff, the great Scotch missionary, came home
after his life work in India, a crowded meeting
was held in Edinburgh to hear him on the claims
of India upon the Christian Church. For two
hours and a half the old man went on, holding the
audience by his eloquence. Then he fainted, and
was carried out of the hall. Presently he came to,
and asked: “Where am I? What was I doing?”
In a moment memory returned, and he said: “Take
me back. I must finish my speech.” “You will
kill yourself if you do,” said his friends. “I shall
die if I don’t,” exclaimed the old man. They took
him back. The whole meeting arose, many in tears.
His strength failed, and he could not rise, but,
gathering himself up for one final effort, he said:
“Fathers of- Scotland, have you any more sons for
India? I have spent my life there, and my life
is gone; but if there are no young men to go,
I will go back myself, and lay my bones there, that
the people may know there is one man in Christian
Britain who is ready to die for India.” The Church
needs laborers for the harvest fields. “Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send
forth laborers into His harvest,” Luke 10, 2.