The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 21

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' The Lutheran Pioneer.

21

The Suffering Savior.

Thou, ah! Thou, hast taken on Thee
Bonds and stripes, a cruel rod;

Pain and scorn were heaped upon Thee,
O Thou sinless Son of God!

Thus didst Thou my soul deliver

From the bonds of sin forever.
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest. Jesus, unto Thee!

-_-- _ em

New Orleans Letter.

Dear PIONEER:

Mount Zion, under. the able guidance of the
Field Secretary, Rev. Bakke, is pushing to the fore.
Old members and former attendants, long lost sight
of, are found and brought back to the fold. Uncle
Bob knows of one case which resulted in getting
back six souls to church. Originally there were two
sisters confirmed in Mount Zion. ‘These with the
mother, a quarter of a century ago, came regularly
to the services. But as the years passed away, the
pastorate in Mount Zion shifted ever and anon
from one missionary to the other, and resulted in
the falling away of many souls from Mount Zion.
Among these was the family mentioned above.
Thank God! they are back again, and not only
they, but also-three daughters of one of the two
sisters. Uncle Bob remembers these two sisters very
well, from the fact that they appeared in vocal
duets at the annual closing exercises of the school.
“Them was the happy days!” Eh, girls?

What sweet singers Mount Zion could boast of
in the old days! But, never mind, Mount Zion is

coming into her rights again, for the pres-
ent choir sang very well and fine when the
Luther League had its special services on
February 4, 1912.

Oh, yes, Mount Zion has a Luther
League, and invited all the young folks
of St. Paul and Bethlehem to the special
services mentioned. It was bitter cold,
but over 80 attended the services. Sure,
Uncle Bob was there! And the sermon

of Rev. Bakke was grand. The leading
thought in it was that young people

should consecrate themselves entirely to
Christ. By contrasting our young people
with those of the world, Pastor Bakke
showed that all the pleasures of this
world end in the most galling bitterness,
while the sacrifices and self-denials of
young Christians bring real and lasting happi-
ness here and hereafter. God keep you all, my
dear young friends, in His precious grace!

On the 7th of February, Mount Zion held its
regular monthly meeting. A goodly number of
members was present. Among many things dis-
cussed were especially two subjects: the election
of church officers and a request to the Board to call
the Rev. W. Frese to Mount Zion. The financial
report, which covered the month of January, showed
that Mount Zion, since November, was sending
50 dollars to the Board per month.

Mount Zion looks like a healthy field, indeed,
if she can do that much; at least Uncle Bob
thinks so. Fi

What a pretty wedding that was, February 8,
in Mount Zion! Uncle Bob was there, sure, and
an interested spectator among the many. Uncle
Bob knew the bride when she was a little girl at °
school. Then she was a pretty, modest, and obe-
dient child, affording teacher and parents only
pleasure. Later she graduated at Luther College
with honor. Still later she took charge of the
primary class of the Sunday-school in Mount Zion. ©
All these young years she gave to her Savior’s work.
On her wedding evening the church was beautifully
decorated, and amidst the sweet music of Mendels-
sohn’s Wedding March, preceded by the best couple
and two little girls, one the flower girl, and leaning
happily on the arm of her good father, the bride
marched to the altar where the waiting groom re-
ceived her under the wedding bell. While the cere-
mony proceeded, the music, soft and low, continued.
And now, my friends, old and young, the audience

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