The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 69

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer. 69

friendliest, but keenest rivalry. Uncle Bob has for-
gotten the outcome, but does remember that, while
the game was on, it was a battle royal. ven the
park policeman became interested in the children,
and told them of his own boyhood days.

Mount Zion gave an example how a Lutheran
picnic may be made a day of rest, enjoyment, and
unalloyed pleasure without sinking, as picnics often
do, into.a day of disorder and discontent. Nay, so
pleasant and happy was the return home that the
next pienie will be more than welcome.

And now last, but not least, comes the best news:
an event that marks a new epoch in the history of
Mount Zion. Under Pastor Bakke, Mount Zion
began to extend calls to various pastors to come to
Mount Zion. But it was in vain. When Pastor
Bakke left, Rev. G. M. Kramer continued to extend
calls in our name. At last, after several fruitless
calls, the Lord heard our prayers, and sent us a
shepherd in the person of Rev. Alb. Friedrich, of
Rosebud, Mo. The congregation got busy, the two
choirs began to stir; in short, everybody was on
the qui vive. Finally, on July 14, surrounded by
the Lutheran clergy of New Orleans, the new pastor
was installed by Rev. G. M. Kramer.

After the service, the glad hand was given to

‘the new pastor and his pleasant helpmeet, and both

were made to feel at home and welcome.

I am confident that many prayers ascended on
high in sincere gratitude to the Giver of all good
gifts. 'The Lord be praised! He has supplied our
every want.

The impression mide by the first sermon, deal-
ing with relationship between pastor and congre-
gation, was that, though the Lord sorely tried our
patience, he gave us 100 per cent. more than we
deserved. ‘Io Him alone be all glory!

Now, may our Lord Jesus Christ bless pastor
and congregation! May both stand together, shoul-
der to shoulder, in the battle against the forces of
darkness, is the heartful prayer of

UNciE Bos.

’ Items from Bethel, Greenville, N. C.

A sectarian preacher essayed to secure for him-
self an organized congregation when he purchased
the chapel which our Lutheran congregation at
Greenville, N. G., was occupying. Since September,
1911, the little chapel was rented by us. The owner
offered to sell us the chapel, but the Mission Board
did not find the situation suitable. However, as

there was no suitable building to be had. at that
time, we continued as before, after having obtained
a lease on the building until the end of July, 1912,
through the agency of Rev. McDavid. Rev. Mc-
David, however, gave option to sell whenevér an
opportunity offered; only he reserved the right to
use the chapel until the end of July, 1912.

A few weeks before we closed our parochial
school, news came to us that the little church had
been sold. We were then notified by the owner that
he had sold out. A few days after, the purchaser
came to us and said that he had bought the chapel’
we were renting. But in a friendly manner he
indicated that we could continue to hold our services
therein; only he requested to have our service hours
for his own preaching. This compelled us to change
our time of service from the evening to the morning
hours. But it was not very long before we found
that he had no congregation, that he was a preacher
who was trying to gather a congregation for him-
self. THis plan was well outlined. He expected
that, by insisting upon taking the hours in which
we held our services, our people would attend his
service. But our little congregation, as true Lu-
therans, drew a line of separation between the
services of the sectarian preacher and their Lu-
theran ‘services. Not one attended the sectarian
services. By and by the Baptist preacher secretly
visited the homes of our Lutheran members to in-
duce them to come to his services. ‘The members
told him that the Lutherans never held services with
other denominations. But not until a lot was pur-
chased by the Mission Board, and work on our new
little chapel was taken up did the old preacher
realize the failure of his plan to gain a congrega-
tion with the purchase of the little chapel.

On the 4th of August, our little church was
formally dedicated, though not quite completed, not-
withstanding the fact that the two pastors at Char-
lotte toiled hard in order to see it finished for the
date appointed, laboring from the early morning to
the late evening hours. They were busy in making
mortar and handing bricks, in carpenter work, and
in making cement steps for the building. On a hill
now stands the little brick chapel, 28X32 feet, well
lighted and ventilated, with three windows on each
side, a window and a fdoorii in the rear, a nice little
steeple with double doors, and one window in front. _
The beautifully situated chapel can be seen for miles
around with its bright little cross as ‘a beacon-light
pointing the way to heaven. ‘The seating capitcity
of the mae is about two hundred.