The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1915, Page 47

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

!

The Lutheran Pioneer.

47

very sorely needed. ‘The months have passed, and,
owing to a lack of funds, not a single chapel could
be built. Our faithful missionaries are working
hard, but we are not doing our duty. God is saying
to us, “Give,’ but we refuse to hear Him. Oh,
you friends of our Colored Mission, will you not
give what God calls for? The gold and silver. in
your pockets is not yours, it is His. When He,
who is the real owner of it, calls for it, do not
hold it. Do not say, “I will keep it hidden in
a napkin,” but rather, “Lord, here it is.” When
the two disciples of Jesus came to the market-
place in that little village of Bethphage and told
the owner of the animal tied there that Jesus had
need of it to make His entry into Jerusalem, the
owner at once gave up his property to the Lord’s
use. Here, now, the Lord sends the message to
us that He needs our dollars to carry on His
blessed work among our colored brethren. Shall
we refuse His request? Will we refuse to do as
much as that man at Bethphage did? Impossible!
I can’t for a moment otherwise than believe that
our Christian people will rise up and bring their
offerings for the Lord’s work. F. J. L.

Items from the Foreign Mission Field
of the Missouri Synod.

Missionary Hamann, whose departure from San
Francisco we announced last month, has probably
reached his field of labor in India by this time.
He will devote his time to the work of overseeing
the work in the large Lower Secondary School in
Ambur. He was accompanied on his long journey
by Miss Louise Broeker, the bride of Missionary
R. Goerss in Nagercoil.

Missionary Theo. Gutknecht, of Nagercoil, who
left India for America on furlough, arrived in San
Francisco the latter part of April. Missionary Gut-
knecht will be pleased to address our congregations
on his work in India while he is here.

, This mission is suffering greatly because of
lack of laborers. Several of its young and strong
workers are interned at Ahmednagar, ill health
has compelled others to leaye temporarily, and
Missionary G. O. Kellerbauer was remoyed by
death. ‘The Board’ has decided to send out at
least four new laborers into the field as soon as
they-may be secured. ;

A number of new mission-buildings, such as
schools, chapels, and dwellings, which are sadly

‘

needed, should be erected at once, but owing to
the war the work had to be postponed. These
building operations will require great sums of
money, and it is hoped that the friends of the
mission will now address themselves to the task
of gathering the required funds, so that, when
peace does come, there may be no delay on ac-
count of the lack of money.

oe

Items of General Missionary Interest.

Inpra.— One hundred years ago there were
700,000 Christians of all denominations and races
in India; now there are over four million. In
India about one person out of each eighty is a
Christian, so that it may truly be said of India
that there still remains much land to be possessed.

GerMAN Misstonary Socireries. — A remark-
able fact is reported concerning some of the Ger-
man missionary societies. Out of a total of thir-
teen societies in that country, five show, since the
war began, a considerable increase over the same
period of the year before; five, a slight increase;
and only three, a serious falling off in their income. .
If these German societies, despite the stupendous
war expense, make such a remarkable showing, what
a far better showing should our missionary treas-
uries make in this land of peace and plenty!

New ZvALAND Maort Mission. — Missionary
Te Punga, who received his theological training
at the Concordia Seminary. in Springfield, Dl., has
been working quite successfully among his fellow-
Maoris in New Zealand for a number of years.
The Maoris are the primitive people of New Zea-
land, and are closely allied to the Samoans and
Hawaiians in traditions and language.
people, they are tall and shapely, with pleasing
features and wavy black hair. Once numbering
several hundred thousand, during the last century
they have dwindled down to less than forty thou-
sand at the present time. Other denominations
have been working among them for a number of
years, and many of their missions are very pros-
perous. The 18,000 church-members among them
support not only their own ‘clergy and religious
services to a great extent, but also carry on exten-
sive missionary work in the Solomon and Santa
Cruz Islands. :

Braziz anp Argentina. — The pastors of the
Lutheran Missouri Synod in Brazil and Argentina
have about 16,000 souls under their care. :

Like these ~