The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1916, Page 75

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

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Bakke, bearing the title, Our Colored Mission, Illus-
trated, las found a considerable number of readers
in German and English. Rev. R. Jesse’s two fine
lectures’ with their 250 lantern slides have proved
a very popular means of enlightening our Chris-
tians on Colored mission-work, and Pastor Jesse
and the Board were highly commended by the Con-
ference for putting them out. ‘The chief agencies
for the dissemination of information concerning
the Mission, and for increasing interest in the en-
terprise, are the two missionary monthlies, THE
Lurueran PIoNEER and Die AMissionstaube. At
present the Pionrer has 6,500 subscribers, while
the German monthly has 27,000. Both periodicals
could and should have a much larger number of
readers. ‘The Conference encouraged the Board to
increase the amount of reading-matter in both
papers by decreasing the size of type or increasing
the number of pages.

Pastor Poppe, of Little Rock, Ark., was en-
couraged by the Conference to continue his work

of gathering a permanent fund for Negro Mis- -

sions in a conservative manner.

Upon the whole, it must be stated that the
members of the Synodical Conference manifested
an unusual interest in the work that is being done
among the freedmen, and this interest should be
a great incentive and encouragement for the Board,
for all its workers, and for our Colored members.

The Board for Colored Missions for the next
two years will consist of the following gentlemen:
Rev. C. F'. Drewes, Prof. G. Mezger, Rev. L. A. Wis-
ler, Rev. W. J. Schulze, Rev. R. Jesse, Rev. Theo.
Walther, and Mr. Ewald Schuettner. F. J. L.

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Go and Do Likewise!

Pastor W. G. Schwehn, of Concord, N. C., writes:
“Tast month my Grace Congregation in Concord
decided to pay me my salary, beginning with Oc-
tober 1. One feature about it that pleased me very
much was that the movement was started by the
members themselves. ‘The prompting cause for tak-

- ing this step of paying my salary was expressed by
one as follows: “The Mission Board has paid our
ministers long enough, and it is high time that we
do something ourselves, so that the money formerly
coming to us may go elsewhere toward the support
of some poor congregation.’ This was the general

‘sentiment of my people. May God help us in our
endeavors !”

This is certainly good, extra good news. At last,
after many years’ work, one of our Colored Lutheran
churehes has become self-supporting! How often
have not our white brethren expressed their dis-
appointment to us over the fact that not one of
our Colored churches supported its own pastor.
How glad we are that from now on we shall be
able to point to one Colored Lutheran church at
least that is self-supporting !

Self-support must be one of our chief missionary
aims. Our Colored Lutheran Church is well upon
the way of becoming self-propagating, of supplying
its own pastors and teachers. But it is yet far
from being self-supporting. ‘There is no doubt in
our mind that the brother was right when he said
that the idea seems to be quite prevalent among
our Colored Lutherans that the Mission Board is
a great bank, and whenever a congregation needs
any money for repairs or for current expenses, all
if; needs to do is write to the Board and get another
supply; and that it is altogether self-evident for
the Board to pay the salaries of both pastor and
teacher. This way of looking at the matter is
wrong, however, and until our people get this idea
out of their heads, our Colored Lutheran Church
will not make the progress it should. Experience
has shown that a church that is chiefly developed
on foreign money is built on sand, and that, when
the storms come, it does not endure. Pastors should
become increasingly firm in this matter. They must,
of course, be patient and reasonable, for many of
our Colored people are poor; but, on the other
hand, it is important that the spiri€ of self-help be
awakened and developed. Strength comes with in-
dependence; dependence weakens.

Now that our Mission Board is providing our
Colored churches with an increasing number of
Colored pastors and teachers, our Colored congre-
gations should earnestly strive to pay the salaries
of these pastors and teachers. In the Acts of the
Apostles and in the Epistles of Paul we read how
Paul founded Christian congregations. Paul —if
we read these books correctly — gave the churches
which he founded the pure Gospel, he wisely led
them upon the right path. When duty took him
elsewhere, he wrote to them letters of Christian
counsel and admonition. As he had the oppor-
tunity, he revisited them, but except in cases of
particular need, such as famine, he gave them no
financial support, but left them to support them-
selves. It was a case of standing on their own
feet or falling. We know the early churches did