The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1916, Page 83

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The Tutheran Pioneer.

83

setting forth that the old Gospel of Jesus Christ
would be preached in the new church also, and ad-
monishing his parishioners faithfully to abide by
this blessed old truth.

Picture our joy, dear reader, as we for the first
time entered and worshiped in our new house of
God! Oh, how we dearly loved the old chapel,
quaint and curious though it was! How many
fond memories were woven about its unassuming
altar and plain pulpit! And oh, how on that never-
to-be-forgotten morning our hearts were torn with
grief as we had to stand by helpless and watch the
wicked flames wipe out of existence our beloved old

far better than, and superior to, the former struc-
ture that the two simply will not admit of com-
parison.

Our new chapel is simply fine in every respect.
You can see for yourself, dear reader, what it looks
like on the outside. But in order to fully appre-
ciate its practical arrangement and beauty, you
must place yourself in our position, and submit the
interior to a thorough inspection. You note that,
while simplicity reigns supreme in the inside also,
there is a certain charm to this simplicity. More
than that, you will agree that any attempt at finery
would have marred the real beauty and attractive-

Our New Chapel at Mansura, La.

church! Then for months we were forced to deny
ourselves the wonted pleasure and privilege of regu-
larly assembling in our chapel. True, we made the
best of things, and from Sunday to Sunday met for
divine worship in the parsonage, but that was at
best a makeshift, and could never fully answer the
purposes of a church.

But God was with us and heard our lamenta-
tions and prayers. In the hour of greatest need,
when we were, so to speak, at our wits’ end, He
mercifully put it into the hearts of our beloved
white brethren and sisters to come to our rescue.
And, thanks be to God, they did come to our
escue. They did even more than that. In the
great generosity of their hearts, filled with true
Christian love, they not only replaced the old
chapel, but erected a building in every respect so

ness of the place. ‘The color scheme is uniform

throughout; everything — pews, altar, pulpit, ceil-
ing, walls —has a natural wood finish. The pews,
by the way, are a donation from the congregation
in St. Bonifacius, Minn., the Rev. G. Sebald, pastor.

While the church auditorium may appear rather
small to the average observer, it is really quite large;
in fact, larger than that of the old chapel. You will
be surprised to learn that it will comfortably seat
one hundred persons. And now, as we roll back
the- doors between the main auditorium and the
“wing,” or L extension, you will notice an addi-
tional feature. This spacious and well-lighted room
during the week will serve as schoolroom, and on
Sundays and holidays may be utilized for church
purposes. ‘Thus the entire interior can easily be
converted into one large auditorium, with a seating