The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1917, Page 87

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 87

manuel Conference. It will be long remembered by
all who attended it. The unreserved hospitality of
Grace Congregation won the admiration of every
guest, and the sermons, papers, and discussions sent
us away greatly strengthened in those doctrines for
which the blessed Reformers contended four hun-
dred years ago. W. 0. H.

<0

Dedication and Jubilee Services at
Vredenburgh, Ala.

October the seventh was a great day for us Lu-
therans here at Vredenburgh, Ala. On that day
our hearts were filled with joy, and our tongues
and lips sang songs of praise and thanksgiving to
the Giver of all good gifts. But why the joy?
Why should we be so happy, forgetting all cares
and sorrows for the time being, and giving our-
selves oyer to songs of gladness when there is
mourning in so many homes, when so many hearts
are torn with bitterness and grief? Listen, and
I shall tell you. On the date mentioned above our
little chapel and school were dedicated to the serv-
ice of God and His kingdom. Yes, dear reader, we
have actually dedicated our building here, and you
can’t blame us for being proud of it, now, can you?

The good Lord favored us with a beautiful day
for the occasion, and we had a “big” crowd out.
The services were supposed to begin at eleven o’clock
in the forenoon, but owing to the lateness of the
people in gathering, we could not begin until half
past twelve. But once started, nothing could stop
us, and so we kept it up until it was over with.
First the entire congregation assembled in front
of the building, singing, “Come, Holy Spirit, come,
let Thy bright beams arise,” ete. After this Rev.
N. J. Bakke spoke the dedicatory prayer, and then
we all marched into the building to the strains of
“Onward, Christian Soldiers.” The dedication ser-
mon was preached by the Rey. Bakke, who chose
as his text the words of the Lord to the Church at
Philadelphia in Asia, as they are found in the third

__chapter of Revelation, vy. 7—12. For over an hour
the speaker held the attention of every one present
while he spoke to them on “The Marks of a True
Church,” showing that the Evangelical Lutheran
Church is the only one which has those marks, and
that the people of the “Black Belt” should be glad
and thank God that the only true visible Church is
now offering them the many blessings of God’s
Word.

The dedication services over, the kind ladies

and friends of the congregation took care of the
“fnner man” by giving him a sumptuous lunch,
which was seryed in the schoolroom, It is needless
to say that every one enjoyed that part of the pro-
gram, especially when I tell you that we had roast
turkey (makes you think of Thanksgiving Day, eh?
Well, for ws it was a ‘T’HANKs@rvine Day, so
there!), roast kid, fried chicken, cake, and; — and,
well, I had better stop here, since this paper was

/ printed for you to read and not to eat. Now, that

> any more, we shall

your mouth isn’t “watering”
proceed.

At 3.30 P. a. we assembled in the chapel again
for our Reformation. celebration. Yes, dear reader,
even we in the wilds of the “Black Belt” have not
forgotten thet, this is the great Jubilee Year of
our Church, and so we are joining with thousands
of our brethren and sisters in the faith in the grand
celebration. The Rey. G. A. Schmidt, formerly of
St. Louis, Mo., and Springfield, Ill., but now of
Alabama, spoke to us on the subject “House-clean-
ing,” showing that it was time that the house of
God be cleaned at the time it was by the servant of
God, Dr. Martin Luther. He based his address on
Matt. 21, 12. 13. At the close of the address many
were convinced that the sectarian churches of to-
day need just such a house-cleaning as was carried
on four hundred years ago.—In the evening, at
eight o’clock, the Rey. E. R. Berger addressed us.
The speaker based his address on Rom. 1, 17, draw-
ing from this passage the theme: “The Chief
Blessing of the Reformation,” showing that it con-
sists in’ the blessed doctrine of justification by
faith, and what we must do to retain it, and with
it all other blessings of the Reformation. \

So you see, dear friend, this was indeed a great
day for us, and we had all reason to be proud.
During the day the Gospel of Christ was preached
to over two hundred hearers, who had come from
far and near to be with us. At the end of the
evening sermon, and as a fitting climax to the day’s
festivities, one soul was added to our number by con-
firmation. True to the adage, It never rains but it
pours ! — Our chapel was beautifully decorated with
pennants and banners. Two large bouquets were on
the altar, and a new carpet on the platform. The
altar is a gift from the congregation of Rey. Rei-
ninga, Lohman, Mo. We wish to thank them most
heartily for it. All we need now is a bell. Who'll
help? T have given you a description of our build-
ing in a previous number, so it is needless’ to do
so again.

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