The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1920, Page 93

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

The Lutheran Pioneer. 93

followed him with the reading of a masterly paper:
The duties of a church-member. He should 1. Hear
the Word, 2. Read the Word, 3. Use the Sacraments,
4, Give to the Lord’s cause.

November 6. A lively rivalry developed as to
where the next conference should meet. Pastor
Berger was surprised that all three of his stations
were making bids for the event. Joffre, the farthest
removed station on the field, received the highest
vote, and that for the reason that the members there
have a hard battle to fight against sectarian opposi-
tion.» They issued the invitation to us: Come over
and help us! Vredenburgh, one of Rey. Lynn’s
charges, is to entertain Luther Institute next sum-
mer. — November 22 was set apart as Clean-Up Day
for all our schools. ‘The floors are to be oiled, the
grounds round about to be cleaned up, and things
in general placed in shipshape. — ‘The workers were
presented with a copy of Teacher Meibohm’s Cat-
echisalions as a gift from the Mission Board.

The afternoon of the day was free of all work,
and the evening offered a literary program for the
enjoyment of the members of Conference and con-
gregation.

On Sunday three divine services were held. In
the morning Rev. Lynn preached a mission and har-
vest-home sermon. Pastor Westcott was the speaker
of the afternoon. Holy communion was also cele-
brated. And the Conference came to a close with
the sermon of Superintendent Schmidt, who ear-
nestly reminded all present—pastors, teachers, mem-
bers—on the basis of the words: “Thou art weighed
in the balances and found wanting,” to be faithful
in the various callings.

As we look back upon the work of the four days
spent at Possum Bend, we cannot but confess that
it was profitable and interesting to all. Surely,
every one attending the sessions will return to his
duties strengthened in faith and the more eager to
carry on the Lord’s battle. May He who smiled on
us with the “best weather He had at His command,”
as some one put it, smile on us also during the com-
ing year with grace and mercy and love.

E. A. WEsrcorr.

Out of Love for Christ.

To celebrate a yearly mission-festival is nothing
new among Lutherans. It is an old and tried cus-
tom, but only too often is it little regarded and ‘less
thought of as a means to a great end, the work of
~ Saving souls. :

Here in the Black Belt of Alabama our Colored
Christians also have mission-festival. And in con-
nection with it they celebrate “Harvest Home.”
They wish to thank the Giver of all good gifts for
the harvest of the year by a special service, and they
show their thankfulness on this occasion by sharing
liberally of the earth’s yield to help in that other
great harvest, the gathering in of souls for Christ.

Such a day was October 31 for Mount Carmel
at Midway. ‘The interior of the neat little chapel
—the gift of a mission-friend — was prettily deco-
rated with products of the soil: cotton, corn, and
sugar cane. ‘The members had been urged by letter
from the pastor and by invitation from the teacher

Rev. E. A. Westcott,
Newly Called Missionary for Alabama.

to attend the services to thank God with hearts and
hands and voices. ‘The weather was threatening in
the morning, but the Lord held hack the rain, so
that nearly every member was present, also a num-
ber of strangers.

The first preacher of the day, the aindersigned)
showed his hearers that by doing mission-work they
wrought even greater works than Christ. They have
the power to open the eyes and ears of the spiritually
blind and deaf unto the saving truths of God’s Word
— works which are!far greater than only opening
the eyes and ears of the physically blind and deaf.
And one way in which they can do these greater
works is by means of their gifts. Through these
offerings, which make if possible to send out mis-
sionaries, they can reach many and many a hungry
soul dying for want of the Bread of Life.