The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1921, Page 15

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

14

The Lutheran Pioneer.

a

Our Colored Mission Statistics.

There is unusual interest in the statistics of our
Colored Mission published in the accompanying
table, prepared by the Director of Colored Missions,
Rev. G. F. Drewes of St. Louis. These statistics
show that our missionaries are at present working
in 58 different localities, taking care of 46 organized
congregations and’ 12 preaching-stations.- In these
localities our workers have the spiritual care of
3,400 baptized members and 1,900 communicant
members. There has been a net gain of 179 in the
number of baptized members, while the communi-
cant membership has increased by 127.

The number of schools has decreased from 38
to 36, the number of male teachers has increased
from 14 to 15, while the number of teaching pastors
is 10 instead of- 15, and that of lady teachers 33.
Our day-schools were attended by 2,922 pupils in
1920, which is a loss in attendance of 263 scholars.
This comparatively large falling off is partly ac-
counted for by the closing of the Immanuel School
at Greensboro. The attendance of our mission Sun-
day-schools shows a net gain of 138 scholars, the
enrolment for the year having been 2,559.

Our missionaries baptized 165 persons (gain
of 6), confirmed 198 (gain of 63), married 32
couples, and buried 37 persons. The total number
of communicants for the year was 3,766, but this
number would undoubtedly have been much larger
if not so many of our pastors had been without
communion wine during the early part of the year.

Most encouraging in our estimation is the fact
that our colored brethren are increasing their con-
tributions from year to year, thus showing that they
are more and more realizing the responsibilities of
Christian stewardship. The total contributions com-
ing from the field were $19,768.00, a net gain of no
less than $5,443.00 over the preceding year! About
$5,800.00 of this sum came from Immanuel College
by way of tuition, etc. This steady increase in the
contributions of our colored brethren to the up-keep
of the work done among them seems to indicate that
they are generally recognizing the principle that the
congregations ought from the earliest possible mo-
ment undertake their own maintenance and equip-
ment, always taking for granted that the transition
from’ pupilage to self-support should be made only
when conditions and circumstances unmistakably
call for it.

In conclusion it may be of interest to call atten-

_ tion to several details that appear in the report.

St. Paul’s, New Orleans, Pastor Miles S. Gebauer,
has the largest baptized membership and also
leads in communicant membership. The pastor of
St. Paul’s likewise officiated at more marriages and
funerals than any other missionary. Bethlehem,
New Orleans, Pastor G. M. Kramer, has the largest
school enrolment, though St. Paul’s, New Orleans, is
only 19 behind. Immanuel College Mission has the
largest Sunday-school enrolment. Grace Church,
Ingomar, Ala., leads all stations in the number of
persons baptized and confirmed during the year;
27 were baptized and 23 were confirmed. . Upon the
whole, our colored Christians partake of the Lord’s
Supper oftener than our white members do. The
table puis St. Mark’s at Atlanta, and Mount Zion,
Charlotte, into a particularly favorable light in this
respect. Finally, let it be noticed that the banner
congregation with regard to contributions is Pastor
Hill’s congregation, Yonkers, N. Y. The average
contribution of each member of this church for last
year was $23.44, while the total sum contributed by
the little flock amounted to $1,219.91. We feel cer-
tain that there are few churehes among us that have
done better, and, on the other hand, we are certain
that we should do well to emulate the example of
these colored Christians at Yonkers.

May our heavenly Father continue to hold His
protecting hand over our colored workers and their
flocks, and may His blessings continue to descend
upon this glorious work to the praise of His name
and the salvation of many souls. F. J. 1.

+ Mother Robertson. +

Bethlehem Congregation had to carry another
one of its old and faithful members to her last
resting-place. While the bells were ringing in the
joyous Christmas festival, God sent His angels to
carry the soul of Mother Robertson to the celebra-
tion of the everlasting Christmas above.

For a long time Mother Robertson had been
waiting and praying for this. Patiently she had
borne the heavy cross which the Lord had found
good to lay on her. For sixteen long years she was
paralyzed. During all these years her daily jour-
neys were from her bed to her chair, and from the
chair back to her bed. In her bed or her chair she
listened to the sermons I read to her, portions of
Holy Scripture I explained to her. Here she read

her Pronrer and the Young Dulherans’ Magazine.

Both of these papers she read with great delight,

Oe ee