The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1921, Page 18

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18

The Lutheran Pioneer.

SS ae

free gifts of forgiveness of sins, justification of life,
reconciliation with God, life, and salvation. It is
all yours: Take it, believe it, rejoice in it!”

“How happy are our cars that hear this joyful
sound!” ‘There is salvation in none other; but in
Him our salvation is sure.

While we worship at the feet of our risen Lord
and find in Him our comfort and our joy, can we
forget that there are millions yet who are without
Christ and without hope in the world? While our
hearts beat with gratitude to Him for the great
deliverance He has wrought, can we be indifferent
to the work of the Church which He has established,
and to which He has entrusted the Means of Grace
for the salvation of others as well as for ourselves?
While we believe that He has redeemed us from
everlasting death and has made us heirs of eternal
bliss in heaven, can we stand by unmoved and cold
- when we think of the millions of Negroes in our
land, bound fast in Satan’s chains and perishing in
their sins, for whom He also died and rose again?
While we enjoy to the fullest extent the fruits
of His death and resurrection and rejoice in the
hope of glory through His grace, is it a matter
of small concern to us that the Negro Mission, en-
trusted to us by our risen Savior, languishes, nay, is
struggling ‘at a poor dying rate” for lack of men
and money? Such questions as these it is befitting
- that we should ask ourselves, especially in this
season, when our meditation upon the bitter suf-
ferings and glorious resurrection of our Lord so
much engages our attention.

Can you, .dear fellow-Christian, rejoice in your
risen Lord, comfort yourself with the forgiveness

of your sins and with the sure hope of eternal life .

without using every effort to rescue the perishing
Negroes at your door? _

During these “lean” months of the year the
contributions do not cover the expenses. The result
is debt and discouragement, both detrimental to the
mission-work. Let us be up and doing while the
Easter-message rings joyfully in our ears. The
risen Lord has need of our means, our money, and
our goods for the upbuilding of His kingdom among
the Negroes. Let us provide the men and the means
that we may “go and tell them” of Him who is the
Resurrection and the Life.

Now He bids us tell mankind
How all may salvation find,
How poor sinners are forgiven >
And. through faith may enter heaven.
Hallelujah! 3
N. J. B.

‘ . : .

A Voice from: Bethlehem Station,
New Orleans, La.

Bethlehem? Yes, dear Editor and readers of

.the Pioneer, you haven’t heard from us for quite

a long while. Still our long silence does not spell
inaction. It is true, nothing of a startling nature
has occurred down here at Bethlehem station; how-
ever, God has done some things at Bethlehem during
the past year for which we are particularly thank-
ful, and we are prompted to open our mouth ‘and
speak of them. We have been highly favored by our
heavenly Father in all departments of our work.

Imagine yourself seated in our last congrega-
tional meeting. ‘The secretary has read the minutes
of the previous meeting. They have been adopted.
The Chairman, Rev. Kramer, now reads the finan-
cial report. “The high-water mark,” did he say?
The highest in the history of the congregation?
What was the amount? Over $1,000 during the
year 1920. Brother Dixon: “Read that again
Pastor.” The pastor reads the figures again. That’s
correct, Brother Dixon, over a thousand dollars
raised at our station during the year 1920!

How about our Sunday-school? Our Sunday-
school last year reached its highest mark, both in
enrolment and in attendance, and the collections are
continually increasing. Yes, we also have a choir.
It was organized early last year, and the young
people’s club in December. They are “The Young
Willing Workers.” Enthusiastic? Very! They
are now rehearsing for a musical entertainment to
be given, God willing, in April. They -are now
thinking of purchasing a piano.

Is our school “marking time”? . More than
that. Our enrolment is the highest we've ever had.
The faculty, excluding the pastor, consists of four:
the Misses Elnora King, Bernice Craig, Artemise
Sabourin, and the writer. If you are ever down on
a visit to New Orleans, we shall be pleased to have
you drop in and see us in.action.

The sum of our progress for the past year?
Well, with our trials and our afflictions, our failures
and our shortcomings, our sins and our weaknesses,
we should say — steady. Considering the bountiful
blessings bestowed on us in the past year, we bow
our unworthy heads before the Giver of all good
things without whom we can do nothing.

A. WILEY.

Tre whole business of the whole Church is to
preach the whole Gospel to the whole world.