The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1921, Sheet 24

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

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homes are desolate, and the people living in them
are suffering for lack of the necessities of life.

The saddest feature about thousands of homes
in which the Colored people are housed is this:
“There js no Christ, no Savior, in these homes.”
Unlike Christians, who in the days of suffering and
want look forward to that time when they shall be
delivered from the sorrows of this life, in the
dwellings, and by far the majority of dwellings, of
the Negroes, there is no such outlook. Five years
ago our Lutheran Church unfurled the banner of
the Gospel of Christ in the Black Belt of Alabama.
To-day the crucified Christ is being held up before
old and young in 15 communities where we have
established churches and schools. Much has been
done to bring joy and happiness into the homes

Pror. Tu. GRAEBNER.

Rev. Int. F. ALBRECHT.
New Members of the Colored Mission Board.

of the people living near our churches. Old and
young into whose ears and hearts the Word of God
has been sounded, rejoice in the knowledge, a saving
knowledge of a loving Savior, who died for their
sins on the cross. The homes of these people are
not desolate, for where the Savior enters and makes
His abode, joy and happiness are found, though
there is suffering and want. The people who have
learned to know and love their Savior also realize
_ that they are blessed, for they have learned to sing:
Oh, blest the house, whate’er befall,

Where Jesus Christ is all in all;

Yea, if He were not dwelling there,

How poor, and dark, and void it were!

“Though the Lord has blessed the work which our
Lutheran Church is doing in the Southland, though
He has blessed our poor, weak, and faulty efforts
beyond expectation in the upbuilding of His Lu-
theran Zion, we have reached comparatively few

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people. There is still much land to be possessed,
there are still hundreds and thousands of cabins
which are poor, dark, and void. These homes are
truly desolate, for the people living in them are
living in the darkness of sin and of spiritual igno-
rance, without God, without Christ, and therefore
without hope. When we allow our thoughts to
reach out into these large areas where these people
live, week by week, day by day approaching the time
when — unless you and I bring the Gospel to them
—they shall be miserable forever, and when we
think of the few men enlisted to supply these people
with the Bread of Life, we are forcibly reminded of
the words of the Savior: “The harvest truly is
plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye, there-
fore, the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth
laborers into His harvest.”? Oh, for men and women
who would assist in the work of reaching out a
helping hand to those dying in their sins!

We had such thoughts when our eyes fell upon
a copy of the little paper edited by the American
Lutheran Publicity Bureau, and we decided to ap-
peal to this body for help. ‘True, they did not send
us men to help us in our work, but they did send
tracts — and a large number of them. ‘They were
given to us gratis. In this manner the American
Lutheran Publicity Bureau has reached out a
helping hand into the Black Belt of Alabama and
is assisting in the work which our Lutheran Church
is doing. We shall distribute these little leaflets
which tell of the redeeming love of a compassionate
Savior who died for all. We are grateful for the
tracts which we have received, and thank the Ameri-
can Lutheran Publicity Bureau as well as the people
who by their contributions have made possible the °
free distribution of these leaflets. And we feel
certain that these little messengers, entering the
homes of many who could never be reached in any
other way, will, under God’s blessing, assist greatly
in bringing true joy and happiness to the people
whom they reach. “My Word,” says the Lord,
“shall not return unto Me void.”

G. A. Scmaupt, in American Lutheran.

Selling Literature to Hindus and
Mohammedans.

Not in the history of Christian missions has it
been considered possible to sell Christian literature
to any great extent to the Hindus and Moham-
medans of India. The past two years have sur-