The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1922, Page 4

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4 The Lutheran Pioneer.
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a paper on “What have I Done to Bring Jesus into
the Homes?” Aiter a thorough and general dis-
cussion of these two excellent papers, Conference
received them with a vote of thanks to the authors.
Wednesday night brought the conference to a close.
On this night the audience was treated to two ser-
mons, Superintendent Schmidt and Rey. Westcott
being the speakers. At the end of the service the
undersigned, in the name of the conference, thanked
the good people of Joffre for their manifold kind-
nesses shown us while there. Conference then ad-
journed with the singing of “God Be with You Till
We Meet Again.” God willing, we hope to assemble
next year at Tilden, Rey. Berger, pastor.

Our 1921 conference was voted the best we have
ever had. In fact, it was so good that one of the
members of the Joffre congregation, a man who,
during these hard times, entertained six guests in
his home from Saturday night until Thursday
morning (and you know what ‘an expense that
meant), made the remark that he wished Conference
would last until May! — ‘Thursday morning saw all
workers back at Joffre station, where they boarded
the train for their respective fields of Jabor. A half
day in Montgomery, where they visited the Capitol
and other places of interest, and then they scattered
to the four points of the compass, to resume the
labors which had been laid down a week ago. As
we returned to our respective fields of labor, we did
so with the feeling and determination to “carry on”
with greater zeal in the Master’s vineyard, and with
the prayer in our hearts and upon our lips that He
would bless the labors of our hands. May God in
His mercy bless our Conference in the future as He
has in the past! ;

‘Once more, don’t forget to buy a copy of our
minutes and read the excellent papers printed there.
‘They will do your soul good. Seven good spiritual
papers on important subjects — all for ten cents.
You pay niore for less.

During the first ten months of the year $1,809.12
was collected from our congregations here in the
“Black Belt” of Alabama. If figures mean any-
thing, they tell us that love for the Lord will over-
come “hard times.” R. 0. L. L.

An Urgent Appeal fora N egro Chapel in

_ Philadelphia.

‘a ~The Baltimore District Conference has commis-
-sioned the undersigned to extend an appeal to all
driends of the Negro Mission for the purpose of

inducing them to help the Colored congregation in
Philadelphia to erect a chapel. It is impossible for
the pastor of this small flock to do effective woyk
here on account of being compelled to conduct his
services and also his Sunday-school in the house of
one of his members. He is afraid to invite people
to his services, because the room is too small even to
accommodate the regular attendants. The large
dailies of Philadelphia, and also a large weekly
paper for the Negroes, having at the installation of
Pastor Stoll published lengthy articles with respect
to his training and future activities in this city,

Rev. Stoll has become a person of some prominence -

among the Colored people of the city, and strangers
come frequently to hear and become acquainted with
him. But they turn back as soon as they see that the
renowned first Lutheran minister of Philadelphia
preaches in a mere private dwelling,-and others,
overcoming their diffidence and entering the house,
are compelled to stand or sit in the hall. Pastor
Stoll is therefore afraid to invite strangers to his
services and reluctant to accept his salary because
he can do no actual mission-work.

The Board for Negro Mission cannot help on
account of having a deficit of $10,000. ‘The Phil-
adelphia congregations have collected for the chapel
nearly $200. ‘his sum has been deposited in a
bank. Now, if our liberal and big-hearted ladies’
aid societies, the ever-willing schoolchildren, and
other zealous friends of the Negro Mission in our
large Synod would become interested in this blessed
project, the chapel would soon be here, and Rev.
Stoll could then work with enthusiasm among the
more than 134,000 Colored people in this city.

Remember that thousands of these people do not
attend any church at all, and that the others visit
the large and small sectarian churches, where emo-
tionalism, révivalism, and rationalism hold sway,
and where they hardly ever hear the saving Gospel

of Christ. ‘The faithful members of this congrega- -

tion, who migrated here from the Southern States,
and with our Annual in their hands hunted for our
Missouri churches in the large and to them strange
and bewildering city, by leading a sincere and moral
life, ‘exert a leavening, wholesome influence upon
their friends, neighbors, and relatives, and they
would by this moral force alone draw many of their
race to the Savior, if they only had a place — and
were it ever so humble —to which they could in-
vite them to come.

Pastor Stoll has tried again and again to rent
a hall, but on account of the inimical attitude of