The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1922, Page 86

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86

The Lutheran Pioneer.

a minister of the Gospel is to preach the Word of
God and that alone, and that God has promised to
be with His servants in all their ways. The sermon
was followed by the rites of ordination and installa-
tion, the writer officiating, after which Mrs. Lou
Gatewood, a member of the local congregation,
rendered a really beautiful vocal solo. The deep
interest of the congregation in the occasion was
reflected by their whole-hearted singing and their
close attention throughout the service. Tour mem-
bers of Holy Trinity Church, Springfield, Ill., had
made the trip to St. Louis in order to witness the
ordination and installation. Floral decorations,
provided by the local Colored Ladies’ Aid, added
to the impressiveness of the service. A cordial wel-
come was given the new missionary and his wife,
who, by the way, came over 2,000 miles (from
Walla Walla, Wash.) with her husband into our
midst.

Missionary Kroenk is not a novice to the par-
ticular peculiarities of our work, having taken an
active interest in our Springfield congregation for
several years prior to his graduation last June from
our theological seminary at that place. The new
missionary will have charge of our day-school in
St. Louis and will collaborate generally with the
writer in the extension of the boundaries of our
Lutheran Zion among the Colored populace of this
city. May the good Lord crown the efforts of the
new laborer in His vineyard with abundant success!

: Hersert C. Cravs.

Our Jubilee Collection.

Will our Jubilee Collection prove a success?
Will the Board have the sorely needed $150,000 at
its disposal when the Jubilee Collection will have
been completed? ‘The writer feels that he could
answer these questions with an unhesitating “yes”
if all teachers among us would have done as one
teacher did. ‘ihe teacher we refer to is Teacher
Eug. E. Wunderlich, Fort Smith, Ark. Soon after
the school had closed down for the summer months,
he sent a circular letter to all the pupils of the
school, earnestly charging them not to forget the
Jubilee Collection. The letter was a model of its
kind. But not satisfied with this, he several weeks
later sent them a’second letter. And this letter is

s0 fine and to the point that the editor simply can-
not withstand the temptation to let the readers of
‘the Pioneer read it. After you have read this

letter, you will surely agree with me in saying that
it rings true and must surely have touched the chil-
dren’s heart. Here is the letter: —

Fort Smith, Ark., August 18, 1922.
My Dear Lirrie Frrenp: —

I know that you are very glad that the time will
soon be here when you can attend school again.
I am sure you are tired of vacation already, are you
not? School will begin September 18, at 9 o’clock
in the morning, unless it will be changed before that
time. You had better begin to find your books, so
that you may be ready to start right in.

Have you forgotten the little barrel which you
took along the last day of school? I hope you have
not forgotten it. Are you trying to fill it? Don’t
you think the poor Negro families in the South will
be glad to hear that the pupils of the Lutheran
School at Fort Smith are saving pennies so that
they might hear the Word of God? And just think
how glad they will be when they hear that we have
really sent them some help. You have probably
often wondered what your pennies will be used for,
so I will try to tell you'a little more about our
Negro Missions in the South..

The next time you come to Sunday-school take
a good look at our school. Isn’t it a beautiful
building? Are you not glad that you can go to

school in such a fine building? Go to church next

Sunday and look once more how beautifully our
church is decorated. Don’t you feel good when you
can sing, pray, and listen to the Word of God in
such ‘a beautiful building? Now, how about the
Negro Mission? Have the Negroes such fine build-
ings where they can worship God? No, they have
not. Most of their churches are old log cabins
which might fall down at any time. While in our
church we sit on nice, comfortable seats, they have
to sit on a block of wood or on a rough board.
Would you like to go to such a church? Then look
at the schools. The school-buildings are even worse.
The roofs and the walls are so old and so full of
holes that there is no protection when it rains.
The’ children usually have to sit on the ground
when’ studying. You wouldn’t want to go to such
a school, I know.

Is it right that we go to church and to school in
such fine buildings, and let those poor people, who
are so glad when they can hear the Word of God,
attend church and school in hovels? Is it right for
us to send ministers there and ask them to preach
and teach in such buildings? Can’t we do some-