The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1923, Page 38

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38

The Lutheran Pioneer.

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The missionary, with his snow-white beard and
kindly eyes, appeared to the unhappy youth like
a being from another world. His encouraging
words of God’s mercy and compassion, the story of
the prodigal son, were like balm to his wounds.
Contrition and trust and love — emotions which he
had never before experienced — filled his soul. It
was past midnight when they left the pastor. . But
new life had come to the prodigal’s heart.

When his father heard of the change in his son’s
conduct, he paid his debts, thus relieving him at
once of these worries. Now the young man, for-
merly a sinner, is a zealous student at a Christian
college in ‘Tokio.

The Most Difficult Problem of the
Missions.

The greatest difficulties of missions are not to
be found in the mission-fields, in spite of all the
obstacles of people and country and of the adver-
saries of the Gospel who do everything in their
power to arrest its onward course.

What is the greatest question in this case?

Thus the question was put.to many of the lead-
ing practical Protestant missionaries attending the
dinburgh Conference. Almost unanimously the
answer given by men who best know the needs and
necessities of the missions was this: “The question
of the attilude of the home Church.”

The answer is one which possesses a value all
its own for Christians. vee

When the home Church fails, when it comes to

. surrender its interest in missions in favor of the

self-centered and self-secking tendencies of these
latter days, then it must be said that the death
sentence is pronounced upon the future prospects
of mission-work!

A Touching Plea.

The following plea of the Director of the Mis-
souri Synod’s Foreign Missions should be heeded:

To the Churches, Schools, and Societies of Our
; Synod.

Never before in the history of our Foreign Mis-
sions have we had so many foreign and native
workers in the field as since the fall of the past
year. Including the wives of our missionaries, we
haye 72 white adult laborers in all branches of our

work in China and in India. ‘These are assisted by
276 native catechists, evangelists, and teachers. The
Gospel of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus is
proclaimed in 110 main stations and ouistations.
Round about us the field is white already to harvest.
Is it surprising that with the rapid increase of the
number of our workers and stations our treasury in
1922 was not able to measure up to all legitimate
requirements? In spite of very careful scrutiny of
all expenditures our deficit’ amounted to about
$18,000 at the close of 1922. And since then our
debt has nearly doubled. Do our brethren want us
to close down some of our stations? Or should we
recall some of our missionaries? Surely our Chris-
tians do not ask us to do a thing of that kind. We
feel that we need but report the actual condition of
affairs to the brethren in order to get relief. We,
therefore, ask all who have experienced the great
love of our blessed Redeemer in their hearts, and
who desire to see the saving Gospel preached to the
uttermost part of the earth, to help us in our dis-
tress. We know there are many claims upon your
Christian liberality, but for the sake of our crucified
and risen Savior help us! And may the Lord be
with you and bless you!

By resolution of the Board of Foreign Missions,

Sincerely, yours in Christ Jesus,
FREDERICK Branp.

The Editor knows from experience how dis-
couraging it is to the missionaries and their little
flocks when they learn that the home base is not
paying AND PRAYING. FJ. 1.

An Incident.

Not long ago a Southern white gentleman re-
lated this encouraging incident. On the previous
Sunday he had been in the country, about fifteen
miles from C. Finding that there was to be no
service at the white church that day, and being
accustomed always to attend church on Sunday, he
walked across the field to the Negro church near by.
Sunday-school was in session, and he sat down near
a Bible Class taught by a Negro of middle age. ‘The
truths of the lesson were clearly presented, and the
listener said he had never heard in any Sunday-
school a class better taught. Preaching service fol-
lowed, and the minister pleased him as well as the
layman had done. ‘The exercises of praise, reading
the Seripture, and prayer followed each other in an
orderly way. Then came a pointed Scripture-text

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