The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1924, Page 27

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

27

SS.

on his race here that hundreds of them are turning
infidels and skeptics. Our friend Mr. Beverly is
certain that if the Negro once got acquainted with
the Lutheran Church and its doctrines and practises
and methods of training, it would not only save his
soul, but prove the only efficient agency for his
moral and social uplift as well. But no time is to
be lost. The enemy is working hard and fast, day
and night. Every Lutheran Christian of our city
right now must put his shoulder to the wheel and
give, if necessary, till it hurts, so that our Colored
Lutheran church in the West End may be erected
just as quickly as possible. Is there a loyal dis-
ciple of Jesus Christ among us who can lay his
hands on $10,000 right now? Is there? ‘Then let
him hurry and hand it over to our board. Christ
is asking for it. Any amount that you can spare
or not spare must be put in motion quickly. The
Negro of Cincinnati is crying for light and mercy.
We are in possession of the only efficient means to
supply them, and God have mercy on our souls if
we neglect this opportunity !

“Thirty divine services were held during the
past year at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Livingston,
706 Betts Street; 26 week-day catechetical in-
structions were given at Mr. Beverly’s home; 448
hearers were reached; 40 calls at homes were made;
two partook of Holy Communion. A class of four,
possibly five, will soon be confirmed. Total number
of hearers reached by the missionary, 8,439; ter-
ritory covered, 4,658 miles.” F.J.L.

What About Birmingham?

Urged repeatedly by Pastor Holness, our Col-
ored missionary in Birmingham, to visit that city,
we recently took time to. make the trip.

One hundred miles through plantations, forests,
swamps, and our Gospel Ford brought us to the
industrial center of the South. On the following
morning, February 24, we were conducted by the
Rey. Holness to our “Lutheran Colored mission.”

What a lovely “place of worship! An old, dilap-
idated, and extremely large storeroom, situated on
the dumping-grounds of Birmingham! In this
tumble-down building, where the “Holy Rollers”
held forth for a number of years, we are conducting
services. Some old “pews” which the “sanctified
people” left behind serve as seats; an ancient stove,
cracked and rusty, is supposed to supply heat; the
old stovepipe refuses to conduct the smoke to the

hole in the wall, some thirty feet away, and the
damp, musty, smoke-laden air is well-nigh unbear-
able. The surrounding neighborhood has an ex-
tremely bad reputation. We were informed that
policemen travel their beats in this section in
squads of six. Such is the place where our Colored
Lutheran church holds forth in the metropolis of
Alabama. Surely a disgrace.

Attracted by opportunity for work, a large num-
ber of our Lutheran Colored people have left their
cabins on the plantations and located in Birming-
ham, the manufacturing center of the South. These
scattered sheep of our Lutheran Church are sur-
rounded in the big city by a thousand attractions
Let me mention but one.

and temptations. The

After the Ordination and Installation Service
in Birmingham, Ala.

Left: Rey. C. F. Drewes, Director of Missions. Center:
Missionary Holness. Right: Rev. G. A, Schmidt, Super-
intendent of Missions in Alabama.
denominations in that city have large, beautiful,
attractive places of worship. We have changed our
place of worship not less than six times in two
years! First a private home; then another private
home; then we rented a place for $2.50 a month
—think of it, a place for $2.50 a month in a city
of approximately 200,000! — From there to a dif-
ferent home; then to a little church for a few
weeks; once more to a house; and now to the
neighborhood of garbage, refuse, tin-cans, and gun-

men! :

And our Colored Lutherans, notwithstanding
these conditions, cling to their Lutheran Church
with a tenaciousness that is amazing. They know
their Church, and they truly love her. Thirty per-
sons came out on that wet, raw, chilly Sunday in
February to sit at the feet of their Savior and hear