The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1924, Sheet 81

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

-19

last fall services were resumed, and the Sunday-
school now has an enrolment of 20. The chapel
hhas been repurchased for the same price for which
it had been sold.

22. Mount Olive, Catawba. (Founded in 1902.
Missionary C. R. March, since January, 1924.)
This congregation also has never been large, but
what it lacks in quantity it makes up in quality.
Just to mention Sophronia Hull: She is a widow
and lives on a small farm. When I visited her last
fall, my eyes fell on a book which is not often found
even in white Lutheran homes. It was a copy of
the Book of Concord, the confessional writings of
our Church. In answer to my question, “Do you
read in this book?” I received the modest reply,
“Yes, sir; I read in it right smart.” The book
showed that what she said was true. Sophronia is
already seventy-nine years old. She herself was
once a slave. Her father, Thomas Smyer, was born
on Mount Vernon Plantation and was the slave of
George Washington. She and her children and
grandchildren regularly attend divine services in
our little chapel at Catawba. The small congre-
gation consists mostly of Hulls. :

28. Concordia, Rockwell. (Founded in 1893.
Missionary J. E. Shufelt,* since January, 1924.)
This congregation forms one parish with Rocks and
Gold Hill. All three are country charges. The
membership of these congregations is very small,

- largely due to the fact that so many members are
migrating to the cities, where they are able to earn
more. The baptized membership of Concordia is 46.
Late last fall a school was opened here, and of their
own means the members are building an addition
to the chapel to house the school.

24. Zion, Gold Hill. (Founded in 1893. Mis-
sionary J. E. Shufelt,* since January, 1924.) Since
the abandonment of the gold mine in this vicinity
this congregation has lost many members by re-
moval. In the past two years the number of com-
municants has dropped from 40 to 38, but of these
confirmed members fourteen are living in other
States and nine more are working in distant cities,
so that only fifteen are actually at Gold . Hill.
However, the little flock has not lost courage. Re-
cently a young people’s society was begun. Pastor
Shufelt is instructing three persons for confirma-
tion. Children of school age attend our school at
Rockwell. The chapel needs a new coat of paint,

and a new organ and a new altar Bible are much .

desired.
25. Mount Zion, Rocks. (Founded 1904. Mis-
sionary J. 1. Shufelt,* since January, 1924.) The

membership here has also decreased; a number of
members are temporarily in the North. The mis-
sionary speaks in high terms of his little flock. The
members painted their chapel during the past year,
and the property now makes a very favorable im-
pression on the visitor.—In his three congrega-
tions the missionary has 143 baptized members and
93 communicants.

26. St. Luke’s, High Point. (Founded in 1908.
Missionary F. H. Foard, since January, 1924.)
Pastor Foard is the first resident missionary we
have had at High Point. The city is growing
rapidly and offers Negroes a good opportunity to
work at a good wage. For this reason it is reason-
able to suppose that this congregation will grow.
Baptized membership, 23; confirmed member-
ship, 13. The school had an enrolment last year
of 62 and was conducted by Mrs. M. Parker.

27. St. James's, Southern Pines. (Founded in
1898. Missionary F. H. Foard, since January,
1924.) Baptized membership, 32; communicant
membership, 18. No prospects for growth.

28. St. Mark’s, Winston-Salem. (Founded in
1918. Missionary Jesse A. Hunt, since February,
1921.) The membership has not grown during the
past two years, and no growth can be expected
unless we provide this mission with a chapel. The
services are now being held in a Presbyterian
church. Winston-Salem is now the largest city in
North Carolina. A lot and suitable building would
call for an outlay of about $8,000.

29. Grace, Greensboro. (Founded in 1893.
Missionary Wiley H. Lash, since October, 1923.)
This congregation was going backward for several —
years, but since last fall the baptized membership
has grown from 53 to 70 and the confirmed mem-
bership from 44 to 62. New life has come into the
church. The contributions-are increasing in a way
which makes one feel hopeful. The members have
improved their church property greatly during the
past year without calling on the Board for as-
sistance.

80. Immanuel College Mission, Greensboro.
(Prof. H. Naether,* since 1923.) Services are
conducted in the chapel of the college, and the
Sunday-school has its sessions in the same place.
The baptized membership is 25; the confirmed
membership, 20. During the past summer Pro-
fessor Naether conducted a summer school, and he
is of the opinion that a permanent day-school should
be opened. Years ago we had a flourishing school
near the college, but we were compelled to use the
school-building for a dormitory.