The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1924, Page 100

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100

The Lutheran’ Pioneer.

Allen and accompany the missionaries to another
confirmation service near Ingomar.

A drive of several miles through cotton- and
cane-fields brought the Ford to the “house” of Bob
Dennis, one of our members at Ingomar. After
waiting a few minutes for the folks coming from
all directions to witness this service, the pastors
entered the house. There, before the fire, sat Han-
nah Bercy awaiting her confirmation. (She is the
sister of Bob Dennis.) By the time all was ready
for the service it had grown dark. But no lamp
was there to throw its rays of light on the little
group. While Pastor Schmidt read the service, old
Bob held a blazing piece of pine-wood and thus

A Wember at Ingomar, Ala.

furnished the necessary light. Here, too, the hymns
mentioned above were sung. Pastor Schmidt ad-
dressed the twelve hearers, basing his words on Acts
16, 30. 31. 33.34. In all simplicity he showed them
that, in order to conduct a confirmation service, it
was not necessary to have a large, fine church, a
well-drilled choir, etc. He also brought home to
his audience the most important question in a per-
son’s life: “What must I do to be saved?” He then
received into the Church another old “aunty.” It
was touching to hear the answer given by Hannah
Bercy when she was asked as to who alone could
saye her: “The Lord Jesus Christ.” This simple
service also closed with the hymn “I Lay My Sins
on Jesus.”

From the home of Hannah Bercy the mission-
aries rode on to the “chapel” at Ingomar. At

: _ a ee

8 o’clock the service began there. During the ser-
vice Teacher Thompson skilfully catechized the
audience on the Sixth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Then Pastor Schmidt preached an inspiring sermon
on Matt. 15, 21—28, showing how faith originates.
In his sermon Pastor Schmidt castigated the vain
babblings about “dreams” and “feelings” so often
heard in the Black Belt. A little after 9 o’clock the
missionaries left for home. After having stopped
a few minutes at Teacher Thompson’s home for a
cup of steaming hot coffee and running over a rab-
bit near the bridge at Selma, they arrived at home
five minutes after midnight.

Thus the trail blazed by the sainted Pastor
Bakke is being followed day by day. This is only
one instance out of many of the work done in one
day in the Black Belt of Alabama. c

WILLIAM F. Scu1nk.
——

Letter from Chicago.

Drar READER: — :

While you are rejoicing over the good news that
is coming from the southern portion of our mission-
field, would you be interested in watching another
pin that has been stuck into our mission-map?
Very well. We are glad you are pleased to hear
about it.

To get the right setting, we must tell you that
it is the Lord’s doing. But the Lord works by
means of His Word, through His people. Hence
it is your work.

It happened up here on Lake Michigan. No,
not in the field or in the woods. It happened right
in the heart of the big city of Chicago. That pin
is No. 61 on your mission-map. See it? All right.
Now, do you see some words printed right under
the pin? How do they read? St. Philip’s Lutheran
Mission. Correct. We see you have found the
place.

Our Mission Board and our Chicago Lutherans
had for years been considering that that pin should
be driven in. But it costs a great deal to stick pins
around in Chicago, and so it was not done. In re-
cent years, however, so many colored people have
been coming here, among them also our Lutheran
Christians, that it was recognized as our duty to
God and the binding obligation upon our Church
to start the work and not postpone it any longer.
So, on the 2d of March, in the name of the Triune
God and with a prayer on our lips, we stuck that