The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1925, Page 88

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88

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

crush it!” “Let’s drive it out!” Leaders, little
and big, rallied to the cause and pledged themselves
to drive our church out of Camden even at the cost
of their lives. (How foolish — the creature fight-
ing against his Maker! Yes, “why do the heathen
tage and the people imagine a vain thing?” These
people banded themselves together to crush the Lu-
theran Church, which preaches the Word of the
Lord’s Anointed. But there is in that same psalm
the comfort of God’s promise, which He also power-
fully keeps.)

The Baptists’ immediate objective, as said be-
fore, was to attack the day-school (the nursery of
our Church). A free school was started in one of

Pastor E. A. Westcott.

the local churches barely a stone’s throw from us.
Again, because of the attraction of free tuition and
books our enrolment was reduced to 26. However,
greater efforts were daily put forth by us to teach
those remaining 26 the Catechism, Bible History,
and especially Lutheran hymns. Particular pains
were taken in the secular. branches. Now, instead
of the accustomed words of mock sympathy, as, “I’m
so sorry for that poor little teacher,” a different
sentiment is voiced. That same “poor little teacher,”
knowing full well that she is the lone sentinel in
Camden pointing little ones to their only Savior,
counts her feeble efforts as nothing and gives all
honor and glory to God alone. But it fills her with
_ Joy when she knows and hears from both interested
and uninterested onlookers that each of these 26 is
a living placard announcing to the world the work
of the Lutheran Christian day-school.

Again, the devil finding himself beaten in-his
attempts to break up our school, tried in another,
in a shrewder and baser way, to destroy the mission
itself. He attacked the morals of our Lutheran
pastor by false reports and careless words planted
here and there. He tried to prohibit (by means of
threats from a certain secret society) his coming in
and going out among us, foolishly thinking that the
absence of one minister would stop the Lutheran
church. Surely he and his colleagues made a big
mistake there, for they forgot that Luther has been
dead nearly four hundred years, and still the Lu-
theran Church is standing with the same pure Word
and Sacraments.

Not heeding the persecutions and evil taunts of
the devil’s henchmen, our Lutheran pastor labored
through the heat of it all, preaching and teaching
God’s pure Word, remembering Luther’s great
battle-hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God!’ His
calmness was the leaven in the whole lump.

And our gracious Lord added the blessings; for
March 29 (seven months after our start in Camden)
we held our first Baptism and Confirmation service.
Eleven new souls were added to Christ’s true fold.
Thus we can report that a baby Lutheran church
was born despite all opposition, which again shows
God’s faithfulness to His promise: “My Word shall
not return unto Me void.”

Camden, Ala. Kare L. Grace.

Alabama Notes.

The dawning of Easter morning here in the
Black Belt must have been like unto that first
Easter morning when three women stole timidly
along the narrow path that led to the Savior’s tomb.
As these women tripped along through the gloom
of early morning, the sadness of their hearts must
have been, in a measure, lightened by the music of
the birds that flitted from bough to bough and sang
sweet songs of praise to Almighty God for the
crystal dew-drops He had so graciously sprinkled on
leaf and blade. With beating hearts and flying feet
they sped from the empty sepulcher to make known
to the sorrowing Eleven what they had seen and
heard; for the rising sun had revealed to them the
empty tomb and the holy messenger from on high.

Easter morning broke here in the Black Belt
with Sabbathlike quietness, and the rising sun
brought happiness to some two thousand souls; for
on this day they were to hear once more the blessed
Easter-message and rejoice in the blessed fact of