The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1925, Page 151

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

stay. I was afraid to ask him how matters stood.
He himself, however, broached the subject. His
words did not indicate in the least that he con-
sidered the task in hand to be a hopeless case. He
was indeed filled with concern about it; he was
not blind to the dangers that threatened the little
congregation because of the divisive and factional
spirit that had crept in, but there was no whimper-
ing, not a whisper of quitting. He was not blind
to the difficulties of the situation, but he plainly
intimated that with God’s help he was sure they
would all be removed.

“By this time we had reached the church where
the meeting was to be held and where the ladies’
aid, at the suggestion of the young pastor, had
prepared a supper for us and the whole congrega-
tion. Casting about, I was surprised at the
apparent spirit of the people. Everything indi-

cated that, however huge and insurmountable the
difficulties may have been a short time ago, a de-
m™

The First ‘‘Parsonage,” of One Missionary
in the Northwest.

A 1925 Sight.

cided change must have taken place, that something
must have cleared the situation. I soon learned
where the cause of the changed conditions was to
be found. All the people said to me, ‘If we only
can keep him, our troubles will soon be over.’ The
mecting revealed that conditions were not yet
normal arid that there was still considerable dis-
ruption: but everybody expressed the conviction
that, if the young pastor would stay, all would
soon be well.

“After the mecting we went to the hotel and
talked things over. I could see that the tremendous
need of the people gripped his soul. He said:
“They need some one in whom they have confidence
in order to get them out of their troubles. They
all seem to be willing to follow the right kind of
leader. The whole situation appeals to me strongly ;
in fact, I can’t get away from the demand. You
know what makes me hesitate to make this change
from orderly conditions to this town. It is the
wife and children. ‘To come here will mean hard-
ships for my wife, who, you know, is not well, and

151

privation for my children. But this week I received
a letter from my wife, and the thing is settled. She
and the children will come, and we'll work this thing
out together.’ He read a part of the letter to me.
It ran thus : —

“<Frankly, I do not want to go to A. for reasons
too numerous to mention. You know most. of my
objections. But if you feel as you say you do, that
the Lord wants us there, that settles the matter.
We know that His will is best, and my prayer is
that our wills may be so merged in His that we
may not know them from His.’

“When I read these words,” so the superinten-
dent continued, “my heart was deeply stirred, and
was it any wonder? Need we fear for our missions
as long as such a spirit of sacrifice and devotion is
to be found with the missionaries and their wives?

“The work in that little Western town is going
steadily forward because of the consecrated service
done there by the missionary and his wife. — Have
I answered your question? Are you ready to believe
that the days of consecrated service are not forever
gone on our mission-fields ?” FJ. L.

Grace Lutheran Church, Concord, N. C.,
Entertains the General Conference.

The General Conference of Colored Missions’
convened Thursday morning, August 12—16, at
Grace Lutheran Church, Concord, N.C. Prof. F.
Berg, of the theological department of Immanuel
Lutheran College, at Greensboro, presided, and Rev.
M.N. Carter, of Chicago, acted as secretary. The
opening sermon was preached on Wednesday eve-
ning by the Rev: Chas. Peay, of Oak Hill, Ala. This |
able address was based on Rev. 3, 11.

In the Thursday morning session a hearty wel-
come in behalf of the city of Concord was made by
Mr. C. F. Ritchie, a prominent business man, who
urged upon the members of the convention that they
be consecrated and zealous in mission-work.

The Rev: J. P. Smith, superintendent of the
southeastern field, gave a brief historical sketch,
showing that the work in North Carolina had its
inception in Grace Church and that the beginning
of Immanuel Lutheran College and Theological
Seminary likewise was made in Grace School.

Thursday’s session was devoted exclusively to
business transactions, principally with regard to the
colleges at Greensboro, N. C., and Selma, Ala.

The sermon on Thursday evening was delivered