The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Sheet 44

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42,

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

I added $5.38 and the prayer that God would bless
-the work of our Negro Missions and open the hearts
of His people to give richly. I am a reader of the
LurHeran Pioneer and therefore am deeply in-
terested in the work. May God reward all those
who are giving their services in this noble work!”
Here follow two letters written by schoolgirls
after listening to a lecture by Director Drewes:
“The lecture by Rev. Drewes, of St. Louis, was
surely interesting. He lectured on Negro Missions
in Alabama. He also showed pictures explaining
the poverty of the Negroes and their love for the
Lord. The Negroes in the South have no buildings
in which they can worship and no neat and large
schools in which to educate their children. Though
poor, the Negroes are cheerful givers and give as
much as they can into the treasury of the Lord.
Pastor Drewes’s lecture is a strong encouragement
to us to give as much as possible that the mission-
work among the Negroes may be extended.”
“Rey. Drewes’s words and pictures showed the
great need of spreading the Gospel among the
Negroes. One of the pictures showed us Jesus sit-
ting on His throne with a Negro and a white child
in His arms. Jesus loves not only the whites, but
also the Negroes, Another picture showed us a little
girl named Marie and her brother. Marie is only

a little over three years old, while her brother is still

very small. Now, just think! Only three months
after one of our missionaries had started to teach
in the neighborhood where Marie lived, she could
already recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed with-
out a mistake! How they do love the. Word of God!
Oh, that only more of them could hear it! God
grant that the Word in all its purity be preached
to them. Oh, that all hearts could be made: willing
to help the poor Negroes, who are saying to us,
“Please, help us!’ May we all pray that they. be
helped !”

But I have no fear that I shall be offending the
writers of the above letters when I say that the one
which now follows is the best of all. It was written
to Mr. Theo. Eckhart, the treasurer of our Board
Tor Negro Missions, by the pastor of a little boy who
is no longer on earth. It explains itself: “Dear
Mr. Eckhart: — Am sending check for $1.11, so
many pennies saved up by Lloyd Bollhorst for col-
ored children after he had heard an address by
Rey. Carter some years ago. The little fellow was
an inyalid until he was five years old. Then he
‘was able to walk to school. He died in November,
1924. ‘To-day his mother was able to open his little
bank, having found the key which had been lost all

this time. May the Lord’s blessing be upon the
pennies of the little fellow who now rests in his
Savior’s arms in heaven! Kindest regards from
Carl E. Gallman.” FJ. L.

Items of Missionary Interest.
(By the Editor.)

Alabama. — In Alabama our Colored Missions
have 48 workers: 11 pastors, 3 professors, 25 lady
teachers, 7 male teachers, and 1 matron. .Work is
being carried on at twenty-six places. In the day-
schools 1,500 pupils are receiving a Christian train-
ing; in the Sunday-schools 1,404 persons are being
instructed, among them about 500 adults.

Louisiana. — The number of laborers working
in our Colored Missions in Louisiana is 19: 7 pas-
tors, 6 male teachers, and 6 lady teachers. These
laborers are active at 8 different places. The day-
schools are attended by 906 pupils, while the Sun-
day-schools have an enrolment of 855.

Southeastern Field. — In this territory there are
27 places, manned by 1 superintendent, 6 profes-
sors, 13 pastors, 5 male teachers, and 14 lady
teachers. In the 14 day-schools 795 pupils are en-
rolled; in the 22 Sunday-schools 925 pupils are
being instructed.

St. Louis. — Here a building site for the new
Grace Church has been secured. Plans are already
under way, and it is expected that building opera-
tions may be begun in the near future.

Sunday-School Foundation for the Blind. —
There are 100,000 blind people in the United States,
22,470 of whom read embossed type. Because
most of these are poor and not able to buy the Word
of Life for themselves, a movement has been set on
foot to raise an endowment fund of $500,000, the in-.
terest from which is to be used to furnish the blind
readers of America with weekly readings of Scrip-
ture in New York Point and Revised Braille print.

Africa. — The Roman Catholics began their
missions in the “Dark Continent” already in the
fifteenth century. : The first Protestant mission in
Africa was begun by the Moravians in 1737. Both
of these missionary forces began operations in South
Africa. In West Africa and in East Africa the
Church Missionary Society of England began work
early in the last century, while in Central Africa
and North Africa Protestant missions were not
opened until the last quarter of the nineteenth cen-
tury. Our colored Lutherans are anxious to bring