The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 149

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

149

ae

for a new building. But the group of children
responsible for the raising of this sum to build the
chapel and school raised only $3,979.29. The site
has been bought for $1,842. The Board has come to
the conclusion that the building should be erected
here without delay, even if the money must be bor-
rowed. — Pastor C. Gernannt and Mr. J. J. Stehr, of
the white congregation in Alexandria, who were of
great service in the purchase of the building site,
have promised further help.

The total baptized membership in the Louisiana
Field is 1,192.

Nortu Canorina.

Our congregations in North Carolina — twenty-
two in number — comprise the greater part of our
so-called Southeastern Field. The Southeastern
Field also includes South Carolina, Georgia, Vir-
ginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. For this large
field the Board chose a special superintendent in the
summer of 1925. This arrangement had worked out
very satisfactorily in Alabama, The man chosen for
the new office was Prof. J. P. Smith, of Greensboro,
who had served the Mission for many years. He
entered upon his new duties soon after his appoint-
ment. That the new office would prove a blessing
in this field was at once made apparent. New life
began to show itself immediately. On February 12
of this year all the pastors and professors of this
whole field met at Greensboro. At this conference
every station of the field was considered as to its
needs and prospects. An enthusiastic forward move-
ment of the whole field was planned. But man
proposes, and God disposes. After our superinten-
dent had worked only a few weeks, the Lord took
him out of the midst of his labors. Superintendent
Smith died in a hospital at Greensboro after a very
brief illness, on March 26. ‘Fhe May number of the
PIoNEER brought a brief sketch of his life and work.
He served our Negro Missions for twenty-seven
years as pastor, professor, president of Immanuel

Lutheran College, and superintendent of the South- ~

eastern Field.

In the plenary meeting of the Board, which was
held on April 21 and 22 of this year, Pastor Frank
D. Alston, of Charlotte, N. C., was chosen as super-
intendent of the colored pastors and their stations
in this field. ‘The college at Greensboro and
the stations at Philadelphia, Meherrin, Concord,
Shankletown, Rocks, Rockwell, and Gold Hill, and
their pastors and teachers, for the present remain
under the direct supervision of the Director of Mis-
sions. The fact that we have worked among the
Negroes for almost fifty years, as well as other

circumstances, seemed to indicate that the time
had come when a colored pastor should be chosen for
a superintendency. There is every reason to believe
that this new arrangement will mean much for our
future work among the Negroes.

10. Grace, Concord. (Founded in 1891. Mis-
sionary: Melvin Holsten,* since September 16,
1923.) In two years the number of baptized mem-
bers has grown from 208 to 230. ‘The congregation
has 31 voting members, more than any other con-.
gregation. Among the old members this congre-
gation has lost was also James Spencer, who reached
the extreme age of 123 years. “Uncle Jimmy” was
a faithful member of the Lutheran Church and
continued to attend services as long as his physical
condition permitted him to do so. His pastor,
Rev. Holsten, visited him frequently at the home of
his daughter, who faithfully cared for him. A week
before his death he complained to his pastor:
“T fear that I am forgetting all that I once knew.
But one thing I shall never forget: that Jesus
redeemed me and that I shall be saved if I believe
in Him.” Just like “Uncle Jimmy,” thousands
upon thousands of Negroes have through our mis-
sionaries learned the blessed truth that Jesus is their
Savior; and many hundreds who are no longer
counted in this report have by a happy death gone
where they may look upon their Savior in eternal
joy. — August 12—16, 1925, the second General
Conference of our Negro Missions was held in Grace
Church at Concord. Upon this occasion a promi-
nent business man of the town said: “We are just
as proud of the great work you are doing as you
are.” That is high praise for our congregation at
Concord since the life and conversation of the mem-
bers is that by which our mission-work is judged by
the white people of a community. Some years ago
another prominent citizen of Concord had this to
say: “If all the Negroes would be like the Lutheran
Negroes, they would be all right.” The testimony of
such men is proof that our Lutheran Negroes are
really an honor to our Church. This reminds me
of a remark that a man who four years has lived
next to our church and school in Concord made to
me a year ago, namely, that he couldn’t wish for
any more quiet and well-behaved neighbors than our
colored Lutherans.

11. Immanuel, Shankletown. Founded in Sep-
tember, 1919. Missionary: Melvin Holsten.*)
Shankletown is a suburb of Concord. The congre-
gation is served as a branch by PastorHolsten. There
has been a small increase, and the baptized member-
ship is 39, while the communicant membership is 23.