The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 154

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154

record? And the contributions? The contributions
show that the spiritual life of these congregations
is of a healthy quality. During the first half of
the present year this parish of 218 communicants
raised the sum of $768.72, an increase of $342.50
over collections for the same period in 1925. Every
confirmed member, including the boys and girls and
the old ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ gave an average con-
tribution of about 60 cents per month for church
purposes. When we remember that the colored
people of the Alabama Black Belt belong to the
poorest of the poor; when we also keep in mind that
many of our members are very young people; and
when we finally remember that frequently as many
as six and seven come from the same home, we must
feel compelled to say that those gifts of these poor
people are a remarkable example of love for the
Savior and His Church.

“In the schools of these three congregations
202 pupils are being instructed by five teachers.
Streams of blessings which no one can fully esti-
mate flow from these schools into the spiritual
deserts of Alabama’s Black Belt. Just to call
attention to one example: Some time ago I visited
an old ‘mammy,’ who is a member of the Oak Hill
charge. Because of her great age she is no longer
able to attend the services. Her sight is bad and
her hearing still worse. As I was about to give
her private. Communion in her cabin, I read to her
the stanza ‘Chief of Sinners though I Be.’ After
she had communed, the old ‘mammy’ asked that
I leave the hymnal with her. ‘Can you read?’
I asked her. No, she couldn’t read. Later on
I learned that her little grandchild came every
morning to her grandmother’s hut. And what
was the purpose of the child’s regular visit? Daily
she read to her old grandmother from the Bible
History and from the hymnal. The little girl is
only eight years old. Thus many of our school-
children bring home to their parents and other
relatives the joyous message of salvation in Christ.
In our mission-schools hundreds of little black
children learn to know and love Jesus, and then
they take this blessed knowledge to their parents,

_ grandparents, brothers, and sisters.”

*

‘For a new building at Rosebud (church and
school under one roof), which is to cost $1,500,
our children in Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba
have gathered $1,397.79.

85. St. Paul’s, Oak Hill, Wilcoz Co. (Rural
congregation. Founded in 1916. Missionary:

_ Charles Peay, since August, 1917.) Baptized

Tmembers, Wa; communicants, 513 voting mem-

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

bers, 11. Here and at Rosebud we have a small
parsonage.

86. Gethsemane, Hamburg, Wilcox Co. (Rural
congregation. Founded in 1924. Missionary:
C. Peay.) This station was founded largely
through the exertions of Miss Rosa J. Young,
whom God used as His instrument to bring us to
Alabama. Miss Young’s parents moved to Ham-
burg, and she is making her home with them
during her protracted illness. At first Superinten-
dent Schmidt held services on the porch of her
parents’ house. Later Miss Young rented the only
vacant log house in the neighborhood. It was a
most wretched home for our church, school, and
Sunday-school. But God moved an unknown lady
in Wisconsin to give $1,000 for a new building.
For this sum a neat, serviceable building was
erected last fall. Oh, that God would give our
Negro Missions more such friends, willing to build
Him a house among the poor Negroes of the
South, where His name will be glorified unto the
salvation of immortal souls, for whom Christ shed
His precious blood!—In the two years of its
existence the congregation at Hamburg has gained
90 persons, 54 of whom are communicant members.

(Conclusion will follow next month.)

oo

Convention of Synodical Conference.

What was designated by President Gausewitz
as the largest and best-attended meeting of the
Synodical Conference took place in Lockport, N.Y.,
August 18—23. Not only as regards the excep-
tionally large number of delegates and visitors
present, but also in other respects this memorable

‘meeting’ of the Conference will long stand out

as above the ordinary and as meriting special
attention.

This applies in all its force to the most in-
structive and interesting essay delivered by Prof.
John Ph. Koehler of the Theological Seminary at
Wauwatosa, Wis., on “Faith, the Primary Prin-
ciple of Christian Living.” The limited space at
our disposal will unfortunately forbid presenting
to our readers eyen so much as a gist of Professor
Koehler’s paper. Suffice it to state that from the
beginning to the end of his address the speaker
had the rapt attention of his audience, and not in-
frequently his pungent remarks called forth long
and lively discussions on the part of his listeners.
We would heartily commend the official report,

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