The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 184

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

- 184

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

St. Philip’s, Chicago.

At one time during 1923 they were pouring
into Chicago at the rate of 3,000 a week. Who?
Colored people from various sections of the South.
What was bringing them there? The oppression
of the South, as they called it, the hope of being
able to better their living conditions, and their
desire to give their children a better chance in life.
These things, no doubt, had something to do with
it. But we think other elements, too, are involved.

We know that the Lord of the Harvest is
smiling upon the work of our Church, the Church
of the Reformation, the Mother of Protestantism,
the Church of the pure Word, and is pleased with

Rev. M. N. Carter,
Pastor of St. Philip’s, Chicago.

her mission-work among the freedmen of our
country. We know also that He wants the mis-
sionary endeavors of our Church enlarged, par-
ticularly among our people. He has promised in
His Word that “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her
hands unto God.” Ps. 68, 31. Our work is prosper-
ing in the South; but how shall our people partake
of, and benefit by, our priceless treasures when they
leave the South, the section where all our mis-
sionaries, with only a very few exceptions, are
working?
Missionary Opportunities.
Axe these people scattered indiscriminately

through the North? Chicago gives the answer to.
this question. They are settling in the large in-.

dustrial centers, especially where our Lutheran
Church is found to have her largest growth and

representation. Would you call it strange that they
are flocking to those cities which are Lutheran as
well as industrial centers? Do you think it simply
happens that way? More colored people have been
added to Chicago by immigration than to any city
in the West. And Chicago is the largest Lutheran
center in the world. What do these facts mean?
The meaning seems to be: Lutherans of Chicago,
pass on the means of grace to the 200,000 people
who listen, with question-marks in their ears, to the
ringing of your church-bells each Lord’s Day.

The fact that a splendid missionary opportunity
here was not being developed has been annoying our
local Lutheran Christians for a quarter of a century.
“We want the work started. It ought to be started,
but — how?” Our good Christians have been
interested, but have been peeping around that
“how” for many years. Some unavoidable mis-
sionary work has been done among the colored
people by the local pastors in connection with the
mass of work they have had to do in their own
congregations.

Chicago Lutherans are Interested.

The writer came to Chicago almost five years
ago. This city was to be the headquarters in con-
nection with the publicity work the undersigned
was then doing. We thank the Lord for the zeal
of the local Christians. That zeal would not let
me be inactive as far as work among my people
here was concerned. “Pastor Carter, you must
start work here. We feel uncomfortable over the
fact that thousands and thousands of us Lutherans
are here and thousands and thousands of your
people, but that none of these people of yours
know the pure Gospel which the Lord has entrusted
to our Church.” “I am traveling and trying to
interest the Lutherans of our country more deeply
in the work of Negro Missions ‘in general.” “You
must stop traveling and preach the Gospel to the
200,000 colored people here in this city. That is
more important.” finally, our Chicago Pastoral
Conference convinced the Mission Board that this
very thing should be done.

In these columns you have been told how our
St. Philip’s Mission was started. You have noted
the items of progress as the Lord has brought them
forth. You have read that the Northern Lllinois
District permitted its zeal to show itself $15,000
worth as I would call it, in order that Lutheranism
might haye a chance among the colored people of
this city.