The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1927, Page 23

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

23,

The following letter came a few days later. It
was from one of our live young pastors in Illinois.
Though he tells the Editor that the letter is not
for publication, we are sure that he will pardon us
for letting our readers read a portion of it, since
we are not giving his name. Here is the letter in
part : —

“My congregation seemed very indifferent to
missions. I organized a Women’s Missionary So-
ciety. We meet once a month. I lecture on the
various missions. We had Rev. Carter here, and
I am trying to get other speakers. Every member
gets the Missionstaube or the PIoNEER; this alone
is worth while. We started with six members and
have grown to sixteen. We have made some gar-
ments for our India Missions and sent away
some $24. After almost one year’s labor I am
beginning to see the fruits. We never before even
raised our quota, but we are now beginning to
climb up. We are using the duplex envelopes, and
the people are gradually learning to give. In the
coming year I am going to try to have the Indian,
Persian, Spanish, and Deaf-mute Missions men
address my congregation.”

If all of us would show the zeal that this, pastor
is showing, it would not take a prophet to foretell
progress and improvement. F. J. L.

Progress in Cleveland.

Pastor Katt, under whose supervision our col-
ored mission in Cleveland is conducted by Student
E. Mueller of St. Louis, sends the following to the
Editor of the PIONEER : —

“Over three months have elapsed since the
opening of our colored mission in Cleveland.
Undoubtedly you are anxious to learn how we have
been faring in our new work. This information
I desire to give you.

“Qur mission has been signally blessed by God.
Of this there is no doubt whatever. There has been
a steady growth and development. Our work has
progressed beyond the experimental stage, of that
I feel confident. Our zealous young missionary,
Student Ernest Mueller, has been laboring very
faithfully and with great success. Between forty
and fifty people have shown their interest in this
mission by attending the regular services during the
past three months, some quite regularly, others
less so. Upon these people our missionary has been
concentrating his main efforts, visiting them week
after week, giving them encouragement, instruction,
and admonition. As a result the attendance has

steadily risen from eight to thirty. During the
first seven weeks the average attendance was thir-
teen; during the last seven weeks, twenty. These
numbers comprise children and adults, all of whom
ordinarily attend both the Sunday-school and the
preaching services, the ratio being ten children to
seven adults. Among the adults are five or six con-
firmed Lutherans, hailing mostly from our own
Southern missions. Five or six other adults are
good prospects for an adult catechumen class to be
organized after New Year. Twenty children re-
hearsed for the children’s Christmas service. Thir-
teen Sunday-collections: $19.03. Every month the
Good News, our parish-paper, is mailed to over 100
unchurched families, together with a pastoral letter
from the missionary. The Good News has been
found an excellent means of arousing the interest
of the people. They like it, they ask for it.

“Qn Wednesday, December 22, the children’s
Christmas service was held. St. Peter’s Congrega-
tion had decided to make provision for this service
as well as for its own children’s service. Accord-
ingly the Christmas Committee decorated the
Assembly Hall, the chief ornament being a huge
Christmas-tree, fully decorated and equipped with
electric lights. ‘Twenty-four colored children took
active part in the service, entitled The Christ-child,
which had been carefully and diligently rehearsed
for a number of weeks. The carols were sung well,
and the way the children told the Christmas story
did credit to our mission and our missionary,
Student Mueller, who was in charge. As gifts each
child received a pound-box of candy and a copy of
Director Drewes’s Catechism, the latter donated by
our St. Peter’s Ladies’ Aid. Forty-seven adult
colored people were in attendance at this children’s
Christmas service, the largest attendance to date.
The New Year’s service was attended by thirty-
three colored worshipers.

“Tt might be well if in the PIoNEER you would
direct our Southern workers to our mission, asking
them to inform us whenever colored people move
to Cleveland. ‘They may address either Student E.
Mueller, 11903 Browning Ave., or Rev. A. F. Katt,
3596 E. 154th St.”

An Interesting Missionary Lecture.

Pastor Theodore Schliepsiek, Vinton, Iowa,
formerly the pastor of Mount Zion Colored Lu-
theran Church in New Orleans, some time ago de-
livered an interesting missionary lecture, to which
he gave the title “The Story of the Stick.” He