The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1927, Page 153

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

153

This third General Conference of Colored Mis-
sion-workers was truly a Golden Jubilee occasion.
Those who were privileged to attend its sessions will
not soon forget it. To God alone all glory!

J. E. SHUFELT.

The City Negro and His Church.

It is a well-known fact that the Negro pastors
of the South direct the affairs of their flocks to a
very great degree. But even when the Negro
migrates to the North, the Church continues to exer-
cise a tremendous influence over his life and thought.
Despite the many distractions and competing agen-
cies of the city, it is true, no doubt, that the Church
enters into the life of the average Negro, even in
our large Northern cities, to a far larger extent than
it does into the affairs of any other people.

The non-churchgoing Negro is looked down
upon by his neighbors. Churchgoing is by far more
the rule among the colored people that populate our
cities than it is among the whites. ‘Thousands of
urban Negroes go to church two and three times
a Sunday and once or twice during the week. As a
result, those attending one of the more popular
colored churches of Chicago or some other large
Northern city must be on hand long before the ser-
vice begins if they wish to get seats. The atten-
dance at a half dozen of the larger Negro churches
of Chicago could probably not be matched by an
equal number of white churches on any given Sun-
day. Some of the largest churches, formerly owned
by Jewish or Christian congregations, are now the
church homes of large colored organizations. The
writer was surprised at the pretentious houses of
worship owned by Negro congregations in Chicago
and elsewhere. ;

Naturally, the upkeep of these expensive church
plants must be a severe financial strain upon con-
gregations, most of whose members are ordinary
wage-earners. But the colored people contribute
toward the maintenance of their churches with a
generosity that puts to shame many white church-
members. We have somewhere read that the annual
collections in Chicago’s colored churches are more
than $500,000. In addition to these liberal collec-
tions for the running expenses of their churches,
the Negro church-members assess themselves quite
heavily to pay instalments on church-buildings or
to buy automobiles for their preachers.

Tt is not uncommon for washerwomen to give

$5 a month to the church, and a prominent Negro

of Chicago claims that $20,000 church drives are
nothing unusual.

Of course, most of the colored churches in our
Northern cities are connected with the Baptist or
Methodist sects; but other denominations, such as
the Presbyterian and Episcopalian, are represented
in most of our larger centers. Thank God that our
Lutheran Church can also boast of representation in
a number of Northern cities. In Chicago and
St. Louis we may point with some pride to chapels
which, though simple in style, yet are in every way
dignified in appearance. Since the erection of these
churches in St. Louis and Chicago the congregations
are enjoying a most gratifying growth, and the
members are in every possible way showing their
appreciation for what has been done for them.
There is reason to believe that the possession of
these houses of worship will set these congregations
well on the road to self-support. F.J.L.

A Brother’s Advice is Heeded.

A brother said: “Disseminate information, and
the people will support your cause.”

In 1840 a young mother, deserted and alone,
struggled to provide for herself and for her three
young children. The mother was rising above
the grim struggle for existence and centered her
thoughts on things spiritual, on matters eternal.
Her children were taught to pray and to trust in
the loving providence of a heavenly father. Some-
how in that early struggle the baby was not baptized.
This unbaptized child that lost her mother at an
early date is the central figure of our narrative.

The girl, whom we shall call Miss K., was tossed
about by the adverse waves of this world’s sea and
at a tender age entered upon the stage. During
those thirty or forty years as an actress she was
hailed as one of the leading actresses in the Bowery’s
early theaters. Z

In 1926 one of our workers was asked to call on
an elderly, lonely woman in an up-town apartment
house. The woman was visited, and our friend,
Miss K., related how trials and burdens brought
back vivid memories of her childhood days and how

‘she recalled the principle of Christian trust instilled

by her mother seventy-five years ago. Our worker
in the field of Inner Mission told her again and
again of the wonders of heavenly love and that the
Lord Jesus was calling her to be His own. Sickness
came, and your worker made regular calls. Miss K’s
faith and hope of eternal glory were strengthened