The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 133

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

NEE

133

large, we shall be obliged to group the congregations
in the present report. We shall divide them into
three groups.

I. Congregations that have decreased in mem-
bership during the past two years: 1. Holy Ark, Ala.,
70 persons (loss,3). 2. Ingomar, Ala., 25 persons (loss,
1). 8. Joffre, Ala., 29 persons (loss, 13). 4. Long-
mile, Ala., 55 persons (loss, 9). 5. Midway, Ala.,
51 persons (loss, 19). Total loss in Alabama, 45.—
6. Napoleonville, La., 11 persons (loss, 7). 7%. Trin-
ity, New Orleans, La., 51 persons (loss, 6). Total loss
in Louisiana, 13.— 8. St. Paul’s, Charlotte, N.C.,
102 persons (loss, 72). 9. Bethel, Charlotte, 25 per-
sons (loss, 12). 10. Gold Hill, N.C., 31 persons
(loss, 1). 11. High Point, N.C., 19 persons (loss,
9). 12. Lowerstone, N. C., 40 persons (loss, 4).
13. Monroe, N. C., 22 persons (loss, 18). 14. Shan-
kletown, N.C., 3% persons (loss, 2). 15. South-
ern Pines, N.C., 34 persons (loss, 1). 16. Spar-
tanburg, S. C., 86 persons (loss, 2). Total loss in
nine congregations in the Carolinas, 121. — 17. Me-
herrin, VWa., 141 persons (loss, 14). 18. Grace,
St. Louis, 75 persons (loss, 73; new station begun).
Total loss in 18 congregations, 266.

II. Congregations that have neither a loss nor a
‘gain to record: 1. Vredenburgh, Ala., 42 persons.
2. Conover, N. C., 7 persons. 3. Elon, N.C., 17
persons.

III. Congregations that record again. (The first
number designates the present membership, while
the number in parantheses shows the gain.) 1.Acker-
ville, Ala., 45 (45). 2. Arlington (formerly called
Lamison), Ala., 73 (73). 3. Atmore, Ala., 82 (35).
4, Birmingham, Ala., 70 (9). 5. Buena Vista, Ala.,
126 (19). 6. Camden, Ala., 5% (23). 1%. Cathe-
rine, Ala., 19 (19). 8. Hamburg, Ala., 103 (13).
9. Kings Landing, Ala., 90 (1). 10. Lamison, Ala.,
36 (36). 11. Maplesville, Ala., 26 (26). 12. Mobile,
Ala., 65 (19). 13. Nyland, Ala., 80 (16). 14. Oak
Hill, Ala., 85 (11). 15. Pine Hill, Ala., 57 (19).
16. Possum Bend, Ala., 76 (1). 17. Rockwest, Ala.,
77 (4). 18. Rosebud, Ala., 221 (37). 19. Selma, Ala.,
131 (61). 20. Taits, Ala., 114 (14). 21. Tinela,
Ala., 100 (5). 22. Pensacola, Fla., 36 (36).
Total increase in the Alabama field, 522. —
23. Bethlehem, New Orleans, 255 (26). 24. Con-
cordia, New Orleans, 50 (10). 25. Mount Zion,
New Orleans, 290 (34). 26. St. Paul’s, New Or-
leans, 441 (36). 27. Alexandria, La., 91 (34).
28. Mansura, La., 134 (22). Total increase in

Louisiana, 152. — 29. Catawba, N. C., 20 (3).
* 30. Mount Zion, Charlotte, N. C., 71 (5). 31. Con-

cord, N. C., 251 (21). 32. Bostian Cross Roads,
N. C., 43 (1). 33. Drys Schoolhouse, N. C., 45
(15). ‘34. Grace, Greensboro, N. C.; 125 (381).
35. Luther Memorial, Greensboro, N. C., 40 (40).
36. Kannapolis, N. C., 181 (31). 37. Mount Pleas-
ant, N. C., 58 (16). 38. Pomona, N. C., 2 (2).
39. Salisbury, N. C., 53 (14). 40. Winston-Salem,
N.C., 22 (3). Total amount of increase in North
Carolina, 181. — Isolated congregations: 41. Little
Rock, Ark., 23 (3). 42. Los Angeles, Cal., 81 (15).
43. Oakland, Cal., 20 (20). 44. Atlanta, Ga., 61
(9). 45. Chicago, Ill., 148 (83). 46. Springfield,
Ill., 102 (3). 4%. Jacksonville, Ill., 8 (2). 48. Buf-
falo, N. Y., 28 (28). 49. Yonkers, N. Y., 108 (10).
50. Cincinnati, 0., 39 (12). 51. Cleveland, 0., 33
(33). 52. Philadelphia, Pa., 61 (8). 53. St. Philip’s,
St. Louis, 175 (175). Increase in isolated congre-
gations: 401. Total increase on the whole mission-
field, 1,259.

The numerical strength of the four districts is
the following: Sixteen scattered congregations and
preaching-places, with 1,101 souls, or baptized mem-
bers, which are under the spiritual care of our mis-
sionaries. Eight congregations in Louisiana, with
1,323 souls. Twenty-four congregations and preach-
ing-places in the Carolinas, with 1,338 souls.
Twenty-nine congregations in Alabama, with 2,135
souls.

Three Remarkable Records.

The fact that our membership increased 19 per
cent. in the course of the last two years is in itself
quite remarkable; but we have several other won-
ders of God’s grace and blessing to record. The
first is

Tue RemarKkasty Low DEatH-Rate.

Many of those who hear of our mission-work
among the American Negroes cannot imagine what
a great change occurs among those colored people
who accept God’s Word and Luther’s doctrine pure.
The Apostle Paul declares: “If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature.” ‘This is also true of
our Lutheran Negro. His heart, mind, thoughts,
and words become new. He becomes a changed man.
For this reason the death-rate among our Lutheran
Negroes is much lower than the average death-rate
among the American colored people. According to
statistics which we have at hand, the annual death-
rate among Negroes is 18 per thousand. In our
colored Lutheran Church, however, the death-rate
was only 9 per thousand. This is surely most note-
worthy, and this remarkably low death-rate shows
that our Lutheran Negroes have become an alto-