The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 53

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

53

“All in all, about 400 persons are thus regularly
reached with the precious Word of God. These
students and teachers come from all parts of Mis-
sissippi and even from beyond the borders of the
State.

“We thus continue to sow the seed, praying con-
fidently to the Lord to make good His promise:
‘My Word shall not return unto Me void.’ And
there are many signs plainly indicating that our
prayer is being heard. He is already blessing our
work abundantly.”

Readers, let us thank God that He has so gra-
ciously opened this exceedingly promising field to
us and our mission, and let us also thank Him that
He has given our Colored Missions consecrated
workers like Pastor Schmidt, who is working in this
new field so cheerfully, so hopefully, and, under the
gracious blessing of God, so successfully.

F.J.L.

Immanuel Lutheran College Chronicle.

Members of the faculty are conducting Lenten
services in the chapel every Wednesday evening for
the students and for the members of Grace Lutheran
Church. The series of sermons is based on the Seven
Words of Christ on the cross.

Forty children in Miss Addie McTier’s room
were asked the other day, “How do we get into
heaven?” Every one of the children answered, “Be-
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The children also
explained their answers by adding that Jesus suf-
fered and died on the cross to pay the penalty for
our sins. Miss McTier teaches grades three to five.
Thirteen of the pupils have joined the class of cate-
chumens and are taking special instructions after
school preparatory to confirmation. However, not
all will be ready for confirmation this year, since
a number are barely twelve years old, while children
on the day of their confirmation should, as a rule,
be fourteen. ,

The new Grace-Luther Memorial Church, a few
blocks from the college, is rapidly nearing comple-
tion. While it is neither the largest nor the most
costly of the colored churches in Greensboro, the
building easily ranks as one of the most beautiful in
the entire city. The structure seems to breathe the
words “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place
and rest a while.” ;

- During a recent canvass of the community some
of the students found much enthusiasm among the
people for the new church.

Only one thing mars our joy when we contem-

plate the beautiful edifice, and that is that so far the
congregation has been unable to obtain a good pastor
to carry on the work. Two calls were sent by the
Mission Board to the Rev. Frank Alston; but owing
to the insistence of his people he declined the first
call. To the second call he could not give a great
deal of consideration because of a breakdown, which
necessitated his removal to a hospital. Since then
the board has granted him a vacation to recuperate
his strength. [Pastor Alston has died since this was
written. — Eprror.]

Tracts, canvass supplies, and other excellent
material for bringing our church to the attention of
others may be obtained free of charge from the
American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, 69 Fifth Ave.,
New York City. A postal card to the bureau will
bring a large envelope full of samples.

Wx. H. GEHRKE.

Free Soil, Mich.

What is the northernmost post in the Colored
Missions doing?

We are not wide awake nor bubbling with pent-
up enthusiasm, yet we are not dead, but plodding
along as well as we'can.

We have lost some members. Some have left
these parts for places similar to this; others have
departed for the realms above, so that there is only
a handful left; and most of these are women and
children.

The prospects for future growth, as far as
human eyes can see, are not favorable. The colored
population is scattered over a large area here, and
at no place is it clustered. Every village and some
country neighborhoods have colored inhabitants.
In winter they are sometimes snow-bound; in
summer they must go elsewhere to seek work. The
land here is poor, and so are the prospects for busi-
ness booms.

But our church is not standing still. Our
attendance runs from three to twenty-three. One
family even paid another man a dollar a Sunday to
take them to church, and since Thanksgiving we |
had a number of Indians in services a few times.

In the summer of 1927 our old log chapel in the
Jack Pines was dismantled, and a fine frame build-
ing was erected in the village of Free Soil. It is
a neat little white building, accommodating from
25 to 35 people.

Since last year we have been using the little
mission-hymnal. ‘The good old Lutheran hymns,-