The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 54

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54

for instance, “Abide, O Dearest Jesus” and “Christ,
the Life of All the Living,” are much liked.

Last year the first contributions for outside pur-
poses were made. They amounted to $1.26, and
they all came from one family. It is small, yet
significant of a start for greater feats. And they
also are forthcoming, for some of the members have
decided to take envelopes and so contribute regu-

larly to Christ’s cause.
Lyon FE. Jones, in the Missionary Lutheran.

High Point, N.C.

The little congregation in High Point expe-
rienced God’s blessing in rich measure during the
past year. The membership increased 100 per cent.
and the collections over 350 per cent. Attendance
also has grown apace.

The day-school was reopened at the beginning
of the present school-year and has maintained an
enrolment of 50 pupils, all of whom are also regular
members of the Sunday-school.

High Point has a Negro population of over
%,000, many of whom are unchurched. Although
other denominations have already established larger
and prosperous congregations, there is nevertheless
still a good field for our Church. J. E. SHurer.

It Is Her Desire to Help the Church.

Beatrice Young, aged seven, the stepdaughter
of Sheffield Young, one of the brothers of the
undersigned, is a very bright young girl and has a
very strong mission-spirit. One day Beatrice ap-
proached the writer and said, “Aunt Rosa, I want
you to organize a society for us.”

“Why do you want a society, Bea?” I asked.

“To help the Church,” said Bea. “I want to
try to get some more members.”

“And what else?” inquired the writer.

“To keep our young people together, to keep
them from going to the B. Y. P. U.,” replied Bea.
_ The undersigned, becoming more and more in-
terested, inquired whether there was any other
reason and whether she had a name for her society.

“The Y. P. L. L.,” answered Bea.

“My, my, what does all that mean?” I inquired.
a “That means the Young People’s Lutheran
_ League,” said Bea with a smile.

' “ine, fine, fine! ‘That is a good name. I see
you haye been thinking,” was the answer of the
riter, given to encourage the child. :

‘ Re Rosa J. Youne.

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

The North Carolina Synod and
Negro Missions.

The mission-work of the Synodical Conference
among the Negroes of North Carolina was begun
in the year 1891. However, this was not the begin-
ning of Lutheran mission-work among the Freed-
men of the Old North State. The Synod of North
Carolina undertook this work nearly a quarter of
a century prior to the coming of our first mis-
sionary to Concord, N.C. Its work of evangelizing
the Negro is but little known in our circles. More-
over, some of the information given us on this inter-
esting subject is erroneous. Fairness demands the
removal of such misinformation.

1.

“In the year 1888 the North Carolina Synod of
the Lutheran Church resolved to begin a mission
among the colored people.” (Our Colored Missions,
illustrated, p. 49.)

According to this statement the North Carolina
Synod waited twenty-three years after the close of
the Civil War before resolving to begin mission-
work among the Negroes of North Carolina. How-
ever, this is not true. The printed minutes of the
North Carolina Synod show that this body began
mission-work among the colored people of the State
as early as 1868. In that year a Committee on the
Relation of the Church to the Freedmen was ap-
pointed. This committee submitted the following
resolutions, which were adopted : —

“Resolved, That, whenever our colored brethren
desire to preach, they may make application to some
of the ministers of our synod, who shall inform the
president, when it shall be his duty to appoint two
ordained ministers, who, in connection with ‘two
laymen whom they may choose, shall constitute
a committee to examine the candidate upon his
motives and mental and moral qualifications and,
if they are satisfied, to license him to preach the
Gospel, to catechize, to administer the ordinances,
and to celebrate the rites of matrimony among those
of his own race, or perform such ministerial func-
tions as the committee may deem expedient in the
case, according to the usage of our Church, until
the next session of Synod thereafter, when said
committee shall report.

“Resolved, That we use every reasonable means
to aid them in organizing and building up congre-
gations for their spiritual edification and improve-
ment.”

Under this action of the North Carolina Synod