The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 92

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92

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

a high-wave length I tuned in on a familiar sound.
Just a moment, and the announcer spoke the words,
“KFUO, the Gospel Voice.” Then I was privileged
to hear the voice of one of my former professors. To
one 1,200 miles from kith and kin it felt very good
indeed to hear a familiar voice. To be sure it never
occurred to me at that time that not many years
hence I should be privileged to address the vast
audience of KFUO and to speak of the great things
that God has done in the Northland.

An Expanding Field.

Another section of Northern Minnesota that has
experienced an appreciable growth is that of Inter-
national Falls, near the Canadian boundary-line.
I believe it was some fifteen years ago when we
began to do mission-work in International Falls.
The mission was opened with only several communi-
cants and a,few strangers who found their way into
our services. The first missionaries apparently
made very little progress among the fluctuating
population of the town. Some ten years ago Pastor
H. A. Mayer, now at Bay City, Mich., accepted a call
to International Falls. Finally success came, and
a congregation was organized with about eight or
ten voting members. Pastor Mayer also extended
his activities, and other stations grew up around and
‘at Fort Francis, on the Canadian side. Also at
Baudette, some fifty miles west, work was begun
with apparent success. A few years ago Fort
Francis and Baudette had their own missionaries;
at present Rev. Bollefer is laboring at International
Falls and serying also the Fort Francis territory.
Baudette parish, after a vacancy of several years,
has again been supplied. Pastor Bode accepted a
call there last summer.

Following the main highway, which is graveled,
southward from International Falls, we reach Be-
midji, an imposing town on beautiful Lake Bemidji,
known to hundreds of tourists who annually spend
the summer months in their cottages there. Ten
years ago we were hardly represented in this town
of some 20,000 inhabitants; to-day the Bemidji
congregation, together with the country charge at
Frohn, is self-supporting. Rey. P. J. Seltz is their
pastor. Southeast, southwest, and north from there
we have congregations at Cass Lake (Rev. Schwei-
kert, pastor), Tenstrike (Rev. Dierks, pastor),
Redby, in the Indian reservation (Rey. Boyer, pas-
tor). Some thirty miles southwest of Bemidji we

find Itaska State Park and Lake Itaska, the source

_ of the mighty Mississippi.

There the Mississippi
_ has but a step’s width. ms,

Services for Tourists.

During the months of July and August a great
number of tourists from all parts of the country
camp along the lake. Every Sunday evening dur-
ing this time Pastor Seebach, of Zerkel, has an
open-air service for the tourists. Appreciation of
this unique form of services is evidenced by large
attendances. Seated on the grassy opening, on fold-
ing-chairs, or in their machines, the traveling public
listens to sermons and joins in with the singing.
The tourist enjoys the opportunity of attending
services. In addition to his congregation at Zerkel,
some fifteen miles from the state park, Rev. Seebach
also serves four other stations.

Wending our way through the dense pine forest
from Zerkel for fifteen more miles, we reach the
National and State Highway between Grand Forks,
N. Dak., and Duluth, Minn. Traveling west on this
highway some thirty miles, we enter the town of
Fosston, where Pastor O. R. Graupner is stationed.
Also Duane, about twelve miles distant, is served
by him. Just eight miles out of Fosston is McIn-
tosh, where I was stationed for two and a half
years. Only four and a half years ago Fosston and
McIntosh parishes were served by only one pastor.
The work progressed to such an extent that the
field had to be divided. To the McIntosh parish,
which originally was composed of two congrega-
tions, one in the town and the other six miles out,
the congregation at Mentor, fourteen miles distant,
was added. Several years ago the country congre-
gation of the McIntosh parish joined the one in
town. This made it possible better to serve the
Mentor territory with its many unchurched people.
The members of the Mentor congregation are mainly
of Norwegian extraction. A reorganization of the
congregation is at present being effected.

Thus we have touched upon the mission-terri-
tories of Northwestern Minnesota, where work was
begun only in the last ten or fifteen years. The
Lord has blessed our work in this section of Minne-
sota. Indeed, if we look upon the financial returns
from these northernmost missions, one might be
prone to ask, “Is it worth while?” However, let
us remember that these people are financially in
poor circumstances and therefore cannot show their
thankfulness for the service of missionaries in dol-
lars and cents. Many of them live in log huts and
veritable shacks with often six, eight, and ten
crowded into one or two small and dingy rooms.
But they are willing to give what they can, and
notwithstanding many inconveniences they attend