The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Sheet 87

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

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the rite of confirmation. This year’s class of con-
firmands, which consisted wholly of children, was
by far the largest ever admitted into the congrega-
tion. Then, too, on that Sunday all previous atten-
dance records were broken, as the weather was un-
usually pleasant. Tvery pew was literally jammed,
and despite the fact that every available chair in
the vestry was brought into use, many persons were
compelled to stand in the aisles.

The pastor, the Rev. G. M. Kramer, addressed
his lambs upon the words of our Redeemer, “Will
ye also go away?” The sweetness of the singing
was enhanced by the choir, which, consisting of
twenty-two voices, rendered a number of beautiful
selections.

The following Tuesday night the young soldiers
of the Cross were entertained by Bethlehem Ladies’
Aid Society, which had provided an inspiring pro-
gram for the occasion. Some fifty guests were in
attendance. Addresses were made by the pastor and
the president of the society, Miss B. J. Craig. There
were selections by the choir and “The Bethlehem
Four.” Delicious refreshments were served: The
ladies’ aid, true to the purpose for which it was
organized, had rendered aid in the way of clothing
and shoes to a number of the needy confirmands.

On Friday night of the same week the confir-
mation class was again entertained, this time by the
Bethlehem Young People’s Social and Literary
Society. Teachers Osborne Williams and Mercedes
Vanderhorst, the directors of the young people, had
spared no pains to assist the society in making their
program a worthy one. An attendance equally as
large as that on Tuesday night was on hand.
Addresses were made by the pastor, Mr. Sidney
Tervalon of Chicago, who was visiting here, and the
writer. Readings and a number of vocal and instru-
mental numbers were on the program. Not the
least of the numbers was the one which called for
the luscious refreshments for the guests.

After all, however, the lavish entertainments,
given with such open hands and hearts in honor
of the young Christians, are but a faint and
shadowy representation of the heavenly feast pro-
vided for them by Christ Jesus, which awaits them
in the mansions above.

May our Lord and Savior, who has gathered
these young people into His fold, guard and keep
them until they reach their heavenly home!

On Thursday night, May 7, our congregation
witnessed a unique service. A radio was placed
in the church. At 8 o’clock we tuned in on the
Lutheran Hour. Many strangers who had not yet

heard the Lutheran Hour were thus afforded an
opportunity to hear the singing of the students of
Concordia Seminary and the inspiring sermon of
Dr. Maier. After the radio hour the congregation
proceeded with the regular service. The collection
raised at this service will be sent to the Lutheran
Laymen’s League as a small token of appreciation
of the profit and enjoyment which they have pro-
vided us through the Lutheran Hour.

A. Winey.

Our Colored Mission-Schools.

While Christian day-schools at all times serve
a most important purpose, we have always felt that
they have a peculiarly important place in our Col-
ored Missions. To help the Church perform its
work among the Negroes of Alabama, for example,
the church-school is an agency which looms up par-
ticularly big. As we all know, its mission is to
give the children within its walls religious instruc-
tion, to instruct them in God’s Word, to teach them
how to live a life that will honor their Lord and
Savior, and also to give them a good, thorough, prac-
tical common-school education.

These mission-schools are under the care of the
Mission Board, supervised directly by the pastor of
the mission-charge and frequently even taught by
him, but generally by other teachers, specially edu-
cated for the work. They have been a great factor
in the growth of the Church among the Freedmen
in the past and are acknowledged to be a necessity
to-day, to save the children for the Church, for one
thing, but also to enable the missionary to gain an
entrance into homes whose members are not as yet
united with the Church. Many of the pastors and
teachers serving in church and school to-day will
testify that it was through the mission day-school
that they were brought to Christ. Our little con-
gregation at Mansura, L., has probably furnished
more pastors and teachers than any other of our
colored congregations; but it was largely through
the school that a desire to serve the Lord was
awakened and strengthened in the hearts of these
workers. The products of our colored parochial
schools are among the best of our laborers in equip-
ment and spirit. f

In fields of labor like Alabama the greatest need
of the hour among the colored people is not a few
large schools, with hundreds of pupils enrolled,
but rather a large number of small schools, distrib-
uted over a wide expanse of territory. It is not
centralization, but distribution that conditions