The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 101

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER 101

served the Lord and St. Paul’s Congregation to this
day. Other graduates of Luther College who have
served in our school many years, are Miss Sylvina
Raymond, who has taught fifteen years, and Teacher
A. V. Berger. The former is still teacher in our
Sunday-school and the latter in our day-school.
After more than seventeen
years of faithful service at
St. Paul’s, Pastor Lankenau,
in the summer of 1908, fol-
lowed an urgent call to an-
other congregation. The Rev.
Albert Witt became his suc-
cessor. Rev. Witt, however,
remained only a little more
than half a year.... After
Prof. F. Wenger, now profes-
sor at the Theological Seminary in Springfield,
Ill., had taken charge of our congregation for more
than one year in addition to his work at Luther
College, the Rev. Ed Schmidt accepted a call to this
congregation in 1910 and remained until he fol-
lowed a call as chaplain in the United States Army
in 1918. Just like Pastors Bakke and Lankenau so
also he left a congregation that had learned to love
and esteem him, for he had been a faithful and

Rev. Ed Schmidt.

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Rev. Miles Gebauer.

zealous laborer in the Lord’s vineyard. During his
years of service, in January, 1912, he had the
pleasure of branching off from St. Paul’s the faith-
ful little Trinity Congregation near the Industrial
Canal. This, of course, decreased St. Paul’s mem-
bership a little.

During Rev. Schmidt’s remaining years at St.
Paul’s and during the years of Rey. Miles Gebauer,
who faithfully served this congregation for two and
a half years after Pastor Schmidt had left, the
Lord, however, gave increase to St. Paul’s Congre-
gation to such an extent that the membership had
nearly come up to its former mark at the time of
Pastor Gebauer’s leaving.

Well liked by St. Paul’s members and ever
willing to help, Prof. H. Meibohm, then professor of
Luther College (now professor at Immanuel Lu-
theran College in Greensboro, N.C.), as before the
coming of Pastor Gebauer in 1919, so also after his
leaving, gave all spare time, and often more, to this
congregation until the present pastor was installed
on March 5, 1922. The congregation on that day
numbered 356 souls.

On this day of our golden jubilee, God, who
giveth the increase, has brought the membership of
our congregation to 519 souls. In our day-school
108 children are taught the Word of God and are
also instructed in the secular branches, thus being
prepared for this life and the next. The Sunday-
school has an enrolment equal to that of our day-
school. And the Bible class, which was reorganized
in 1927, now numbers over 50 young people.

Thus the Lord has supplied our church with the
Bread of Life and has blessed the work of His ser-
vants. To Him be glory and honor now and forever !

Dr. Francis Pieper.

Death has taken a
truly great man from
among us. Dr. Francis
Pieper, the great theo-
logian and warm friend
of missions, is no longer
with us. We shall no
longer be privileged to
hear his lucid presen-
tation of Biblical truths
at our conventions; we.
shall no longer look for-
ward in happy antici-
pation to new priceless :
literary gems from his pen; his lips will no longer
bring to us words of cheer and encouragement when
our spirits are low. But though his lips are mute,
his eyes no longer flash, and his heart beats no
longer in sympathy, his memory among us will live
and_ his blessed influence continue.

Prof. F. Pieper, D. D.