The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 122

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122 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

Ibesikpo do not want to darken their children any
more. Ibesikpo would be very thanksful to see
Lutheran Mission in Ibesikpo our countries, and
become a Lutheranism. Again we put this thing in
great consideration the reason why we do not get
a letter from you since we have written to you.
Now we are ready to get a letter from you in behalf
of Ibesikpo country, to know the main things against
your coming. If there be any trouble write us
once. We should be very thankful to here that
Mr. J. U. Ekon is one of your students in Greens-
boro. We beg again to write us and point us a place
which we can get some books. Please send us news-
paper or pamplet. Awaiting your favourable reply,
Sincerely your, Ibesikpo United Church.”

The Blind Leader is Led Aright.— We take
this item from Superintendent Gehrke’s Eastern
Field Bulletin: “A preacher got into an argument
with one of his members regarding the body of
Christ. Did it turn to gas, or did it molder away?
Finally this non-Lutheran preacher decided to have
one of our teachers at Grace-Luther Memorial
School settle the question for all time. He came
and heard, ‘On the third day Jesus rose again from
the dead.’ ”

Death of Three Staunch Friends of Our Negro
Missions.— Pastors H. Lothmann and P. Hickstaedt
as well as Dr. M. J. Schmidt have recently been
called to their heavenly rest after years of faithful
and successful service in the Church. All three
were members of the Central District of the Mis-
souri Synod, and all three were loyal supporters of
our work among the Negroes, as the writer of these
lines was made to feel upon more than one occasion.
They are now resting from their labors, while their
works follow them. May the heavenly Father com-
fort their survivors with the precious assurances of
His grace! ;

Paying vs. Giving. — When you pay, you con-
tribute in return for what you have received; when
you pay, you discharge a real debt. The church
and school plants, the services of your pastor and
teacher, the activities of your congregation, are
a benefit to you and the members of your family.
When you therefore furnish your share of the
church’s support, you are paying, not giving. You
are not performing a deed of benevolence; you are
only doing your duty. When you give, you expect
to receive nothing in return; you do not look for-
_ ward to a.recompense. When you contribute to the

“carrying on of the Church’s activities which do not
directly benefit you, you may be said to give. But

do not think that because this is giving, it is less
your duty than is the paying we have mentioned
above. It is not right for you to receive and not
pay; but it is also wrong not to show mercy and
not to give.

A “Lutheran Hour” Echo. — The following was
received at the office of the Lutheran Laymen’s
League: “Our little family heard the talk over
WHK to-night, and all agree it was very good. My
wife and son go to church every Sunday, but I have
lost interest. My father was a Sunday-school super-
intendent when he died. My wife is superintendent
in a Sunday-school department now. I was a mem-
ber of the official board, and then I changed (not
all at once). Sometimes I think I did not change,
but the Church did. Maybe I’m wrong. I’m going
to try again. I like a Church that preaches the

Bible. I like the old songs. Your,speaker sure Bi

told the truth. When the Church of to-day takes
the old road, it will get somewhere. I’m sending
a dollar to help carry on the work. Please send
the cross. I will keep it to remember the day
I started again.”

A “Lutheran Hour’ Echo from Canada. —
“T want you to know how much your beautiful
Thursday night messages are enjoyed by my hus-
band and myself as well as by some of our Christian
friends. We belong to the United Church of
Canada, formerly St. James’s Methodist, but our
church is governed now by a Modernist from the
United States, and we cannot enjoy his sermons.
He knocks out every prop of our good old religion,
and I have stopped listening to him. Your sermon
three weeks ago described it all exactly as it is.
It is not a religion. I really do not know what
it is. It is a great joy to hear a real Gospel sermon
coming in over the radio once a week, especially
when the blessed blood of Jesus is mentioned. We
seldom hear it except in the Pentecost Mission or
other missions. to which we go once in a long, long
while. So I want you to know the great pleasure

.you are giving us as well as many more all over

Canada.”

Three More Appreciations of the “Lutheran
Hour.” — “I have been considering joining, but
have been a little backward about meeting strange
faces and have been so all my life. If I had
somebody to contact me with the minister, the rest
would be easy.” — “Listening to your programs has
done me much good. I never used to go to church
much, but when I heard your sermon, something
entered my heart, and I was very sorry for all my