The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 147

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

147

Piney Woods School draws students from all
parts of the State of Mississippi. ‘There are many
who come from beyond Mississippi’s borders.

Arrival of the Lutheran Church.

Into this field your Lutheran Church has been
called, and here at Piney Woods your Church is
teaching the glorious tidings of a Savior from sin.
Mr. Jones realized the importance of religious in-
struction. Through Mr. Henry Johann, a member
of our white Lutheran Church at Collinsville, T1.,
Mr. Jones’s attention was called to our Lutheran
Church. Mr. Johann moved to Piney Woods to take
charge of the nursery work on the campus. Through
the testimony of this young man God opened for us
this new field.

I recall distinetly the first time I stepped before

San ney waa nas

Mr. Johann.
It was through Mr. Johann that our Church came to Piney
Woods. He has been very helpful. Among other things, he
has driven upward of a hundred miles with the missionary
every week for a year without charging anything.

a Sunday-school class at Piney Woods. In the
course of the lesson the question was asked: “How
many of you have kept the First Commandment?”
All of the forty girls and boys in that class raised
their hands. The idea that man can keep the com-
mandments, that man is saved by deeds of love,
that man gets to heaven by trying to be good and
living right, was general.

After one of the first services, in which was
pointed out that the heathen hope to gain God’s
favor by sacrifices, offerings, and the like and that
all who expect to be saved by their own deeds have
a heathen religion, one of the officials at Piney
Woods, now a good friend of mine, came up to me
and said: “Rev. Schmidt, you don’t mean to say
that all those people who expect to be saved by their
deeds have a heathen religion, do you?’ When

I assured him that I had stated and meant just that,
he was shocked.

At a meeting of the student-body some months
after I started work at Piney Woods one of the
students arose and declared: “All these years I be-
lieved and have been taught that by doing good and
living right we are saved, and here these past months
we are being told that it is not what we do, but what
Jesus has done that saves us. I wish this matter
would be cleared up.” It is becoming clear to
hundreds as the time goes by.

During the last school-year the writer of these
lines taught religion six periods of forty-five minutes
each daily on four days of the week. This summer,
Bible classes were organized and fully ninety per
cent. of the students voluntarily enrolled. Some
of the students who did not come to class were work-
ing at the time instruction was given and for that
reason could not attend.

Besides conducting Sunday-school and regular
services on Sunday, with an attendance during the
regular school-term of over 300 at each service,
Suhday-school teachers’ meetings are held each Fri-
day night. ‘These meetings are attended by a large
number of the faculty members. This summer
a regular course of Bible instruction was given to
the members of the faculty on Mondays, Wednes-
days, and Fridays. These instructions were by
request, and the interest was very keen.

The Blessed Fruit.

One member of the faculty wrote me while
I was on a vacation: “Had I come in contact with
the Lutheran Church earlier, my life’s vocation
would have been entirely different from what it
now is.” We have every reason to believe that there
is genuine appreciation for the work being done by
the Lutheran Church. ‘The message of the Cross,
the message of the grace of God in Christ, which
alone can bring comfort to the hearts of sinners, is
bringing fruit in many ways at Piney Woods both
among members of the faculty and among the
students.

Last night, on the program given by the students,
were some Bible questions, asked by one of the high-
school girls. ‘Two questions as well as the answers
struck us forcibly. The girl asked one of the stu-
dents : “Are we saved by faith in Jesus or by works ?””
The answer came back without hesitation: “We are
saved alone by faith’ Another student was asked:
“What must I do to be saved?” The correct answer
was given: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved.” :