The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 134

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134

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

ii ell lll EE ES

country, but a large portion of it was accumulated
during previous years of prosperity. The situation
has become critical. Something has to be done
about it as soon as possible, otherwise we shall
reach a point where the work of the Synod in the
kingdom of God at large will have to be greatly
curtailed.

Synod at its recent meeting in Milwaukee, after
thorough and prayerful deliberation, adopted reso-
lutions instructing the Board of Directors to inau-
gurate the proper steps toward balancing our synod-
ical budget. The laymen present showed their great
interest in the matter by discussing the problem at
great length in several meetings of their own and
offered suggestions concerning the method to be
employed in the raising of funds to meet our synod-
ical obligations. Since that time the Board of
Directors and the officers of Synod, together with
representative laymen, have worked out plans which
will be presented to every circuit and to every con-
gregation in our organization.

If these plans, under God, are not to miscarry,
they must receive the earnest and prayerful atten-
tion of all our people, old and young. Our pastors
and congregations must discuss them and deliberate
on them.

The present economic condition in our country
dare not be an excuse to sidestep the issue. Our
obligations to Synod do not cease in days of de-
pression. Besides, the debt of Synod is not so
great that immense wealth is required to wipe it out.
The important point is that, if every member of
Synod will do his or her part, the debt can teadily
be canceled. Let us do our utmost to convince every
member of Synod to contribute according as the
Lord has blessed him, even in these times. If we
cooperate in this, the task can be done. Will
you help?

SynopicaL Entercency Coniection

CoscicrnrEE. W. G. Potack.

Old Uncle.

All the people in town knew Old Uncle. I shall
always remember him. He was a little eccentric,
itis true. He would often stand at the street-corner
and sing songs of Zion while the children gathered
around him and listened. But he was considered
an honest, true Christian. The people told me, “If
you take Old Uncle to ’tend to your room, you may
_ scatter gold dollars about the house, he will not

take a single one.” I never tried this; and there
was a good reason for not trying it. I could not
have tried it even with greenbacks. But still I al-
ways found Old Uncle honest, a true child of God.

One evening he came to get his pay for some
work he had done at the school. I told him to take
a seat, and after talking with him about Luther,
whose picture he saw hanging on the wall, I asked
him, “How is it, Uncle, that you are so different
from many others, so that you can always be
trusted?” This is what he answered, as far as
I can remember: “It is the Lord’s grace. I lived
bad once like many other people. I once thought
the Lord had made all the chickens for Old Uncle.
I was not honest then, no. But I knew I was doing
wrong, and I tried to be better, but I could not.
I then saw that I was bad all over, that I was rotten,
rotten to the core, and that God must punish me
with eternal damnation. I was afraid to die then.
But one day some one spoke to me from the Bible
about Jesus, who came to save sinners. I was a bad
sinner, a rotten sinner, and oh! I was glad to hear
that Jesus saves sinners and washes away sins by
His blood. I believed in Jesus and was changed.
Yes, it is all God’s grace. I am poor, but Jesus
makes me rich.”

Old Uncle soon said “Good night” and left for
his home. Sitting at my desk, I heard him singing
as he walked down the street : —

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling.

Whenever I now hear a drunkard or any other
man talk about making himself better by his own
strength, I think of Old Uncle and of that word
“rotten.” I pray God to make such a man feel
that he is rotten and can be saved and gain strength
to fight against sin only by faith in Jesus, the Savior
of sinners. R. A.B.

Old Aunt Judy.

That was her name. If she had any other, the
folks never heard it. They all called her Aunt
Judy. She was a poor old colored woman. She
lived in a small and low cabin of rough’ boards,
scarcely high enough for a tall man to stand in
erect, and the only floor was the ground, worn bare
and smooth. And there was some furniture in the
cabin, yes. There was a box, a cheap pine table,
two or three broken chairs, a cooking-stove, and a
rude bed. That was the furniture, worth less than
five dollars put together. Old Aunt J udy was poor,