The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 21

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

21

gation in confessing its faith in the words of the
Apostles’ Creed and in prayer. The collection raised
after the service was $5.58.

During the course of the service also the fol-
lowing short history of St. Philip’s Mission was
read, which may be of interest to others and worth
recording here: —

Over a year ago the Board for Colored Mis-
sions of the Synodical Conference, through its
Missionary Expansion Committee, issued a call for
missionary expansion, especially where such ex-
pansion could be carried on without additional ex-
pense to the treasury. Mount Zion Congregation
then, after a careful study of its own community
and of outlying sections, directed its interest to the
back-of-town section lying in the neighborhood of
Washington and Carrollton avenues.. In the early
part of January, 1932, Mr. Eddie Joshua, a member
of Concordia Chapel, Holley Grove and Cohn
streets, occasionally attended evening services at
Mount Zion, and in the course of a conversation
with the pastor drifted to the subject of starting
a mission “back-o’-town,” offering his home as a
starting-place. This offer was accepted by Mount
Zion Congregation, which then called for volunteers
to teach Sunday-school regularly on Sunday after-
noons at 7910 Forshey Street.

Miss Beulah Millender of St. Louis was at that
time the principal of Mount Zion School and kindly
offered her services for the new Sunday-school. She
opened the Sunday-school on the second Sunday in
January with an attendance of about ten. The at-
tendance increased gradually to about thirty-five,
when it was deemed advisable to rent more roomy
quarters. A house, 3327 Short Street, formerly
converted into a chapel by another denomination
and then abandoned, was rented at $1.50 a week.
The rent was paid from the collections taken at
services, and Mount Zion was called on for assis-
tance whenever the collections fell short of the sum
needed. This move was made immediately after
Easter, 1932, at which time Miss Millender took
sick, and soon after she returned to her home in
St. Louis and after months of illness was called to
her eternal reward on December 6. At 3327 Short
Street regular preaching-services were begun and
were continued every Sunday at 3.30 p. a1. and every
Wednesday at 8 p. xr. Sunday-school, however, had
to be conducted by the pastor immediately after the
8.30 service, since no volunteer could at that time
be found to take Miss Millender’s place. At that
time also an old, but usable organ was received
from Bethlehem Church, Washington Avenue and

Dryades Street, and Mrs. Ruth White joined us and
became our faithful organist.

The Short Street building changed hands in
June and was converted into a residence. This
compelled us to seek other quarters, and another
abandoned chapel at 3208 Pine Street was rented at
$6 a month. Here the members resolved to conduct
their own Sunday-school every Sunday morning
at 9.30 under the superintendency of Mr. Ceril
Manuel, since received by transfer from Bethlehem
Congregation. At that time also Mount Zion noted
the fine progress of the mission, a number of
children having been baptized and confirmed, and
advised it to choose a name, so that transfers from
other congregations might be made, and to begin
operating on its own initiative instead of looking to
Mount Zion for guidance.

The name St. Philip’s Evangelical Lutheran
Church was adopted in memory of Miss Millender’s
labors, whose home congregation in St. Louis is
St. Philip’s. The wish and hope were then: ex-
pressed that this St. Philip’s Congregation might
also grow and prosper as does St. Philip’s in
St. Louis. Until then this mission had been known
as Mount Zion, Branch No. 2 (Branch No. 1 being
below the Industrial Canal) ; but now all members
of Bethlehem, Concordia, and Mount Zion desiring
to join St. Philip’s were given transfers, and those
coming from outside were received into membership
directly.

In October the second chapel we had rented also
was sold and converted into a residence, and after
much deliberation it was resolved to rent tempora-
rily the little lunch-room at 3332 Pine Street and
to look for an opportunity to build or buy. Nego-
tiations were made to purchase the “green box”
church at the end of the bus line on Broadway for
$800. Another denomination, however, was given
the preference, and so this plan failed. We found
our work greatly hampered by moving from place
to place, and people hesitated to worship with us as
long as we did not seem permanently located, saying
they did not know where we would move next. So
the congregation resolved with the help of God to
build, in a pioneer fashion, its own place of worship.
The membership at this time included over a dozen
communicant members and about twenty children.
Five to twenty-five cents a week by men, women,
and children of St. Philip’s constitute the means ~
with which the purchase of this lot, 3220 Pine
Street, and the erection of this chapel are being
financed.

The kindness of the ladies’ aid of Hope Lu-