The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 105

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

105:

churches, when they come over to us, have no Bible
and must be encouraged to obtain the Word and
get into the habit of daily reading it.

Later, in the meeting with the voters, I came
back to the same subject, and it developed then that
one member, with “ten head o’ children,” has a large
family Bible which is used in devotions every noon.
With father and mother and children old enough
to go to the fields up early, there cannot well be
a family gathering in the morning. So at noon,
when all gather at the house and dinner is over,
his family spends a quiet half-hour in the yard
under the tree reading from the Scriptures and
discussing generally what has been read.

An unexpected, but very pleasing glimpse into
one phase of this simple-hearted Christian’s fam-
ily life. :

Zeal at Sacrifice.

In Sunday-school we had recited the Third Chief
Part of the Catechism. To enable adults to take
part, a number of penny Catechisms were distrib-
uted. When collecting these, a word was spoken
encouraging such as didn’t have a Catechism to ob-
tain one for a penny.

Later, in the male meeting, one member ex-
pressed his pleasure over the study of the Cateshism
in the Sunday-school and asked me to bring twenty-
five copies along next time. I wondered what he
wanted, with so many Catechisms. He said he in-
tended to distribute them in the families of the
congregation and among others who were inter-
ested. The 25 cents the booklets would cost would
be paid cheerfully by him, as he considered this
one way of doing personal missionary work.

I know that quarters are rare in this man’s
pocketbook. All the more is his spontaneous deed
inspirational. Epwarp A. WEsTCcOTT.

Eastern Field Notes.

Members, parents, and friends of St. Luke’s,
High Point, North Carolina, were entertained by
a program rendered by a quartet under the direction
of Mrs. P. D. Lehman on April 28. Upon this same
occasion a little boy of the fourth grade recited
108 Bible-passages out of 110 references given him.
This station increased its contributions during the
first months of the year by more than 32 per cent.
over last year.

Pastor John McDavid of Los Angeles does a
great deal of work in the public institutions of the
city and county. During April he made 140 bed-

side visits at the General Hospital and conducted
two services there; at the County Farm he visited
fourteen sick wards and preached to 100 persons
in the chapel; at Olive View he made forty-nine
bedside visits and gave private communion to fifteen
persons.

The societies of our mission at Kannapolis are
very active in church-work; this is particularly the
case with the ladies’ aid. This latter society also
remembered the pastor most liberally upon the
occasion of his recent birthday.

Our Washington mission-station has adopted the
name Mount Olivet. It has increased its communi-
cant membership by the addition of two persons.

Grace Church, St. Louis, had three infant bap-
tisms in April, and eight persons were received by
confirmation. The Sunday morning services are
attended by an average of one hundred persons and
the Wednesday evening services by an average of
sixty-six. The pastor of Grace also teaches school.

St. Philip's, St. Louis, has a Saturday-school en-
rolment of sixty children.

Our Cleveland mission has increased its com-
municant membership by the addition of sixteen
persons.

The Buffalo mission recently observed the first
anniversary of the dedication of its church. It was
an all-week celebration. .

St. Matthew’s, Meherrin, Virginia, and Grace,
Concord, North Carolina, are able to celebrate their
golden anniversary this year. Calvary, Mount
Pleasant, N.C., Concordia, Rockwell, N.C., Zion,
Gold Hill, N. C., and Grace, Greensboro, N. C., look
back upon a history of forty years.

Rey. J. Alston of Atlanta relinquished the pas-
torate of our colored mission in that city to Prof. R.
O. L. Lynn about the middle of June.

+ Rev. Jacob W. Miller, D. D. +

God has called another strong champion of mis-
sions from the battle-field before His throne and
placed upon his brow the chaplet of victory. On
May 11, past, the Rev. J. W. Miller, D. D., departed
this life at the age ‘of 72 years, 7 months, and
25 days, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he had
lived and labored since 1896.

Pastor Miller was born at Accident, Maryland,
September 16, 1860. After confirmation he entered
Concordia College, Fort Wayne, and after comple-
tion of the preparatory course there matriculated
at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he was