The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-02-28
rrhe Texas Baptist

n
among vour readers, ] write from .
sense Of duty, especially to them. I
Ifeel more like missionary in a for
IIseign land. than aseo4laborer along the
lime of vour State. 4 have been at
,lIwork in this live tsaw-mlll'' city,
where all seem to be under the pres
4 sure of commercial or some other cali
ling, for one month, and by chance, ]
have met one passing Baptist Min
lister.
aThe feld'' indeed, sis white unto
harvest I am in the center of a ter
Iritory some sixty by one hundred
miles. where there are more or less
4 Baptists; 1 am the only living Baptist
minister, of my knowledge, in the
jIfeld. There are some good ministerial
brethren some fifty miles north, in the
upper part of this parish, the Calcasieu'
4 Association. ] found at Lake Charles
and in vicinity, receiving members
some sixty miles down the river and
fifteen miles above, about thirty Bap-1
fists. I entered Into the midst Of ifhei
people, surrounded by Methodist and
Catholic organizations, without al
church house Of worship or apreaoher;
praying God to send an under shtp-
Eherd into the field. On my arrival it
was agreed that should begin preach
ing at once in the courthouse. After
three weeks hard work d felt it was
our duty to go into church organiza-3s
tion. We met, five males and thil-
teen females, and under solemn con-
victions of duty constituted ourselves
into IA regular Baptist church. The
next week the sisters Went out on the
streets, to the saw mills, and along the
railroad, appealing to the public, with
out regard to ecclesiastical lines for aid
TO build a house of worship. They
collected from Mefhodists, Catholics,
oven railroad hands responded to
their appeals, land some of the color
ed people threw their mite into the
treasury of tile Lord. In little more
than one week they canvassed the en-
tire town of about $500 people and
raised near $8o0.00. One little boy,
of some four or five summers, said to 1
his mother, 'sf any body comes TN
tell '6m they must excuse my dirty
face, mammals eeRt working for the
church."
We propose building q house that
will cost &2500.00.
Still using the courthouse. We i
have a small but live Sunday -scloof, 4
large congregations, and both Che
Catholic and Methodist sare Treating als /
as cleverly as we could ask. The
ladies have organized a Ladies' Aid
Association and several, mot Of our
faith, are alaing 4aliantly.
The world has lfiH Few fields Wore
purely missionary thalf tifis. 1T is on
the Texas lire, emf off fronrtAe rest of
the world by its position 4 besseve
the hrethref here are altogether miffing
to eo-operate with the brethren Of
Texas. Many of us have lived in
Texas, and have for Shat land Il fond
recollection. Can the heart of that
brotherhood, which has ibeen so open
to the wants of The wide, wide west,
turn in sympathy towards a needy
Held in the east, and lend o helping
hand, however feeble that hand may be z
The city of Lake Charles is idestin-
ed to be the most important point on
the Louisiana Western II. r., from
Texas to New Orleans, if not from
Houston to the Cresent CITY. Ut ISL
the center Of influence of this MiholesI
land. While the Methodist, tile Cath
olic and Others in tonr very midst, see
lit to sympathize, shall God put it into
the heart of none in that land, where
memory holds sacred the scenes oil
former sacrifices, to aid us ia a time off
real need.
With q spirit of discrimination,
though we stand alone, by the help ofas
the Lord, pressing on a success, ;idedli
or 5nnalded, we commit the whole mat
ter unto God; asking those who SYM !
pathlze with us to send just such aid Il
toward building p house of worship
Tor the Baptists here, as they feel they
can freely give. 1 H
For every dollar Texas puts into
The First BAPTIST Church at LakeIl
Charles, Las 4 will pledge two dollars
20 return, for the missionary work OF
the General Missionary bodies Of Tex. Il
Vt will be sent to the General Associa-e
ten If not otherwise instructed. H
1oprs in Christian love and sympathy III
a. y. SooFlEID. HI
Two hSroGIAers Akilked i'm yi<sESs- /,