In 1912 a self-educated daughter of Alabama slaves founded a school to educate black children. In her autobiography Rosa Young tells of how she struggled to find support for her fledgling little school. Despite her tireless efforts, no willing help was found, until she wrote to the famous African American, Booker T. Washington, of the renowned Tuskegee Institute. In 1915 Dr. Washington directed her to the Lutheran Church. The result was Alabama Lutheran Academy, now Concordia University, Selma. Rosa became the mother of Black Lutheranism in America. Just as she thought she would have to close the school, the tide turned. We let Rosa tell her own story:
"That night when I returned home, I prayed and prayed and prayed. Then I decided that I would write one more letter, and if no relief came then, I would close the school. Now, the letter was to go to Dr. Booker T. Washington, our great leader. I wrote Dr. Washington that I felt that he had as much as he could look after in the operation of the Tuskegee Institute; all, therefore, that I asked of him was to give me the names of some individua
l or association in the North that he thought would help me keep my school alive. The next day I mailed my letter, and then I prayed and waited for an answer."
"At last one day a letter come from Tuskegee Institute signed by Booker T. Washington himself. In this letter he told me he was unable to help me in the least; but he would advise me to write to the Board of Colored Missions of the Lutheran Church [Missouri Synod]. He said they were doing more for the colored race than any other denomination he knew of. He liked them because of the religious training which they were giving the colored people. He gave me the address of Rev. Christopher F. Drewes, who was then chairman of the Board of Colore
d Missions."
"Under separate cover, Dr. Washington sent me a small pamphlet called the Negro Yearbook. In this book could be found the names and addresses of individual and organizations helping the colored people. He…said that if I did not succeed with the Lutherans, I might write to the others, as that would do no harm."
"I read Dr. Washington's letter over and over, again and again. Then I waited about two weeks before I wrote to any of the parties he had mentioned, and during that time I prayed almost incessantly; many a night I fell asleep praying over the matter. In writing, I took my cure from Acts. 1:23-26, where the disciples of Jesus nominated two men to succeed Judas and cast lots for the Lord to show them which of the twain He had chosen for His disciple in the place of Judas. I wrote to every address on that page of the Yearbook, and when I had finished and sealed the letters, I said: "Now, whomever the Lord wills or allows to take my school, his heart He will move to do so; and if no one takes it, I shall be satisfied." Among those whom I wrote was our own Pastor Christopher F. Drewes."
"The letter which I addressed to Pastor Drewes follows: Dear Friend: I am writing you concerning a school I have organized. I began teaching here in 1912 with seven pupils in an old hall where the cattle went for shelter. Since then I have bought with money collected in the community five acres of land and erected a four-room school house thereon, besides a chapel which we are working on now, bought 45 seats, five heaters, one school bell, one sewing machine, one piano, a nice collection of useful books, and 150 Bibles and New Testaments for our Bible Training Department.
I am writing to see if your conference will take our school under its auspices… This school is located near the center of Wilcox County… The region is friendly; both white and colored are interested in this school. I hope you will see your way clear to help us. Yours humbly, Rosa J. Young
"I mailed my letters and went along praying day and night, asking the Lord to move some one's heart to heed our Macedonian cry, "Come over and help us." I believe in prayer; prayer will bring you things that nothing else can."
"One day the mail brought me several replies to the letters I had written. To my surprise they were all refusals. My courage fell when I read those letters… A short time passed, and one day a letter came from the sainted Rev. Nils J. Bakke. Rev. Drewes had sent my letter to him with instructions to investigate the matter. He made no definite promise in this letter, but all through it, as I read it, I could see gleams of hope and encouragement for me in my great struggle…"
"Pastor Bakke came limping down from the coach of the train with a crutch under his arm and a walking stick in his hand. A cold, sleeting rain was falling. He wore three coats, a dress coat, an overcoat, and a raincoat. You of my readers who knew him can picture him to your minds as he limped up to my father and introduced himself."
"The old Gospel veteran of many a spiritual battle for the Savior was coming at God's command and direction to tell us about Jesus, our Savior, to preach the pure Gospel to the colored people in the Black Belt of Alabama, to lead us out of darkness into light, and to blaze the way for other missionaries…"
"That day, January 3, 1916, was a memorable day for our Alabama missions. The Holy Spirit worked wonderfully among the members of the [Lutheran] Mission Board. The Board resolved to enter the door of opportunity at once. They instructed Rev. Bake to return to Alabama and stay there until the work was well organized. They further resolved to retain the writer as a teacher at a salary of $20.00 a month. Thus was my prayer answered."
"The coming of the Lutheran Church to Alabama was providential. God only used me and the Rosebud school as instruments to place this Church in the Black Belt and to lead us poor sinners out of spiritual darkness into light. To begin with, I knew nothing about the Lutheran Church and the great mission work it was carrying on among the colored people, and I had only a faint knowledge of Luther and the Reformation; but Jesus, who knows all things, knew all about the Lutheran mission. Jesus is well pleased with the work of the Lutheran Church and willed to take my little Rosebud school and make out of it a Lutheran school, a Christian school, a Bible school for the saving of souls. (From Light in the Dark Belt, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, pp. 104ff.)."
Matt Harrison
"That night when I returned home, I prayed and prayed and prayed. Then I decided that I would write one more letter, and if no relief came then, I would close the school. Now, the letter was to go to Dr. Booker T. Washington, our great leader. I wrote Dr. Washington that I felt that he had as much as he could look after in the operation of the Tuskegee Institute; all, therefore, that I asked of him was to give me the names of some individua
l or association in the North that he thought would help me keep my school alive. The next day I mailed my letter, and then I prayed and waited for an answer.""At last one day a letter come from Tuskegee Institute signed by Booker T. Washington himself. In this letter he told me he was unable to help me in the least; but he would advise me to write to the Board of Colored Missions of the Lutheran Church [Missouri Synod]. He said they were doing more for the colored race than any other denomination he knew of. He liked them because of the religious training which they were giving the colored people. He gave me the address of Rev. Christopher F. Drewes, who was then chairman of the Board of Colore
d Missions.""Under separate cover, Dr. Washington sent me a small pamphlet called the Negro Yearbook. In this book could be found the names and addresses of individual and organizations helping the colored people. He…said that if I did not succeed with the Lutherans, I might write to the others, as that would do no harm."
"I read Dr. Washington's letter over and over, again and again. Then I waited about two weeks before I wrote to any of the parties he had mentioned, and during that time I prayed almost incessantly; many a night I fell asleep praying over the matter. In writing, I took my cure from Acts. 1:23-26, where the disciples of Jesus nominated two men to succeed Judas and cast lots for the Lord to show them which of the twain He had chosen for His disciple in the place of Judas. I wrote to every address on that page of the Yearbook, and when I had finished and sealed the letters, I said: "Now, whomever the Lord wills or allows to take my school, his heart He will move to do so; and if no one takes it, I shall be satisfied." Among those whom I wrote was our own Pastor Christopher F. Drewes."
"The letter which I addressed to Pastor Drewes follows: Dear Friend: I am writing you concerning a school I have organized. I began teaching here in 1912 with seven pupils in an old hall where the cattle went for shelter. Since then I have bought with money collected in the community five acres of land and erected a four-room school house thereon, besides a chapel which we are working on now, bought 45 seats, five heaters, one school bell, one sewing machine, one piano, a nice collection of useful books, and 150 Bibles and New Testaments for our Bible Training Department.
I am writing to see if your conference will take our school under its auspices… This school is located near the center of Wilcox County… The region is friendly; both white and colored are interested in this school. I hope you will see your way clear to help us. Yours humbly, Rosa J. Young
"I mailed my letters and went along praying day and night, asking the Lord to move some one's heart to heed our Macedonian cry, "Come over and help us." I believe in prayer; prayer will bring you things that nothing else can."
"One day the mail brought me several replies to the letters I had written. To my surprise they were all refusals. My courage fell when I read those letters… A short time passed, and one day a letter came from the sainted Rev. Nils J. Bakke. Rev. Drewes had sent my letter to him with instructions to investigate the matter. He made no definite promise in this letter, but all through it, as I read it, I could see gleams of hope and encouragement for me in my great struggle…"
"Pastor Bakke came limping down from the coach of the train with a crutch under his arm and a walking stick in his hand. A cold, sleeting rain was falling. He wore three coats, a dress coat, an overcoat, and a raincoat. You of my readers who knew him can picture him to your minds as he limped up to my father and introduced himself."
"The old Gospel veteran of many a spiritual battle for the Savior was coming at God's command and direction to tell us about Jesus, our Savior, to preach the pure Gospel to the colored people in the Black Belt of Alabama, to lead us out of darkness into light, and to blaze the way for other missionaries…"
"That day, January 3, 1916, was a memorable day for our Alabama missions. The Holy Spirit worked wonderfully among the members of the [Lutheran] Mission Board. The Board resolved to enter the door of opportunity at once. They instructed Rev. Bake to return to Alabama and stay there until the work was well organized. They further resolved to retain the writer as a teacher at a salary of $20.00 a month. Thus was my prayer answered."
"The coming of the Lutheran Church to Alabama was providential. God only used me and the Rosebud school as instruments to place this Church in the Black Belt and to lead us poor sinners out of spiritual darkness into light. To begin with, I knew nothing about the Lutheran Church and the great mission work it was carrying on among the colored people, and I had only a faint knowledge of Luther and the Reformation; but Jesus, who knows all things, knew all about the Lutheran mission. Jesus is well pleased with the work of the Lutheran Church and willed to take my little Rosebud school and make out of it a Lutheran school, a Christian school, a Bible school for the saving of souls. (From Light in the Dark Belt, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, pp. 104ff.)."
Matt Harrison
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1 comments:
I needed this last month! Will bookmark it for future reference. Thanks for the lesson in Black Lutheran History.
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