THE KING’S BUSINESS
799
LEPERS’ CHURCH DEDICATED By W. M. DANNER
A T THE suggestion of the Mission to Lepers (the international and interde nominational society that hands together the Protestant Church Missionaries in behalf of the Lepers of the world), a special ar rangement was made two years ago to pro vide Protestant Christian services at the Louisiana Leper Settlement. This colony of lepers is located in Iberville Parish, about seventeen miles south at Baton Rouge, and directly on the Mississippi River. The grounds and buildings are on a tract of land comprising eleven hundred acres. Religious services were arranged through the co-operation and leadership of the Pro testant Ministers’ Association of New Or leans. A committee of this organization, consisting of Rev. W. E. Thomas, of the M. E. Church, South; Rev. J. W. Cald well, of the Presbyterian Church, and Rev. W. H. Brengle, of the Baptist Church, have provided regular preaching services at the Leper Settlement, and the good work they have done has enlisted such large interest among the lepers desiring to attend these services that a church for the leper con gregation became a real necessity. This com mittee, with approval of the New Orleans Ministers’ Association, and acting for the association, issued an appeal for funds for the erection of a chapel. On June 14, the efforts of the committee were crowned with success in the dedica tion of the first Protestant Church ever erected in North America for a leper con gregation. The chapel is a frame structure, churchly in appearance, with neatly screened doors and windows; the ventilation being care fully provided through windows on all four sides of the building. The pulpit at one side of the auditorium is surrounded with pews in semi-circular fashion, furnishing a seating capacity of 120. A slight partition indicates that the women are to be seated
on one side of the church and the men on the other. Despite excessive rains, delegations from Baton Rouge and New Orleans came to the Leper Colony grounds at an .early hour on the 14th of June, to participate in the dedicatory service. With the first delega tion to arrive from Baton Rouge, Mr. D. M. Danner, Secretary of the U. S. A. Committee of the Mission to Lepers, came and occupied some time in personal visits and talks with the residents, all of whom seemed most happy in the fulfillment of their long cherished desire for a church of their own. The pulpit was almost con cealed from view by the flowers furnished from the leper women’s own gardens. On arrival of the New Orleans delegation, Rev. J. W. Caldwell, of the Carrollton Presby terian Church, presided and introduced the dedicatory service by singing all the verses of the lepers’ favorite song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Rev. F. C. Flowers, of the Central Baptist Church of New Or leans, led in Scripture reading and prayer. The Scripture selection was John 14:1-14, and this received a most sympathetic hear ing by the well-filled chapel, of which the larger number of people present were leper residents of the settlement. “I Need Thee Every Hour” was the next song. Rev. W. W. Holmes, president of the New Orleans Ministers’ Association and presiding elder of the New Orleans district of the M. E. Church, South, preached a most appropriate and inspiring sermon from Pro verbs 17:22—“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” His manner of speech and voice won all hearts. The lepers caught clearly his note of optimism and yielded to fais appeal for everyone to make the 'best of life in spite of all handicaps. Rev. Louis Voss, of the First German Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, made the prayer of dedication. Mr. Sam Stone, as architect and on behalf of the contractor, turned the
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