# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 12 20_S71
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

71

God help all the seduced, that they may have covetousness and greed and the inseparable companions of these, meanness and baseness, driven out of their hearts by the Word of God. The soundness of a land and people consists in this, that to every member of it all protection and assistance is afforded, to fulfill his earthly and his heavenly calling unhindered, and that the individual members themselves faithfully fulfill their earthly and their heavenly calling and support their neighbors in such endeavor. But all this the Word of God not only teaches, but also gives the power for it, the Holy Spirit; therefore the Word of God and the Holy Christian Church that preaches it is the highest and most important treasure of a land and people, and with that people it stands best which renders the most faithful obedience to the Word of God. If you, you dear Germans, truly want to seek the best of the land into which God the Lord has led you, then do not join in the cry of the dollar-hunters and of the dollar-chase, but learn yourselves to confess the Word of God and teach the people also thus. Remember Luke 12, 15 — 21.

Appeal

to all Lutherans to whom the distress of the poor heathen goes to heart.

Dear Fellow Believers!

Among the distresses of the brethren, one now knocks especially loudly at our heart, that we may weep with them that weep and help where help is needed. Our poor brethren among the Indians of Michigan, who for a series of years have been won for the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the service of our missionaries, are sighing in great anxiety lest, through the laws of this country, they lose their dear home and all its benefits, unless like the other citizens of this country they give assurance, by pursuing agriculture, of becoming useful citizens of these American free states. It will therefore be asked about their land holdings, that is, it will be investigated whether each family possesses a sufficient piece of land to support itself by cultivating it. Those Indians, then, who do not offer this assurance of a peaceful civil life will in a few years inevitably be driven across the Mississippi into the free Indian territory, where presumably the whole Indian race will be worn away by war among themselves and by other misery.

Unfortunately our dear Lutheran brethren among the Indians of Michigan possess only small, insignificant tracts of land, on which they cannot support their families by agriculture. What, then, lies nearer to all of us than to take hold vigorously and help our dear wards, that they may not be overtaken by the above-mentioned law and lose the lasting benefits of a Christian congregational life and a peaceful agriculture? Or should we say: "God counsel you, warm yourselves and be filled," without giving them what is needful for the body? What would it profit?

Hear what plan the Lord has put into our minds.

We desire, God willing, with the vigorous help and assistance of you all, to procure 40 acres of land for each Indian family of the congregations of Shebahyonk and Bethany, so that we shall pay the purchase price at first out of the mission treasury and the families, according to their means, as God gives it, shall repay yearly some part of the purchase price into the mission treasury, until they, God willing, have made their land free and with the repaid money other poor heathen can again be helped.

Since there is now a prospect that the Indians converted through our service will concentrate and settle in one and the same place if we procure land for them, we hereby, in the name of the Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States, address to all Lutherans the hearty request that you support our mission treasury speedily by extraordinary collections, so that the intended purchase of land may be made within a short time, and the little Lutheran Indian flocks may see that we do not make mere words, but want to help them honestly. It is now the holy Christmas season, in which we are admonished to let our gentleness be known to all men, and, like the wise men from the East, to offer to the Jesus-child everything that He has bestowed on us of silver and gold. So open heart and hands in joyful faith and give gifts to the Child Jesus in our poor red brethren! We all, and especially the undersigned treasurer, will receive your gifts with joy and in due time acknowledge them in the "Lutheraner."

Saginaw City, the 2nd of Dec. 1853.

The Mission Commission of the Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.

Ferdinand Sievers, Chairman.
Ottmar Cloeter, Treasurer.
Gottlieb Schaller, Secretary.

Thanksgiving.

The Lutheran congregation of Pastor Schliepsick at Pleasant Ridge has presented toward the building of our German Ev. Luth. Zion's Church in Staunton $60,00
The Lutheran congregation of Pastor Strasen in Collinsville 26,65
of which 3 dollars are from two Lutheran brethren of a neighboring congregation.

In the name of my small and poor congregation I give hearty thanks to the kind givers. May the Lord graciously hear our prayer of thanks for them, and bless them richly especially with heavenly goods. May many congregations yet think of us, so that we may build our little church, for which a great part of the building material already lies on the site.

This small but purely Lutheran congregation in the wide Illinois prairie has probably been known to only a few until now, wherefore the undersigned permits himself to report something about it.— Through great sacrifice Pastor Lochner gathered, six years ago, the Germans living here into a Lutheran congregation, which after his removal was served in orderly fashion, for a time by Pastor Birkmann, and by Pastor Reisner until his blessed departure. The friends of the Union, as enemies of the pure doctrine, now sought to swallow up or to drive out the faithful little flock; and it actually came to this, that the few faithful sold their little houses, in order to move to a congregation true to the Confession. Through the careful care of the dear brother, Pastor Schliepsick, who traveled here from time to time from 28 miles away to strengthen the remaining Lutherans with God's Word and Sacrament,— it succeeded, however, in gathering 9 Lutheran families into a little congregation, which called the undersigned in due order last May. A small congregation! yet this little flock has since become two flocks, namely the Zion's congregation here in and around Staunton, which now numbers 12 families, and the St. John's congregation, 6 miles from here on the Ridge Prairie, 10 families strong. Both little congregations promise themselves growth through immigration. Our services here in Staunton we held for a considerable time in a little house borrowed from a member of the congregation; and since this was sold, we make do most poorly in the living room of a member. But since we have here too little room, and for the future our remaining here cannot be, and elsewhere no little place is to be found for divine service and school, we are compelled to proceed to the building of a church, which is rather difficult in this timber-poor region. The small and debt-burdened flock has pledged 125 dollars to the building according to its ability, but payable only within two years, wherefore our eyes look longingly for help, which will surely come to us yet and has already in part come. The Lord will awaken hearts for us who help, so that our Zion may be erected, from where the sound of His holy Word, as it appears, goes ever farther to the prairie dwellers, indeed has also found willing hearts in our County seat, Carlinville, among the recently immigrated Germans, so that 3 weeks ago a Lutheran congregation formed there, which the undersigned visits every 4 weeks together with his two above-named congregations, and serves with God's Word and Sacrament.— The Lord will provide. Amen.

Fr. Besel.