# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1855 04 24_S143
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

143

I must be a miser; if I set before sinners their sin, warn and reprove them out of God's Word, then I must be a quarrelsome man who is only a burden to them. As I learned only lately, several of the congregation have banded together who intend to move that this burden be taken from them and that another come into my place, who will give them more and not scold so.

I am of good comfort in spite of all this. God knows that I have also in bodily need gladly shown pity and done them much good; only that they do not know how to value it, and that the more they receive, the greedier they become. — So God also knows what I quarrel with them about. He is my witness that I sought to fulfil this holy duty given us with great fear and trembling, to warn the wicked from his evil way. Therefore I wait, though often with weak and tempted faith, for the help of the LORD, who is nigh unto all that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in earnest.

That the heathen of our place, otherwise so willing for baptism (there are still eight of them, among them five advanced in years and three children), have again become wavering in their resolution and have withdrawn from us again, ought not to astonish us after such experiences. While I was going through those heavy things I was often not a little anxious lest the final outcome in Bethany be the same as with the congregation at Shebahyonk; but as it appears in the most recent time, God be praised for it! my little faith has been put to shame. In many the power of the Word of God has taken effect. Many have recognized that they have hitherto not used the mission for that for which it was among and with them. Very many, unfortunately, have sinned in this respect unknowingly; they did not know how they stood to the mission and how the mission stood to them. Only by degrees did they have to learn how poor the mission is and how sparingly its means come together. Although they had heard much about it even earlier, yet their hearts, which still cling so much to the earthly and strive after it, remained untouched by it. They will still have long to learn that we are poor among them, but that it will nevertheless, if they do not resist, succeed through God's grace to make them rich in heavenly goods through the knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Might they soon all together hunger and thirst after this riches with their whole heart, then all the other would fall to them, without our trouble and cost, and they would have no lack of any good thing.

And now, dear brethren, that you may not begin to doubt of Bethany's further continuance and prosperity, I report to you finally, for your joy and fair comfort, that not only are there many worthy Christians here who have remained untouched by the above sins, but that also some of those who had sinned grievously have turned again and done repentance. These latter, I hope in God, will in future be the more careful not to tempt the LORD and to draw His grace upon wantonness, since they have seen how weak they have become. May the LORD, however, cleanse His congregation gathered to Himself of all spots of sin, and let it have part in His day in the glory of His kingdom, in His blessedness!"

So far the own words of our dear missionary.

How painful it is to be reminded by them anew of the sad apostasy of the congregation of Shebahyonk! Unfortunately there is as yet not a spark of hope to be perceived that those who have fallen so deep will go into themselves and return to their first love. They persist rather in their impenitence. The beautiful place where they once lived gathered about their missionaries, the blessed Maier and our dear brother Auch, has now passed into other hands, and indeed into those of a Yankee, who has bought from the mission committee both the 40 acres and the little church and dwelling house standing upon them, with the outbuildings, for the price of 500 dollars, and has already paid the purchase money into the mission treasury. — Faithful God, have Thine labored in vain on this field? Hath Thy Word not accomplished here that for which it was sent? Hath it not been here like a fire, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? So we sigh, asking toward heaven. But the LORD answereth from on high: "My grace is sufficient for thee"; He teaches us to say: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Ferdinand Sievers.

Frankenlust, at the beginning of the year 1855.

Union.

As we learn from the "Fröhlicher Botschafter," which is the German religious periodical of the so-called "United Brethren in Christ," the three separated Methodist parties, namely 1. these "United Brethren," 2. the "Wesleyan Methodists" and 3. the members of the so-called "Evangelical Association" (to be distinguished from the "United Evangelicals" of the West), are about to unite again with one another. On the 17th of March a meeting of representatives of the two first-named bodies took place for this purpose at Westerville, O.; on the coming 17th of May such a meeting is to be held for the same purpose at Dayton, O. A correspondent of the "Fröhlicher Botschafter" cries out, in his discussion of this matter in the number of March 30, rather naively: "Lord, help us all to lay aside all errors and extremities." As to the "errors," we naturally join heartily in the wish of the dear man; as to the "extremities," however, the writer seems to us to go somewhat too far; for the extremities, as is well known, are arms and legs and the like!

The South Indiana District Conference

will assemble, God willing, on the 8th and 9th of May of this year in the congregation of the Rev. Pastor Sauer.

Th. Wichmann, Secr.

The Northern District

of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States

holds its sessions this year in the Lutheran Trinity Church at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from the 6th to the 13th of June.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 21, 1855.

Friedrich Lochner, Sekr.

Receipts and Thanks.

With hearty thanks to God and the kind givers we hereby certify that we have received, at the wedding of Mr. Joh. Georg Roth at Frankenmuth, $1.17, likewise from Rev. Röbbelen 83 cents.

May the faithful God repay it abundantly to the kind givers according to His promise.

Joh. Georg Nüchterlein
Georg Bernthal.

Fort Wayne, April 1, 1855.

Thankfully I certify that I have received the following gifts for my support in the seminary here:
Through Rev. Föhlinger from several friends $7.00
Through Rev. Schwan, from a man from Cleveland, Ohio, a 5-dollar note, worth .... 3.75
From Rev. Lindemann, Cleveland, Ohio ....... 3.00
From Christ. Schaper, Fort Wayne .......... 1.00
May the faithful God repay it abundantly to the kind givers according to His promise.

W. Engelbert.

Fort Wayne, April 4, 1855.

With hearty thanks to God and the kind givers I hereby certify that I have received $5.00 from the Young Men's Society in Cleveland.

May the gracious and merciful God repay it to the kind givers in time and eternity.

Joh. Georg Schäfer.

Fort Wayne, April 12, 1855.

The undersigned certifies with hearty thanks that he has received $5.95 from the congregation of Rev. Husmann.

May the faithful and merciful God repay it abundantly to these kind givers, even here in time, but above all in eternity.

Heinrich Jor.

Fort Wayne, April 10, 1855.

With hearty thanks I certify that I have received through Mr. Jungkunz: from the congregation at Detroit $4. and from Mr. Carstens there $1. for my support.

E. Schulz.

Concordia College, April 9, 1855.

Thankfully I hereby certify $10.00 from Mr. Mich. Arnold in Frankenmuth, and $2.00 from Mr. L. Sohn there, received for his support.

J. List.

Concordia College, April 16, 1855.

From the Altenburg and Frohna Young Men's Society $20.00, and through Rev. Streckfuß in Willshire, Van Wert Co., O., $5.00, received; acknowledged with hearty thanks.

J. P. Beyer.

Concordia College, April 17, 1855.

From the congregation of Rev. Hattstädt in Monroe, Mich., $4.00 received, certified with heartfelt thanks.

Joh. M. M. Moll.
Pupil of the Conc. Coll.