Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 34, Number 177, Decatur, Adams County, 27 July 1936 — Page 35

Marks County's March Os Progress

■ Century Os Lutheranism ■ In Adams County Detailed

Tlf l! " v W 11 Werning, | „f Zion Lutheran Church, ihcitur ' Friedheim 1. Ind | 1 LstwM'l hound, without the, lin '. . Ilii ient bun lines, fast uid automobiles on roads, the early K."... - i.-'hM forward to the from |H r , „| . •nh/ati.m ami entered al |W.. Sis primeval of Indiana ■ Leaving their horn IB' ‘ ami friends in Rur- , b ,' v , to Ibe “new world" |V'„ k th, :i fortunes ami estab- ■ h ' .||. :r future homes. Among |K,s. o<dv settlers we And also a |H r .. huiutr-r of immigrants from <>• tin- Reformation. 1.-rails were among the Kjir' is in N’ w England. When i’-tm America in |K, ...i m ll.d- d the City of BrothPhiladelphia, he chose , p „t not far from the place “ Swedish village and a r; .n I'hur. h stood Tim Swed |H had been there for 44 years. tin re IS years after the of the Mayflower. M AS those early Izitherans ex the hardships ami stiff|K..; 0.. privations in a pioneer ; . ~,| their descendants help u: history in the days of the ■ and the establishment K Thirteen Colonies, so also et the Croat Reform n,fe contribute their part in developing this ’ west K: country. Lutheran Church, ■ Friedheim gH Ii pie year 1836 a man and his mil oldest children ar- . in ft. Wayne, which then tillage of 500 inhabitants: -hey purchased a piece of >!>■■ north-western part of • tt.ry. sight unseen, from mam ami limn made ■ through th.- dense forest 111- ,r fu'iire home. Here they -t, ,<| m <b ar enough land to ■ win for their log cabin m Tins humble building was 1 tin- temporary home of a new settler during the \ ami this first settM: I’ --p rick Buuck. and his

Marching Along With Decatur We heard many splendid words about Decatur before we came and during the short span of time we have been here, we find they are all true. We are glad to be here—the fine community spirit so characteristic of Decatur citizens is bound to build for a greater city during the next one hundred years. Every good wish for the success of the Centennial, August 2 to 8. CENTENNIAL WEEK SPECIAL ZM /o DISCOUNT ON ALL ACCESSORIES England Ante Parts DECATUR Ist Store South of Court House

Writes History ilk 'WJsh Rev. W. H. Werning Rev. Werning, pastor of the Zion Lutheran church at Frierheim, has written a comprehensive history of the Lutheran churches in Decatur and vicinity. important part in the development of this section of the country, known as Friedheim. and in the establishment of a Lutheran Congregation in that district. About the same time two young men arrivßd: Mr. Ernst Bultemeier and Mr. Ernst Stoppenhagen, fathers of Wm. Bultemeier and Ernst Stoppenhagen, who are still faithfull members of the Lutheran Church at Friedheim. It was difficult to make a living on their farms in those days. Those early settlers, therefore, spent a great deal of their time working on the canal, which at that time was being built between Fort Wayne and Toledo. For this heavy work, however, they received only sls a month. It was not until June of the following year, 1837, that these new settlers had the pleasure of welcoming a pastor of their own faith in their midst and inviting him to preach the Gospel to them. This was the Rev. Jesse Hoover, who had arrived in Fort Wayne the previous year from Woodstock. Virginia. and organized St. Paul’s

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT MONDAY, JULY 27, 1936.

Zion Lutheran Church Being Remodeled 1 11 " I \ 1b A- |-, ; I t v W i jR I I I -J th ■ fc/ I I rr 1• j i i Mr It* 1041 Pictured above is a view of the Zion Lutheran church of this city, as it will appear when remodeling is completed. A new secton is being built in the rear of the building. A new tower is being erected. On tl • west side will be a new entrance and the entire building will lie faced with la light colored brick,

Pioneer Missionary I S' -' *'• •« U’ * i Rev. F. C. D. Wyneken Lutheran Congregation in the vill- I age of Fort Wayne, the oldest' 1 Lutheran congregation in Indiana. I Pastor Hoover now also served the 1 little group at Friedheim, which had grown during the past months, as often as time permitted. It is to , him that this district owes its 1 name. On February 25, 1838, these ' pioneers organized Zion Lutheran '• Congregation. They adopted the 1 “Formula for the Discipline of the 1 Evangelical Lutheran Church" rec- 1 ommended by the General Synod, 1 according to which the congrega- 1 tiou was to be ruled and governed. ' On the same day six candidates ' were nominated for the offices of the congregation. Two weeks later . the election took place, when Mr. Frederick Buuck was elected el- ‘ der and Mr. Christian Fuhrman and j Mr. Henry Doeffler deacons. The j newly established congregation numbered 56 souls — 26 adults and j 30 children. After the organization , was effected the young congrega- J tion immediately celebrated Holy Communion — the first Lutheran , celebration of the Lord’s Supper , on record in Adams county. The services and also the instructions i

Wyneken’s Home f wt! 1 iiiMWi iici ~ v~ W K*' ‘ls *'•l." \ijr' *’. zS>X •’» ■ I ■ ’’* » ■ F !K ’V Wr k?.~- - - - l ■ ..' v'' ’ ‘•l/'tl-/ V&V* -• v V ■ ■' ' "MteSL \ > ® z Wwil Or wPw KaJ . ■ ■ tWi ■ vff I bibshbhhiiss® Pictured above is the hottie of Rev. IF. C. D. Wyneken at Friedheitn, while he was pre»sident of the Missouri synod from 1860 to 1864.

First Settler IW* -* w . Jf ;■ < ■ \ Ur y Frederick Buuck for the children was held in the Frederick Buuck home, until the first small house of worship was built. Rev. Wyneken Serves Zion This young pastor, however, was permitted to serve tne congregation but a short time, since he was called out of this world as early as May 23, 1838. About this same time a young candidate for the ministry arrived in Baltimore. After a brief stay in the East he was sent out as a missionary among the Lutherans in Northern Indiana and became the successor to Pastor Hoover. This was the Rev. I Frederick Conrad Dietrich Wyneken. His principal congregations were St Paul’s in Fort Wayne and Zion at Friedheim. Railroads and good highways were unknown in those days and therefore he made his journeys in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan on foot and on horseback, by day or night, in summer and in winter. We gain a picture of the zeal, courage, and self-sacri-ficing spirit which was required of a missionary in those pioneer days (as on the northern and western frontiers and South America even today) from the follow-

First Pastor IHRBL - ... ... Rev. F. W. Husmann ing words: “Day by day and month after month this zealous servant of Jesus Christ labored in his field of missions. Wherever he went, he preached, baptized, instructed, and confirmed. Many times he was rejected by those whom he came to help; at other places, again, he was received with open arms. But in spite of the primitive conditions and the many hardships and difficulties he counted those days as the happiest of his life. He was very poor, and most of what he received for his own living he gave away to such as needed it more than he. He ate whatever the poor settlers placed before him; he slept when they mace a resting place for him. on hay or straw or in a bed — it made no difference to him. When he came home from these journeys, worn. and spent.

St Peter’s Lutheran t 1 B f 1 0’ i' j K 331 i A/ 91 ■'■ IB The St. Peter’s Lutheran chunch in Root township. (Fuelling settlement), wae founded in, 1888. The first missionary, Rev. F. Wyneken, appealed in this year, after about a dozen Lutheran families had taken up residence in this community.

Present Pastor ■ > Rev. Paul W. Schultz Rev. Schultz is pastor of the Decatur Zion Lutheran church, leader in the conference of Decatur and vicinity churches. sometimes drenched to the skin, sometimes chilled to the bone, he always took care of his horse first, and then he went into the house and looked after his own needs. Pioneer Hardships “More than once he lost his way in the woods at night. Once he thought he would let his horse find the way out. Suddenly the faithful animal stood still and could not be urgea to take another step. 'There must be something in the way,’ the rider said to himI self and loudly began to call tor I help. Then he heard some one open a door not far away, and the light of a lantern which penetrated the darkness showed him why his horse would not move. It stood , close to a mill pond. The man with the light loosed a skiff, rowed across the pond, took the missionary into his skiff, and rowed back, the horse swimming alongside. Wyneken spent the night with the miller and in the morning continued his circuit. “Another time the missionary was travelling on foot and lost his way in the darkness. He wandered into a swamp and saved his life by lying down on his stomach lengthwise on a log and staying there until morning." , We gain a glimpse of the condition among the early settlers and of the spiritual destitution of the . ioneers in the forests and upon

tne prairies from the pen of this great missionary himself, which reminds the writer of similar conditions found in Alberta and British Columbia, where lie was active as a missionary for 11 years: ’ "Either singly or in small groups our brethren go into the forest with their women and children. In many cases they have no neighbors for miles around, and even it they have such near by, the dense forest so separates them that they live in ignorance oi each other. Come now, dear reader, and enter the settlements and logfliuts of your brethren! Behold, husband, wife and children must work hard to fell the giant trees, to clear the virgin forest, to plow, to sow, and to plant, for their pittance of money runs low or is already gone. Bread must be procured; but this can be gotten only from the ground which they till. "Behold, also in their log-huts a strange sight meets the eyes; there almost everything is wanting that you would consider absolutely necessary in the line of furniture; everything is primitive,

mid then* is no thought of com- I fori: shoes and clothing weur out. mid the winter Is nt hand! Small I wonder then that everybody works i .in order to support this body und ; life. No difference Is made between Sunday and week-day. especially since no church bell calls them to the house of God, and no neighbor In his Sunday outfit arrives to ( call for his friend. “It Is not to be wondered at tnat the pioneer's tired limbs seek their couch without prayer, anil that , dire need drives them to leave it and return to work without pray- | er; even the prayer at mealtime has long since been banished by inveterate Infidelity or recent 1 trouble. Alas. Bible and hymnal I also, In many cases have been left , in the old country, as the people,’ owing to rationalism, had lost the taste for them. No preacher ar-| rives t.o rouse them from their car-1-mil thoughts and pursuits, and the I, sweet, voice of the Gospel has not been heard for a long time. "Picture to yourself thousands. of families scattered over these ex-' I tended tracts of land. The parents |, die without hearing the Word of| ' God. no one arouses and admonishes. no one comforts them. Now,, behold, young and old are lying. on their death-beds, their soul per-; haps does not as much as give a thought to preparation for the solemn Judgment. “But God be praised, not all for-. sake their God and the faith of. their fathers thus; their souls do| crave food, congregations are form-1 ed. churches are built, and schools; I are erected." I On August 31, 1841 Pastor Wynei ken entered into holy wedlock with Miss Sophie Buuck, daughter of 1 the above named first settler of | Friedheim, Mr. Frederick Buuck. Shortly after their marriage, he and his bride took a trip to Germany. It was not the usual kind of honeymoon. Wyneken needed the care of competent physicians for a throat ailment that had hampered him in his work and he wished to • make personal appeal to the German Christians for iie:p their countrymen in America. During his absence, Pastor Knape served the congregation. In 1843 he returned to continue his arduous ' labors. While the prospects for obI taining help from Europe brightI cited, Wyneken personally instruc- . ted two men from his ministry—- , Gerhard Henry Jaebker and C. i Frinke, lhe very first Lutheran students at Fort Wayne, where

BEST WISHES for the Success of the CENTENNIAL We’re glad to take part in the Celebration of Decatur's 100th Birthday. We know of no finer tribute to the founders of our city. A cordial welcome to the manyvisitors who will be in our city August 2 to 8. ggS THIS ROOF H WILL OUTWEAR BS HOME .can WHEN you have Careystone Shingles put on a building, you end roofing expense, for these shingles are as fire-proof and weather-proof as stone. Made of asbestos and cement in many colors and styles, you can select the Careystone Roof which best suits your building and your pocketbook. Careystone Shingles can be laid right over most old roofs, thus saving the cost of removing the latter. Let us show you samples and quote prices on this permanent roof for any building, new or old. We can make your dollars go farther. KOCHER LUMBER & COAL CO.

PAGE THIRTY-FIVE

later u seminary was erected. Today the Lutheran Church maintains the large and efficient Con cordla College in this city, where young men receive their preparatory course for the ministry. Pastorate of Rev. Jaebker, In 184 ti Zion Congregation at Friedheim extended a cal! to Mr. G. H. Jaebker, which he also accepted. Mr. Jaebker had tuughl the school while Pastor Wynken was in Germany and thus the congregation had learned to know and love him. In the year 184, we find him and his congregation actively engaged in helping organize the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states. This took place in Chicago, a city of about 20,000 at that time. The pastor represented the congregation at this meeting. It was a long and arduous trip to Chicago and had to be made either with a wagon or on horseback. By the time of the founding of synod Zion Congregation had grown considerably, so that It now numbered 180 souls, 36 votiilg members, and 40 schoolI children. When Rev. Jaebker began his pastorate the members of the congregation were very poor in materi ial things. The parsonage consistI ed of a humble log cabin and the congregation could not boast of a better house of woiship. It was a building 16 x 20 feet without a . floor and only two windows and I one door. The benches were made I of three-inch planks. The second church was built in 1842. Also this i building was constructeu or togs, but it had a floor and four windows and was considerably larger than the former building. Rs dimensions being 26 x 36 feet. A third church was erected during Pastor Jaebker’s incumbency in the year 1854; this building was a frame structure and a wonderful improvement over the two earlier houses of worship. During these times the congregation also enjoyed the privilege of having Pastor Wyneken in their midst as a member. He iiau become president of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states and built a house on his farm about a mile west of the present church. The house is still standing and is still being used as a dwelling place. Other Pastors On June 27. 1877 the Ix>rd called Pastor Jaebker out of this (Continued On Page 38)