USA > Washington DC > History of St. Paul's English Lutheran Church : and of the work of the church and Sunday school for the semi-centennial year, including additional reports to June 30, 1893, with a synopsis of the semi-centennial services of the church and Sunday school, April 16 and 17, 1893 > Part 2
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First Meeting Place.
At first the English congregation secured the Odd Fellows' Hall as a place of worship (afterward Todd's Hall, on Pennsylvania Avenue), and services began to be conducted there on the 8th of January, 1843, six days after the initial formation of the Society. At this meeting Rev. Dr. Muller, the first pastor of the Eng- lish organization, appears in the Church records as having been present as the preacher and pastor. Whence he came, how he was chosen, and mider what auspices he was acting as the missionary of the new congregation does not appear in the minutes of that period. After the services were over, a congregational meeting was organized, and a committee of four persons appointed to report to the President of the Synod of Maryland
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the fact of the formation of an English congregation, and asking for aid in support of their pastor "for one year. " Andrew Noerr, Grafton Powell, Win. Uter- mehle, and C. Andrae constituted the committee.
The first lecture ever delivered for the benefit of the new organization was by the Rev. J. G. Morris, D. D., of Baltimore, on the 22d of February, 1843, in the Odd Fellows' Hall-subject, "Luther and the Reformation." The complete organization of the church, by the election of a council, took place on Easter Sunday morning, April 15, 1843. The following persons constituted the first council: Andrew Noerr, J. C. Roemmele, Charles F. Bihler, Grafton Powell, J. A. Emmons, Henry Grieb, Cornele Andrae, John P. Stallings, Win. Utermehle, and John E. Scheel. The organization of the council was as follows : President, Andrew Noerr ; Wardens, Henry Grieb and Cornele Andrae; Treasurer, John A. Emmons; and Secretary, Grafton Powell.
As a missionary organization, under the auspices of the Maryland Synod, this congregation was first started. The synodical resolution was offered by Rev. Benjamin Kurtz, D. D., at its session October 15, 1842, and an appropriation made towards its support which should be available as soon as the organization was fully completed and the usual synodical conditions complied with. The organization followed, as already stated, and the work of building up an English Lutheran Church was prose- cuted with commendable energy and zeal.
Location.
The question of a suitable site for a church building early engaged the attention of the new congregation. Gen. Van Ness, a citizen of large means, and owner of much real estate in the city, and well known for his generosities and his liberality in promoting benevolent
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and religious enterprises, and his deep interest in every- thing which would benefit the community, was at once thought of as a possible benefactor in the case in hand. Several earnest women of the new society were the first to move in this direction. We regret that we do not have their names given in the old records. To the credit of the women of St. Paul's, their names should have been kept in loving and grateful remembrance. They called on Gen. Van Ness, and submitted their request and plea for the donation of a lot on which to build a church. They were kindly received, and after a friendly conversation, which was favorable to their mission, he expressed a desire to see the pastor in order to confer with him on the subject. At this interview, a few days afterward, lie gave his promise that he would presently comply with their wishes, and donate them a lot which should be a prominent and acceptable one. We present a copy of the communication of Gen. Van Ness. It is worthy of this special perpetuation in the history of St. Paul's. The lot which was finally donated and accepted is the one on which the church and parsonage now stand, the southwest corner of Eleventh and H streets Northwest.
The correspondence which took place as to the pre- sentation and acceptance of the church lot was as fol- lows: First, the response of Gen. Van Ness to the par- ties that had called on him in reference to the donation; and, secondly, the action of the council in their formal acknowledgment. The communication of Gen. Van Ness is as follows:
The Offer of Gen. Van Ness.
WASHINGTON, May 20, 1843.
The Rev. A. H. MULLER, D. D.
MY DEAR SIR : Desirous to contribute within my humble sphere, limited as it is, to the success of the
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most glorious of all causes, that of our holy faith and doctrines ; and understanding from yourself and others that there are among us abundant materials for the es- tablishment and organization of a respectable English Lutheran congregation ; and that they are anxious for the prompt erection of a house of public worship, of ample dimensions, in a convenient and pleasant part of our city, it gives me great pleasure to offer them gra- tuitously, through you, respected sir, who are about to assume the pastoral care of the flock, a valuable and beautiful lot of ground, as a site for their interesting purpose. The location in square 227, and the general terms of the donation, are acceptable to such members of your society as have consulted with me about them, and in fact they have substantially suggested them.
I know your charity and kindness will excuse the fol- lowing remark, which, whilst approved, as I trust it will even be, by such men as yourself, some may perhaps pronounce presumptious and impertinent.
Whilst you will, as I know from your high character, be devoutly and zealously pursuing, in the holy vine- yard, the path marked out by the great founder of your own particular church, I am well convinced that, in your pious career, the great and sacred general princi- ples of religion and morality, whose practice in this world, valuable as it is here in itself, is so influential in constituting a firin foundation of a blessed super- structure in eternity, will always be regarded and incul- cated by you with a liberal and solemn devotion to the good of all our fellow creatures of every denomination within the legitimate scope of both your exalted clerical duties, and your private example.
Without going into unnecessary details, I hereby pledge myself to convey the lot referred to above, in trust or otherwise, for the appropriate purpose, as may be in- dicated and desired by the fathers of your congregation, so soon as such a proportion of the estimated means shall have been obtained for application to the intended work, and such a foundation shall liave been laid as to justify a reasonable confidence in its completion. Your friends, sir, approve this general outline ; and you shall never reproach me with giving yourself any just cause for exception.
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I have the honor of remaining, with great consider- ation and respect, reverend sir, your friend and humble servant,
JOHN P. VAN NESS. WASHINGTON, April 2, 1844.
By the desire and at the instance of the church coun- cil of the English Lutheran Church of the city of Washington, as communicated by the Reverend A. A. Muller and the Reverend Thomas Lapes, lot number eleven, in square three hundred and nineteen, has been substituted, and is accepted in lieu of the lot in square two hundred and twenty-seven (227) above named, which last is released from the pledge.
JOHN P. VAN NESS.
A meeting of the church council was held on the 20th of May, 1843, at which this letter was read. The names of the members present at this meeting are not given in the minutes except that of the mover of the resolution of thanks.
After the reading of the letter, on motion of Mr. C. F. Bihler, it was unanimously resolved that the "thanks of the church council, on behalf of themselves and the congregation they represent, be and are hereby tendered to Gen. J. P. Van Ness for his generous and valuable donation." It was further ordered that the pastor of the congregation, Dr. A. A. Muller, communicate this action to the General, and to express to him " the deep sense of gratitude which the council and congregation feel in relation to this act of disinterested liberality and christian munificence."
In obedience to this action of the council, the follow- ing communication was addressed to Gen. Van Ness, accompanied by the resolutions of the meeting:
WASHINGTON, May 26, 1843.
To Gen. J. P. VAN NESS.
MY DEAR SIR: I had the pleasure to receive, a few days since, your very polite and friendly communication,
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and lost no time in presenting it to the council of the English Lutheran Church of Washington. It affords me no ordinary gratification, respected sir, to transmit to you the annexed extract and resolutions, and I profit by the occasion which confers on ine the honor of addressing you to give some expression to those indi- vidual feelings of respect and gratitude which your liberality and kindness have excited in my own inind. It is recorded in the early ages of the church that "not many mighty, not many noble, were called "-not that christianity forbade their approach to its standard, but that stations of wealth and worldly honors were, in many instances, unfavorable to that simplicity and truth so indispensable to the best interests of the religion of the Gospel. Let it not be thought, however, that the merciful designs of God in the gift of his Son have any exclusive reference to the poor. The church in her best days received the powerful aid of the rich and the noble, and often in times of persecution and sorrow leaned for support on the arms of kings and princes. When the Saviour of our race was an inhabitant of this world, the rich resorted to him on many occasions to listen to the doctrines and precepts which he taught. Zacchens, therich publican, joyfully received him into his own home; a nobleman of Capernaum went to beseech Him to come and heal his afflicted servant; and it was Joseph, the distinguished and wealthy Arimathean, who besought Pilate for His body after the crucifixion, that it might be placed in his own sepulchre. If wealth in many instances establishes a power for evil, it very often, under the influence of a divine charity, confers the authority to effect much good. If instances are needed in our own day and in our own country to show what support christianity derives from the wealthy and the liberal, they can be readily pointed out in almost every city and village of our own America. Indeed, sir, our own beautiful metropolis is not without many such memorials of christian liberality; and it will not be difficult for those who shall succeed the present gell- eration to designate those places and objects which even your benevolence, and that of those who have been so happily associated with your name, have consecrated to the purposes of religion and charity. "It is the pre-
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rogative of the noblest natures that their departure to higher regions exercises a no less blessed influence than did their abode on earth; like stars by which to steer our course, so often interrupted by storms, that those to whom we turned in life as the beneficent, the helpful, now attract our aspiring glance as the perfected-the blessed.
For the kind manner and the disinterested inotives which have characterized your valuable donation to the congregation over whose spiritual interests I have the happiness to preside, be pleased to accept my sincere and unfeigned gratitude and profound respect. I can make you no return equal to the pleasure which the exercise of this benevolent act conveys to your own heart, but I can and will most fervently offer my humble prayer to Almighty God that he would return into your own bosom, and cause you to experience the divine influence of that blessed religion whose offices and character you have so generously sought to advance and recommend; and that it may prove to you a staff of strength in your declining years, a comfort in the hour of your dissolution, and the sure evidence of your final transition to a blessed immortality.
I pray you to accept the assurances of my respect and regard, while I remain your friend and obliged servant.
ALBERT A. MULLER, Pastor of the English Lutheran Congregation, Washington, D. C.
The new enterprise found many worthy friends out- side of the Lutheran name, among whom, in addition to the donor of the lot, must be mentioned the name of Rev. Septimus Tustin, D. D., the assistant pastor of the F street Presbyterian Church and Chaplain of the U. S. Senate. He cooperated with the infant organization in securing the grant of the site of the church from Gen. Van Ness, and with Dr. Samson, pastor of the Third Baptist Church, took part in the proceedings of the laying of the corner-stone. Gen. Van Ness was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
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During this formative period it must be noted how much the young organization owed to the counsels and active interest of the Rev. Dr. J. G. Morris, of Baltimore ; of Dr. Kurtz, of Dr. Conrad, and others. Dr. Morris' services and counsel were often in demand, and he was always ready and willing to respond to the wishes of the new mission enterprise. He had delivered the first lecture for its benefit on the 22d of February, and now in June of the same year, and after the site was donated, he was called into conference with the church council to receive from him such advice and direction as he might be able to give as to the means and measures necessary for the early and successful prosecution of the erection of a church edifice on the location now secured. It is due to Dr. Morris and to Dr. Conrad to say that among the friends of St. Paul's outside of the city of Washington they were among the foremost in every possible way of helpfulness ; and amidst the lights and shadows of her history for the half century just closed, their names must appear as stars in her firmament for- ever.
Preparations for the Erection of an Edifice.
One of the first steps taken by the council in prepar- ing the way for a successful advance in the effort to secure a church building as speedily as possible, and to gain the favorable attention of the community, was the presentation of a memorial and plea to "His Excel- lency, John Tyler, the President of the United States," setting forth the present condition and prospects of the church, and the permanent settlement of a pastor. What the result of this memorial to the President was, does not appear in any subsequent report. That it was a favorable one in securing the sympathy and good will of the administration can not be doubted, for when the
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ceremonies of the laying of the corner-stone took place, inany officials of the various departments of the Gov- ermment were present and joined in the offerings that were given on that occasion.
On the 4th of July, 1843, the church council held a meeting at which they passed this resolution :
"In order to effect a speedy collection of money for the erection of a church edifice, be it resolved by the council that fifteen blank books be purchased, and prepared with suitable captions for the purpose of making col- lections, to be used by the members of the church coun- cil, and such other friends as may be found willing to aid in the matter of raising sufficient funds."
The "caption," or, rather, form of these subscriptions was as follows :
"It is proposed by the friends and members of the English Lutheran Church to erect in Washington, D C., an edifice for Divine worship according to the faith and discipline of the same. They respectfully call on their friends and fellow-citizens, and the friends of reli- gion, to aid them in this work of public enterprise and christian piety.
"P. S .- Sums subscribed payable in quarterly install- ments.
"WASHINGTON, July 4, 1843."
These subscription papers, so patriotically dated and so earnestly started out on their financial errands, seem to have been responded to with amounts which would now appear significantly small. The financial ability and resources of the people fell below their earnest de- sires and the necessities which pressed upon them; and thus the sums subscribed suffer a very unfavorable com- parison with the magnitude of the enterprise in hand. With the exception of one subscription of fifty dollars, all the rest ranged from five dollars down to fifty cents. The twenty subscriptions on the paper before us aggre-
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gated the sum of only ninety-two dollars-and this in quarterly payments! Probably the other books brought in a better showing ; if not, the money in sight was not of an assuring amount when the work of building began. Various measures, however, were devised at different times to accomplish the purpose which the mission band had undertaken to fulfill; nor were those efforts inter- mitted until the result was finally attained.
A circular was issued by the church council, dated Washington City, February 27th, 1844, a copy of which was to be sent to every "clergyman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States." This circular was suggested and inspired by the action of the Mary- land Synod at its annual session at Westminster, Carroll County, October 13th, 1843. The synodical action was as follows :
"WHEREAS, the permanent establishment of an Eng- lish Lutheran Church and congregation in the City of Washington, D. C., the metropolis of our common country, can not fail, under the Divine blessing, to exercise a very happy and desirable influence on the general interests and prosperity of the Lutheran Church in the United States ; and
"WHEREAS, a mission, under the auspices of this Synod, with a view to the accomplishment of such a desirable object, has been there established ; therefore be it
" Resolved by this Synod that the said mission and its pastor, Rev. A. A. Muller, D. D., be affectionately commended to the confidence, patronage, and christian liberality of the Lutheran churches of the United States and to the christian public at large."
With this strong indorsement and approval of the Synod, the church council issued the following circu- lar, with the date afore-mentioned :
"REVEREND SIR : The undersigned members of the church council of the English Lutheran Church of this city, beg leave, respectfully, to address you. They
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design, under the blessing of Almighty God, and with the aid of the liberal members of the Lutheran churches in the United States and other christian denominations, to erect in this city, during the present year, a conven- ient, suitable, and properly-designed church edifice. Towards the accomplishment of this desirable object an eligible and valuable lot of ground has been generously given by Gen. Van Ness, a highly respectable and wealthy citizen of this place, and subscriptions in money, labor, and materials have already been obtained. The prospects for the success of this enterprise are decidedly encouraging, and the church council look with anxious hope and confidence to their more favored brethren for their generous and liberal cooperation in a matter so likely to promote the highest interests of the Lutheran church at large, in the dissemination of those doctrines of the Gospel here, at the metropolis of our common country, for which the first Reformers so ardently and successfully labored. They ask from you the favor to bring the subject, as early as may be convenient, before your council and congregation, and that you would be pleased to take up a collection in aid of this object, and, with such other private subscriptions as may be obtained, forward the names and amount to Mr. Andrew Noerr, President of the church council of the English Lutheran Church, Washington, D. C. The several amounts and names of donors will be duly acknowledged in the Lutheran Observer, published at Baltimore."
Signed by church council :
Andrew Noerr, President. Jolın A. Emmons. Chas. F. Biller. Grafton Powell. Cornele Andrae. John C. Roemmele. Alexander Heitmiiller. David Fowble.
How much success attended this appeal can not now be accurately ascertained, but a number of favorable responses were received, and helpful contributions from different sources encouraged the members of the young
.
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organization to press forward in the work of church erection. The treasurer's book of this period shows among other receipts : Collections in Baltimore, per Dr. Muller, $350 ; Frederick County, Maryland, $51 ; Em- mittsburg, $31.43; collections from Philadelphia, $502; New York, $50. Rev. D. J. Hauer's church at Lovetts- ville, Va., gave a contribution of $66.88. Many of the collections were made in Western Maryland and the borders of Virginia, by house-to-house visitations of the pastor from Washington. The efforts put forth by the council and pastor were diversified, comprehensive, en- ergetic, and full of toil. Their enterprise, zeal, and patient perseverance in plans and methods deserve to be recorded with special emphasis and approval.
Memorial to the King of Prussia.
On the Ist of August, 1844, at a meeting of the church council, the pastor submitted a memorial, signed by the Mayor of Washington and a number of citizens, to which was attached the seal of the United States with the signature of the Secretary of State, the seal of the corporation of Washington, and signed by the Church Council, to be presented on their behalf to the King of Prussia by the Minister of the United States. This memorial was forwarded to the Prussian King, Wilhelm, the grandfather of the present Emperor of Germany, and in due time honored by the King's response. Whether any financial result came from this Memorial to the King of Prussia, or not, I have not been able to ascertain. The annals of that period are silent on this subject. But an interesting souvenir, and one highly appreciated, remains with our congregation to this day, and connects us with the imperial house of Germany in tender and loving association. It is a silver communion cup, or chalice, sent to the congregation as
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a token of kindly interest and good will by the King and Queen of Prussia in 1845. It has now been used at every communion season for almost fifty years. It becomes increasingly sacred and precious to the church with every passing year. Not a communion season occurs in which the pious King and Queen of Prussia, afterward Emperor and Empress of Germany-and long since gone to their repose beyond the royalties of earth- do not come into remembrance in our solemnities in the use of this cup. But it is a use in which the imperialism of human glory is made to offer tribute to the "King of Kings," and in which the crowns of earthly potentates are forgotten amid the glories of Calvary and the majesty of "that Name which is above every name."
"Oh, that with yonder sacred throng, We at His feet may fall ! We'll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all !"
The cup which is thus in precious possession and use in St. Paul's, and which is so highly valued, not for its intrinsic worth but for the sake of those illustrious ones who gave it, carries the following inscription :
Friederich Wilhelm IV König und Elisabeth Königen von Preussen der Evangelischen Gemeine zu St Paul in Washington. 1845.
The Laying of the Corner=stone.
The ceremonies connected with the laying of the corner-stone of St. Paul's Lutheran Church took place on the 12th of June, 1844. The lot originally given for the site of the church was in square 227. Gen Van Ness, at the request of those who thought a different location more desirable for the church, kindly exchanged the site at first given for the one at the corner of Eleventh and H streets N. W., known as lot No. 11 in square 319.
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This exchange was gratefully accepted by the church council on the 4th of April, 1844; and on this the build- ing was subsequently erected.
The 18th of June, 1844, was the date fixed for the laying of the corner-stone. From the National Intelli- gencer of that date we have the account of the cere- monies on that occasion. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon a procession was formed at the city hall. This con- sisted of distinguished visitors, clergymen, the church council of St. Paul's congregation, teachers and schol- ars of the Sunday school, and members and friends of the new congregation. The officers of the Grand Lodge of Masons of the District of Columbia, in full regalia, assisted by members of subordinate lodges under their jurisdiction and transient brethren, were in attendance. The order of the Sons of Temperance also joined in the procession, and the whole cortegé, preceded by thie ac- complished and well-trained Marine Band, marched to the corner of Eleventh and H streets, the site appropri- ated for the church edifice. Among the distinguished individuals in the procession were ex-President John Quincy Adams, and Gen. Van Ness, the friend and patron of the church. A beautiful model of the church, which is of Gothic architecture, was borne in the pro- cession by one of the scholars of the Sunday school. After the arrival of the procession and the immense crowd had gathered on the spot, the pastor of the church, Rev. Dr. Muller, announced from the stand that the 3d chapter of St. Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians would be read by the Rev. William Smith, late of Pitts- burg, Pa. Prayer by Rev. Septimus Tustin, chaplain of the U. S. Senate. After the singing of the 494th hymn of the Lutheran Hymn Book by the choir of the Church and vocalists from other churches, the Rev. Dr. J. G. Morris, of Baltimore, in a very able and interesting address, held the multitude in deep and fixed attention.
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