Historical data and life sketches of the deceased ministers of the Indiana Conference of the Evangelical Association, 1835 to 1915, Volume I, Part 3

Author: Evangelical Church. Indiana Conference; Baumgartner, Samuel H; Haist, A. B
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : Indiana Conference
Number of Pages: 412


USA > Indiana > Historical data and life sketches of the deceased ministers of the Indiana Conference of the Evangelical Association, 1835 to 1915, Volume I > Part 3


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35


28


MISSIONARY OPERATIONS AND EXPANSION


come when more of our individual churches will have a "living link."


In 1913 the constitution of the Conference Missionary Society was so revised as to meet the needs of the present. It was drawn up by Presiding Elder S. H. Baumgartner, and, with slight alter- ations, adopted as follows :


REVISED CONSTITUTION OF THE INDIANA CONFERENCE MISSIONARY SOCIETY


Article 1-This society shall be called the Indiana Conference Missionary Society, auxiliary to the Missionary Society of the Evangelical Association.


Article 2-The purpose of this society is to devise ways and secure funds for the successful prosecution of her work within the bounds of the Indiana Conference, under the direction of the General Board of Missions.


Article 3-Each member of this society shall pay annually a specified amount for the support of the society.


Article 4-The management of the business of the society shall be in the hands of its officers, who shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, who shall be elected an- nually by a majority vote.


Article 5-All "preachers-in-charge" of the Indiana Confer- ence shall be the authorized agents of the society to form auxil- iaries and solicit contributions from all church-members of their charge, making an earnest effort to exceed the minimum sum ap- portioned by the Conference to the field. Any minister failing to do his duty in this matter shall be reported to the society by the secretary.


Article 6-The members of this society shall meet on Wed- nesday, 9 a. m., previous to the opening of the Conference sessions, at the place where Conference sessions are held, for the transac- tion of the business of the society, and make arrangements for the annual missionary meeting, which shall be held during the Conference session.


Article 7-This society, through its secretary, shall send to the corresponding secretary of the General Missionary Society an annual report of the transaction of business. Also a report of the treasurer shall be forwarded to the missionary treasurer.


Article 8-The president shall preside at all of the meetings, and in his absence the vice-president. In the absence of both, the society shall elect one of its members as chairman pro tem. It is


29


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INDIANA CONFERENCE


the duty of the president to preach a missionary sermon at the annual meeting, or appoint some minister thereto.


Article 9-This society has power to adopt such by-laws as may be necessary for the management of her business and the successful prosecution of all her interests to the consummation of the object of its existence. However, they shall not conflict with the constitution of the Missionary Society of the Evangelical Association.


Article 10-This constitution can be changed or amended only by a two-thirds majority vote.


Article 11-The sum of $15.00 paid at one time entitles the donor to a life membership in this society.


Article 12-That a missionary auxiliary shall be formed by the pastor in the first quarter of each Conference year, in any society where $5.00 is subscribed, and monthly missionary meet- ings shall be held by the president of the auxiliary, or some one appointed by him, and voluntary offerings shall be taken, and pay- ments be made on subscriptions given.


Article 13-That all Sunday-schools of the Conference shall contribute annually five (5) cents per member or more (members of the Home and Cradle Roll Departments, not to be included), for the support of such mission, on their respective presiding elder district, as designated annually by the Conference Sunday-school Board, and approved by the Annual Conference.


And that each Sunday-school that contributes five (5) cents per member shall be designated as a Star Sunday-school. All moneys as raised shall be applied to the district to which the schools belong, but shall be paid to the secretary and treasurer of the society for record, and be distributed as directed by the Conference Sunday-school Board.


Article 14-The delegate to the Board of Missions shall be elected by ballot. He shall give a report of such work of the Gen- eral Board of Missions that vitally pertains to the Indiana Con- ference missionary work.


Article 15-Each missionary shall annually present a written report of the state of his mission to the Committee on State of ยท Missions at the annual business meeting, and the committee re- port the whole to the Conference. This committee shall annually be appointed by the president of the society.


BY-LAWS


1-Subscriptions given by lay-members, at the annual mis- sionary meeting, shall be credited to their respective fields as ex-


30


MISSIONARY OPERATIONS AND EXPANSION


tras, and shall not be included in the apportionment to the field, excepting to such societies as entertain the Conference.


2-All local auxiliary subscriptions given shall be paid, if possible, on or before July 1st, October 1st, January 1st, and March 25th, to the local missionary secretary, who shall remit the money on hand, on above dates, to the pastor, who shall promptly forward the same to the Conference missionary secretary. The missionary secretary shall order paid, on request, within ten days after the above dates, an equal per cent to the missionaries on their appropriations of the moneys on hand, unless missionaries voluntarily waive this right in preference to others.


3-All money received for the Missionary Society of the In- diana Conference, from Sunday-schools, Woman's Missionary So- cieties, and all individual gifts, bequests and annuities, shall be reported to the annual meeting, and shall not be counted as a part of the apportionment to the field, but as extras from the field.


4-The presiding elders shall notify the pastors of the fields, before the first quarterly meeting, of the amount of the appor- tionment to their fields. On the second round they shall inquire of the pastors if the auxiliaries have been renewed, and subscrip- tions taken for the support of missions, and at the Quarterly Con- ference the president shall ask how many monthly missionary meetings were held during the quarter, and what is the condition of the society.


At the session of 1914, a forward step was taken that put the society on a better business basis. Especially is this true in regard to the apportionment, which from now on is to be in ex- cess of the appropriations. Formerly the apportionment was con- siderably less than the appropriations, and the success of the mis- sionary treasury depended upon large surpluses, which sometimes failed to appear. The resolution, as adopted, reads as follows :


Whereas, The time seems to have come for adopting a differ- ent method to secure funds necessary for our Conference mission- ary work, therefore


Resolved, That we abandon the method of public solicitation from the laity, where Conference sessions are held for this purpose and, instead authorize the Committee on Appropriations and Ap- portionment to raise the apportionment to the fields sufficiently to balance the amount that was usually raised on Sunday afternoons, and that this go into effect at once, that the subscriptions made by the ministers at the missionary meeting be credited on the appor- tionment of each charge.


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INDIANA CONFERENCE


Missions, Stations and Circuits Established Since 1852


1852-Evansville as a mission.


1853-Olney as a mission.


1854-South Bend and Newville (Linn Grove) as missions.


1855-Indianapolis and Berrien (Mich.) as missions.


1856-Dayton, 1st, made a station. The entire of the Miami Circuit in Ohio was ceded back to the Indiana Conference. Clay County Mission detached from Marshall Circuit. Western part of Dubois Circuit was made into Warrenton Circuit, now Elberfeld.


1858-Marshall Circuit was divided into Marshall and Vandalia Missions. Cicero Mission was formed out of western part of Whitewater Circuit. Waupecong Mission formed from appointments of the Fulton Circuit south of the Wabash River.


1859 -- Defiance Mission was formed from classes east of the St. Joseph River, belonging to DeKalb Circuit. Huntington Circuit was formed out of the western part of St. Mary Circuit. Miami Circuit was divided into Montgomery Mis- sion and Greenville Circuit. Olney Mission was made a circuit. South Bend City and Kerstettler's class were made a mission.


1860-Dubois Circuit was divided into Rockport Mission and Huntingburg Circuit.


1861-Due to Civil War financial crisis, a number of missions were served with circuits. The eastern part of Berrien Circuit was made into Bainbridge Mission. Ionia Mission was formed from the northern part of Calhoun Mission.


1862-Cicero Mission was made into a circuit. Lafayette, Cov- ington and Danville, Ill., were made a mission. Bainbridge was reincorporated with Berrien.


1863-Rockport Mission was reformed. Mississinawa and Van Wert Missions were made. South Bend City was again made a mission.


1864-Louisville, Ky., Richmond and Medaryville vicinity were constituted as missions. Montgomery Mission was made a circuit. Lima Circuit was formed out of Van Buren, Lake Pleasant and Brookville classes. Michigan Conference was organized with Berrien, St. Joseph, Lima Circuits and


32


NEW MISSIONS, STATIONS AND CIRCUITS


Kalamazoo and Ionia Missions from the Indiana Confer- ence.


1865 -- St. Joseph District was named Elkhart District. Van Wert Mission was made a circuit. St. Louis was taken up as a mission on paper only !


1866-Indianapolis, 1st, was made a station. Pulaski Circuit and N. Liberty Mission were formed.


1867-South Bend Mission was changed to a station. Carmi and Defiance Missions became circuits. Ft. Wayne and Elk- hart cities were taken up as new mission appointments. Cumberland Mission was formed. N. Liberty Mission was discontinued. Conference was redistricted into four dis- tricts.


1868 -- Mt. Carmel was made a station. West Salem Circuit was formed from Mt. Carmel Circuit. Marshall Mission was made a circuit. Wabash Mission near Lafayette was di- vided into Danville and Spring Grove Missions. Twin Lake Circuit was formed from the Fulton Circuit north of the Tippecanoe River. Medaryville Mission was formed (San Pierre). Huntington Mission was made a circuit.


1869-Huntingburg Circuit was made a station. A new mission was to be located in south-east Dayton, but failed to mate- rialize.


1870-Danville Mission was discontinued. Celina Mission was formed from the southern points of Van Wert Circuit.


1871-A new mission was established in the north-east end of Indian- apolis, but was discontinued after the church edifice had been damaged by a tornado. Richmond Mission was made a part of Montgomery Circuit. Sulphur Spring appointment was added to Indianapolis Mission. Van Wert city and vicinity became a mission. Waupecong Mission became a circuit.


1872-Olney and Louisville Missions were made stations. West Louisville Mission was located. Wabash Mission was formed. Medaryville Mission became a circuit. New Paris and Silver Lake Circuits were formed.


1873-Brazil Mission was formed from classes east of State line from the Marshall Circuit. Waterloo and Kendallville Circuits were formed from DeKalb Circuit. Richmond and Winchester Missions were formed. South Bend Mission was discontinued and incorporated with the station.


1874-St. Louis was again to be taken up as a mission! Mound City and Cairo Mission was established in southern Illinois. Decatur Mission was formed. Eikhart Mission with the


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INDIANA CONFERENCE


Schwartz class was made a station, and the Conference loan of $448.00 was donated. Mishawaka and Coal Bush were made a mission. Elkhart English and Loose class became Watchtower Mission. Logansport Mission was formed.


1875-Mound City and Cairo Missions were made Jonesboro Mis- sion. Murphysboro was taken up as a new mission. Lake Creek in Williams Co., Ill., was taken up as a new mission. Celina Mission became a circuit. Conference was redis- tricted into five. Conference asked the formation of the South Indiana Conference.


1876 -- South Indiana Conference formed from the appointments along the lower Wabash River valley, together with those in southern Indiana and Illinois, Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. Laporte, Ind., was taken up as new mission, but soon discontinued.


1877-Some changes in boundary were made.


1878 -- Decatur Mission was reincorporated with St. Mary.


1879-North Webster Mission was formed.


1880-Winchester and Emmettsville classes formed a new mission. N. Liberty Mission was formed. Spring Grove Mission was discontinued. Richmond was added to E. Germantown.


1881-Rochester and Royal Center Missions were formed.


1882-Logansport and Royal Center Missions were made Logans- port Mission. Berne was added to Decatur Mission.


1883-Medaryville Circuit with Laporte Mission was reformed into Medaryville and Laporte Mission.


1884-Tippecanoe Circuit was formed.


1885-Wanatah Mission was reformed. Rochester Circuit was made. Hicksville and Portland were taken up as new mis- sions. A mission was to be located in western Indianapolis, which failed to appear.


1886-West Point Mission was formed. Some boundaries were changed.


1887-Kendallville Circuit was divided into Wolcottville Circuit and Kendallville Mission.


1888-Cleveland, Tenn., and a class in Georgia became a mission field. This field had to be abandoned, because our people who had settled there removed to the North, and there was no nucleus with which to work.


1890-A few changes in boundaries were made.


1891-Wanatah and Medaryville were made Medaryville Circuit. Nappanee Mission was formed. Rochester and Elkhart Mis-


34


NEW MISSIONS, STATIONS AND CIRCUITS


sions were made stations. Slight changes in boundaries were made.


1892-Nappanee City was to be a separate mission.


1893-The South Indiana Conference was reincorporated with the Indiana Conference. Owensboro and Rockport were consol- idated and named Owensboro Mission. Grayville and En- terprise were made into Grayville Mission. Indianapolis, 2nd Church, was located as a mission. Elkhart, Division St., Station, was made a mission. Mizpah, South Bend, was established as a mission. Berne was made a mission. St. Mary's Circuit was dismembered and its classes added to other fields. Louisville District was made to embrace the former South Indiana Conference, except Brazil, which was added to the Indianapolis District.


1894-Elkhart South Side and Cumberland Missions were formed.


1896-Van Wert Mission was made a circuit. Cumberland Mis- sion discontinued. West Salem and Lancaster were made into West Salem Circuit.


1897-Conference was made into four districts. Old missions were consolidated and Owensboro discontinued.


1898-Lake Bruce and Defiance Missions were changed to circuits. Peru and New Harmony were taken up as new missions. Olney was made a station.


1899-Old circuits and missions were reformed. 845020


1900-Paulding Mission was formed. Twin Lakes named Culver Circuit.


1901-Some boundaries changed. Medaryville was named San Pierre. Elkhart South Side and New Harmony were dis- continued as missions. Beulah Chapel in South Bend was added to N. Liberty.


1902-Bremen, Ft. Wayne Bethel and Urbana were made stations. Young People's Alliance mission at Kokomo was launched.


1903-Syracuse was made a mission. N. Liberty was changed to West South Bend Mission. Yellow River Mission to Bremen Mission. Mt. Carmel was made a station.


1904-Grand Victory, Union Center and St. Paul were made into Cavett (now Scott) Mission. Vera Cruz was renamed Linn Grove. Elkhart South Side and South Bend Beulah were made a mission.


1905-Cavett Mission was named Scott. Ridgeville with Emmetts- ville was made Emmettsville Mission.


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INDIANA CONFERENCE


1906-Bethel in Elkhart was organized and with Salem of Misha- waka Circuit was constituted a mission, called Bethel. Day- ton Wayne Avenue and Berne were made stations.


1907-Olney Mission and West Salem Circuit were made stations. Hicksville was discontinued as a separate mission.


1908-Spikerville, now Wabash Circuit, was newly formed. Bound- aries were changed. Second Young People's Alliance mis- sion was taken up in Ft. Wayne and named Crescent Ave.


1909-Gary was to be taken up, but proved to be inexpedient. Cal- vary and Salem of Defiance Circuit were made to form De- fiance Circuit, and the remaining classes, Defiance Mission. Ohio City Circuit was formed.


1910-Lakeville and Chattanooga Missions were formed. Lydick was added to Beulah South Bend. St. Peter's was made a station. Mt. Carmel was again made a station. Ft. Recov- ery was named Portland Circuit.


1911-South Kokomo Mission was formed. A new mission was lo- cated in Celina City. Kendallville became a station. Avilla and Garret a mission.


1912-Paradise and Trout Creek classes were transferred from the Michigan Conference and added to Bethel Elkhart. No- blesville City was discontinued.


1913-Culver society was made a station. Hopewell, a Presbyte- rian society, was added, to be served with Avilla. Bippus and Ridgeville Missions were formed into circuits. Camp Creek and Altamont were consolidated. Brazil City was made a mission. Evansville Mission was made a station.


1914-Markle was made a station. Zion, near Markle, a separate field. A new mission was launched in Evansville City.


1915-Rochester Circuit was formed from Jerusalem, Zion, Grand View and Pleasant Valley from Culver Circuit. Hicksville and Defiance Mission were made into Hicksville and Defiance Circuit. Trinity from Wolcottville was attached to Water- loo and called Waterloo Mission. Berne Circuit was formed from Vera Cruz appointment of Linn Grove, Salem from Decatur and the Chattanooga Circuit. Cambridge City was taken up as a mission.


36


CONFERENCE CHURCH DEBT


The Conference Church Debt


N. B .- This debt has no reference to the current debt made by the purchase of Oakwood Park and its improvements.


Like a mill-stone hanged about the neck, the enormous church debt hung about the neck of the Conference. Progress was an impossibility so long as the weight remained, and retrogression seemed inevitable. Already in the year 1874, every traveling preacher was assessed $5.00 to meet the accruing interest on the debt, which was growing at an enormous rate.


The debt was created in the following manner :- When new missions were launched, demanding church and parsonage build- ings, the Conference got beneath the project, borrowed the money and advanced it for the mission in question. If the project failed, as many of them did, the burden rested upon the Conference. Lou- isville Zion project and that of Cincinnati will furnish concrete illustrations, the one case, Louisville Zion, where the investment proved a success, and the other, that of Cincinnati, which proved a dismal failure.


Louisville Zion Church Project .- A committee, consisting of Melchior Mayer, Jos. Fisher and John Fuchs, was appointed in 1866 to look after the work in Louisville, in view of permanently locating a mission there and securing a church property. The com- mittee reported that the prospects were exceedingly good, that a membership of 40 was already in hand, and the indications for future growth flattering. There was a church building, located on Walnut St., just east of Campbell, in which they had been holding services, which was for sale, and the committee recommended that the Conference borrow the money and purchase the same. Fur- thermore, the committee recommended, that since the property could be purchased much cheaper by paying cash for it, that the same be done, and as much money be raised on the field during the year as possible. The report was adopted, and the committee con- tinued with instructions to purchase the same. The committee met at Louisville in October, 1866, with the intention of purchasing the property ; however, Mr. F. Schmidt now refused to sell it at the price offered, $5,000, claiming that he had received an offer of $6,000. A careful search of the city was made for another build- ing which might be bought, rented or merely used as a place of worship. Failing in this, it was considered advisable to purchase . said church from Mr. Schmidt. It was finally secured for the sum


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INDIANA CONFERENCE


of $5,500, including a parsonage on the same lot. Some necessary improvements were made, and all financed by the Conference.


The movement was a success from the very beginning, and had all the undertakings of the Conference in this line panned out as this one, there never would have been any Conference debt to hinder and harass. But, alas! too often, where intentions and even indications were as good as those in Louisville, they ended in dismal failure, and if the Conference had not ceased this method of procedure, bankruptcy would have been the logical result.


At Cincinnati, in 1868, there was an indebtedness of $3,128 resting upon the mission church, and Conference ordered the amount to be borrowed for one year, at reasonable interest, only to experience that year after year the indebtedness increased. A special committee was appointed to look after the finances of this church, and also to determine the feasibility of relocating. In 1871, twenty-nine preachers obligated themselves to pay $50 each toward the indebtedness of the Cincinnati church, but as the years to follow only saw the debt increase, the project was abandoned, and the property sold, and the Conference was wiser, but not richer, by the transaction. The church in Muncie was sold for the same purpose.


In 1876, the Conference indebtedness reached the enormous sum of $6,000. In '78, it was $9,000, and each minister was as- sessed $15 to meet the heavy interest. For a number of years the preachers had been paying $5 and $10 apiece for this purpose.


It was painfully evident that if Conference is ever to do any aggressive work, she must rid herself of this burden, and forestall any such experience in the future. Consequently, in 1880, J. K. Troyer was elected to collect funds in the Conference toward liquidating the debt. The effort was only a partial success. In '86, the Laporte and Vandalia churches were sold and proceeds applied to the indebtedness. In 1901, in view of the 50th anniver- sary of the Conference, which was to be held at the next session, it was decided to celebrate this semi-centennial by liquidating the debt. Every minister assumed a commendable amount, the mini- mum for an elder being $25, for a deacon $15, and $10 for a pro- bationer in service. The total amount subscribed by the preachers was $1,900. J. M. Haug was then appointed as special Conference collector for this purpose, who spent the entire year in canvassing pledges throughout the Conference. Everything possible was done to make this debt a thing of the past. Printed appeals were sent out, pastors were urged to press the matter, and any preacher failing to do his utmost in the cause was to be held accountable for


38


CONFERENCE CHURCH DEBT


neglect. Two thousand Conference pictures, containing the like- nesses of the original Indiana Conference, together with its pre- siding Bishop, and those in active service in 1901 with the presid- ing Bishop, were printed, and every lay member who paid $5 toward the Conference debt received a picture, gratis, those paying $2 received one for 25 cents, and those giving $1 received one for 50 cents. None were to be sold for less than $1.50. The many pictures that even now grace Evangelical homes within the bounds of the Indiana Conference evidence the interest taken in this proj- ect. At last this great impediment was removed, the Conference breathed more freely, and was in condition to take up the work of expansion in an aggressive manner.


39


INDIANA CONFERENCE-1901


16


17


18


15


19


14


SH BAUMGARTNER P.E


21


22


ELKHART


DISTRICT


20


23


26


25


27


24


28


31


30


32


29


33


14. S. II. Baumgartner


15. Thos. Finkbeiner


16. J. O. Mosier 17. S. S. Albert


18. E. J. Nitsche


25. P. L. Browns


32. F. F. McClure


19. L. S. Fisher


20. W. S. Tracy


21. James Wales


22. W. G. Braeckly


23. II. H. Reinoehl


24. F. Walmer


31. S. C. Cramer


26. J. W. Feller


33. E. Werner


27. E. Q. Laudeman


28. M. L. Scheidler


29. C. D. Riggenberg 30. A. J. Wiesjahn


40


INDIANA CONFERENCE-1901


37


36


38


35


39


41


34


42


D.S.OAKES P.E.


FT.WAYNE


DISTRICT


40


43


46


-


45


47


48


50


51


49


52


53


34. D. S. Oakes 35. J. HI. Evans 36. D. E. Martz 37. II. Schleucher 38. J. E. Stoops 39. J. J. Wise 40. L. Newman


41. A. B. Haist 42. W. H. Mygrant


43. J. M. Smith 44. C. H. Burgener 45. J. W. Metzner.


46. E. E. Greiner 47. S. I. Zechiel


48. D. E. Zechiel 49. J. H. Rilling 50. D. B. Koenig 51. W. H. Freshley 52. L. J. Ehrhardt 53. C. M. Pierce


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INDIANA CONFERENCE-1901


54. C. F. Hansing


63. C. W. Spangler


55. F. Rausch


64. M. W. Sunderman


56. I. II. Griesemer


65. F. L. Snyder 66. E. J. Oliver


67. John Rees


68. J. L. Buyer


69. August Geist


70. A. S. Fisher


71. George Roederer


58


59


5


60


56


54


63


C.F.HANSING .P.E


64


INDIANAPOLIS


DISTRICT


55


65


66


67


68


69


TO


57. B. E. Koenig


58. G. B. Kimmel


59. W. L. Luehring 60. F. G. Schweitzer


6]. J. H. Breish


62. Peter Speicher




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