50-Year Anniversary of the Congregation in Lamar, Ind.

"We are going up to Jerusalem!" Certainly many a family father has spoken thus to his own in and around Lamar on the 1st Sunday of Advent. It was time to celebrate the golden jubilee of the St. Peter's Congregation. Even if the sky looked in gray everything still came off as it should have.

The commemorative service began with the song "Praise to the Lord, the mighty King of Glory". The service at the altar was provided by Pastor Wm. Cramm of Dubois, Ind. The commemorative sermon was given by Pastor A. Egli of Sandusky, Ohio. He based his sermon on the words of Luke 19, 9: "This day is salvation come to this house." Since Pastor Egli once headed the "bush" congregation for nine years, he knew the path of the congregation from his own experience and looked out on then and now, and thus not only was the text chosen fortunately, but his explanations were interesting. But many an eye also became moist as he touched on the old memories. After the sermon the local Pastor Thomas read aloud the commemoration report.

A 2½ hour pause followed the morning church services in which all the churchgoers were served by the Ladies Society. In the afternoon service Pastor W. Cramm talked first. He is a child of our mother congregation at Fulda, Ind. His sermon from Hes. 47, 1-12 was mainly directed to the youth. After him Pastor Repke, the honorable Vice-President of the Indiana District, spoke to the festival gathering. The whole celebration was uplifting and the people still talk of those blessed hours. The festival collection together with the regular collection previously taken up amounted to $332.76.

The church interior was newly painted for the jubilee celebration. Members of the congregation paid the costs. The Ladies Society donated the new altar cloth and the covering for the pulpit, both with sayings embroidered in gold. The Sunday School paid for the three wall sayings which were accomplished masterfully. The Youth Society supported the rest of the works.

The following is to be noted from the history of the congregation: In 1861 St. Peters Congregation was founded with 15 families. Since these people came from the Lutheran Church of Bavaria, they first joined the neighboring Lutheran congregation in (New) Boston prior to 1861. They did not find what they wanted there. They separated from the Missouri-Church and built their own church high on a hill in the middle of the bush. This first house of God was consecrated by Pastor Gübner on the founding day of the congregation, December 1, 1861, the 1st of Advent. This congregation was still not able to stand alone, but was a mission congregation and was served in the years 1861 - 1864 by the pastors Svolanik, Müller and Gübner, partly from Buffaloville and partly from Cannelton. Not until 1865 did the congregation receive its own minister in Pastor M. Albert. However, his residence was in Fulda, Ind., and he was actually the Pastor of the Trinity Congregation at Fulda-Kratzburg. St. Peters Congregation at Lamar always remained a branch church until 1892 when Pastor A. Egli relocated to the larger congregation of Lamar. This change in residence of itself brought many changes to St. Peters Congregation. First of all the congregation was given a new synodal constitution. The parsonage which still stands today was built under Pastor Egli. Five acres of bush land was purchased, but has not been bush land for a long time now. Since the old church from 1861 no longer met the conditions, this new one was built during the time of Pastor A. Büttner. A new school was built in 1909. In April of this year the church property was improved. Everything now makes a good impression. The congregation is free of debt.

The following pastors have stood as head of this community: 1861-64, Svolanik, Müller, Gübner as missionary workers; M. Albert, 1865-69; F. Frick, 1869-76; E. Nolting, 1876-82; E. Bourquin, 1882-87; F. Wöfle, 1887-91; A. Egli, 1892-1901; A. Büttner, 1901-03; Ch. Meyer, 1903-08; P. Saffran, 1909-10; P. Thomas, present. Only four of these pastors are still living. We greet them at this point, especially the pastors’ widows who for the most part are still living and while reading this report will think back very well of Lamar-Fulda. Pastoral events as far as can be viewed: baptized 460, confirmed 415 (children from Fulda included up until 1891), marriages 87, burials 184. The congregation counts 54 families joined, the Ladies Society 37 members, the Youth Organization 24, Sunday school students 108. May God’s blessing and grace continue to rule over the St. Peters Congregation. – P. Thomas.

Der Friedensbote (Peace Messenger), December 31, 1911, p. 841, "From the districts of the Synod"