Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-08-28
MORAVIAN MISSIONS.

| MORAVIAN MISSIONS.
JUBILEE ANNIVERSARY AT .,rI1z.
Tho Missionary Church and It's Work OF
Propagaiing the eiospei-keepins
the 15Osh Anniversary
The congregation of the venerable Mora.
vian church at Lititz yesterday celebrated
tho 15Oth anniversary of the establish.
ment Of tho foreign MISSION work Of their
denomination. Lititz is ono of the three
very old settlements Of this church in tho
United States, the other two being Beth
lcacm and Nazareth. From the size Of
the congregation and the fact that there il
connected with the church there an i'm
pOrtant scholastic institutiOn-the Lin
den Hall seminary-tbe place is re-
garded ~ Of considerable consequence i'm
the MOravian church in tho United States,
and tho observance Of the sesqui. .centen-
nial anniversary was gotten up ON scale
commensurate with the significance of the
event. Preparations had been made by
the hOspitablc villagers for tho entertain
ment OF visitors from abroad, and though
the almost continuous dOwnpOur of tho
this part part of the programme, there
was considerable influx into tho quiet
little town from this place, three we'll
filed Omnibuses starting from tho church
early in the morning and many people fol-
lowing in private cOnveyances ut intervals
later in the day.
The morn Of jubilee was ushered in with
appropriate chOrals by choir of trombon-
lists from tho steeple of the ancient church.
At 9:3O q. m. tho first service was held in
presence Of a large congregation, at which
the sermon was by Rev. &. L. Reinke, Oi
Lebanon, and had special reference to the
event celebrated. The church was very
handsomely trimmed, the principal Orna-
mentatiOn being in the pulpit. On the
wall of tho recess was an evergreen arch
surmOunting tho figures ''15O," which
siSnlfied tho anniversary cOmmcmOrated.
On the reading desk and communion
table there wero . numbcr Of very
pretty floral designs, and pOttcd plants
edged tho flor Of tho chanccl. The lamp
posts at each side Of tho pulpit desk were
gracefully cntwined withfestOOns, to which
tho designs of cross and anchor lont added
effect. The entire space in and around the
pulpit indeed was transformed into Il gar
den Of beauty by the prOfusiOD Of ferns.
trailing plants and blooming flowers that
had been tastefully arranged. In tho
window recesscs all around tile interior OF
the church blOOmed flowers Of variegated
hue, and the effect of tho Orna-
mentatiOn was completed by the fes-
tOOl,s that twined about the chandeliers.
Entering tho outer vestibule Of the church,
the spectators vision was greeted bya
map hanging on the wall representing both
l. A. Il 6 ~
ye into all the world and preach tho Cos
pei"
The jubilee service proper was held in
tho afternoon. 1t opened with brief
litany conducted by the pastor, Rev. Mr..
Nagle, followed by prayer by Rev. j. Max
Hark, Of this city. Tho principal feature
of tho exercises was the address by Right
Rev. Bishop Edmund do Schweinntz, :.
T. d., president Of the provincial
board of elders. The distinguished divine
spoke earnestly Of tho event AZ con-
mcmOrating tho first foreign mission
scheme of Protestant ChristcndOm. sent
out in tho year 1733. Lconhard Dobcr
and David Misch, two piOus young men,
were inspired by the tragic tales told by
Count Zinzen.lOrf, who had just returned
from Denmark, whero he had met a slave
from tho Island of st. Thomas. Shocked
by the gross darkness Of these negroes, ho
became an ardent astatOr Oi mission
work These two young men sold them
selves rs slaves and proceeded to tho Isle
Of st. Thomas, West India, In the year
1857 nearly one hundred single young meis
followed in the gOOtl work. Tho develop.
ment Of tho work can be seen by the
figures. In 1882 there werc % mission
stations, in which 165 missionaries were .
engaged In 1882 tho work embraced Al
stations, 200 missionaries, with 10000
people in charge. In 1869 there were in
service 3O5 missionaries. with foreign
emigration of GO, 123. Tho last table Of
statistics, dated July. 1881, gives a
remarkable increase. Tho number Of
stations il 113, in charge of 3l5
missionaries, having under their care
"A. .446 souls, Of which number 2j,-
29S are communicates, the .Others
being baptized children and candidates.
The cost Of running these missions
amounts to $2c:j, 600 per annum. BESIDES
aries (11S females), . largo number Of
widows, widOwcrs and orphans to be sup
ported. which absOrbs yearly some S30,-
coo. Tho education of 3j1 boys and girls,
children of missionaries, IL another draw on
this exchequer to the amount Of $3s, 900
annually. The number Of missionaries.
both male and female, who have "gOno
out' since tho days OF DOber and Misch,
up to the present time, has been
2.17O. Tho brethren havo thriving sta
tiOns in Greenland, Labrador, among tie
Indians in North America, West India
Islands, Surinam, South Africa and and
Australia. Whenthe young missionaries
left Hcrnhutt, in 1889. tho foreign mis-
siOnary fund Of tho Protestant church
was represented by Sc that these two zeal
OTIS had between them. That fund is now
represented by the annual expenditure "f
$S, ,OOO, 600. with foreign church that in
cludes 6. G.OOO, 600 of converts.
The MOrivian churches in America have
contributed to foreign mission schemes as
follows 1875, s.. .9j1: 1879, 81, 251 1880,
S., 233 1881, s4,SS7. The society for
PrOpagating tho Gospel, which has its
in Bethlehem, has invest
ments that yield $4,000 annually Cor this
foreign work. ~
The Moravian church is an episcOpaA,
with three orders OF the ministry deacon
presbyter and bishop. They havo four
bishops in this country-BishOp Schultze
UG6), Pennsylvania Bishop ReiDke u72),
New York Bishop deSchweinitz u73),
Bishop VanVleck Q74),
Ohio. The number in parenthesis is their
number in the calendar of the Apostolic
Succession. The government Of the
church Is by district conference for local
legislation, q synod for each province (swO