The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-29

composing the church, and continuing up
TO the time OF Mr.. Schoener's appoint
ment, werS pqst Peace and pros
perity seemed at last TO be the state of
the little church. The Rev. Mr.. Schooner
entered upon his duties of pastor with
all zeal and diligence. He had the church
raised and brick basement built under
It. In this basement the Sunday school
was located. Ia 1t. too, a German English
day school was opened aud it continued
to exist for nearly two years. About this
Time dissenston again sprang up in the
CHURCH. The day school was broken uD.
SO also was a ladies' society formed by
The pastor. The relations between Mr..
Schooner and his congregation became
more and more strained until the rever-
end gentleman finally resigned after Two
years and three mouths of unappreciated
labor for the good of the church.
REV. MIR. BURKHARD TOOK HOLD.
( Once again the congregation was with
out a pastor, and SO it remained until the
fall of 1873 Then the present pastor,
Rev. q. Burkhard, was called TO the
church, split up as it was by many dis,
sentions, with more than half it's mem.
bers fallen away and those remaining
tion and strife. They came upon
him doing missionary work in
West New York and environs.
He was invited to preach in the church.
He accepted the invitation and delivered
his first sermon on September %, 1873,
Just twenty years ago yesterday. His
style was well liked by the congregation:
he was invited again and again to preach
in the church. He came and preached in
answer to these Invitations for several
weeks.
In November the congregation arrived
at the conclusion that they had at last
found man to make pastor after their
nHrYtN NJ L =
The pastorate. He did not refuse. but
for TWO years and a half kept up his
missionary work In West New York
while still attending to his duties as
pastor of the little Greenville church.
Then the condition of the church had so
improved that iJ became necessary for
MIN TO give up his work at West New
York. In May. 1876. therefore, he de-
livered his farewell sermon at that place,
and from that time up to the present day
devoted all his time and energy to the
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Greenvilie.
a pastorate of two decades Ia indeed a
long one. No pastor. of Whatever sect,
has remained in GreenviIle one-halt That
length OF time. Few ministers, IL any,
can boast of coming to q faction.rent
church. where no pastor had ever re-
matned longer than TWO years and half,
and settling themselves for a twenty
years. stay.
Furthermore, Mr.. Burkhard has not
been idle during his long term. Soon
after he stepped into the pulpit the con-
gregatlon increased, ami all affairs OF the
church took on brighter aspect.
HIS GOOD WORK.
One OF his works which bore rapid fruit
was the organization of a Ladies' Active
Society, as 1t was called. This consisted
of five mem bers at the time. Chiefly
through its efforts the debt on the church
was paid off, ana parsonage bought in
1880 and paid for subsequently. Now
that same society numbers a hundred
members on its roll. The Sunday School,
too. Kept pace with the rest Of the church.
When Mr.. Burkhard came it had forty
three members and was the smallest in
GReenville. IL is now one of the largest,
with over 300 scholars. The congre CATION
Is now looking for new church Their
present quarters are very much cramped.
There Is reason to believe that the
twenty anniversary OF the estab-
lishment Of the church will be celebrated
IN more commodians edifice.
The Rev. G. Burkhard. before his COM
ing to Greenville. was engaged ia mis-
work, as stated above. For four
years previous to this ne was at the head
of parish. which he himself founded, in
Ind. IL was In the fall OF
1872 he went to West New York. Es
was sent to GreenvilIe by this First Dis
trict Conference of tho New York
Ministarium in answer to the Greenville
peoples call.