The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-12
PASTOR DETzER,s FAREWELL.
Bids Adieu to the Church of the Re
deemer After Ten Years.

Bids Adieu to the Church of the Re
deemer After Ten Years.
After a pastorate extending over ten
years, Rev. ]. A. Deter preached his
farewell sermon yesterday morning at
the English Lutheran Church Of the
Redeemer, Woodward and Lafayette He
said in part:
May we never find cause for regret;
you that have begun this blessed work,
and [ that have undertaken to help you
and lead you. We will most certainly
never regret this undertaking, if we be-
gin and continue in it, knowing and
trusting that it is the omniscient God
who has called it forth; that it is His
will and our obedience to His sacred
command to preach the gospel in all
tongues and languages to all the people
and nations that dwell upon the earth,
and which moved us to take it up in the
name of the Lord.
These were my, words to you, my dear
brethren, when l entered upon my duties
as pastor of the Church Of the Redeem
er the evening Of Sept. IA, 1880. The
gathering here this morning, this con-
gregation, this church., this Sunday
school, the members of the church, the
societies connected with 1t, the zeal, en-
ergy and enthusiasm of all connected
not deceived ourselves In our hopes, in
our trust and in our faith In Gods prom
iSeS.
"Our entire congregation then num-
bered but five members, one of whom
soon left us; nine communicates, of
whom only six remained constant and
faithful. Two children constituted the
entire Sunday school. Years of strug-
giles, disappointments, sacrifices and
grief at finding ourselves standing be-
fore shattered hopes came. We grew
discouraged. We were enduring the fire
test of fate We had bought this prop
erty. The hard times and the financial
crash throughout the land added to our
hardships. With 1t all there was an an
Choir to which we held, which hung firm
ly to its moorings and which never
wayered, though we at times would let
go our hold upon 1.-THE firm, immova-
BILE promise of the word Of God God
has been true to His promise, I will
not leave thee nor forsake thee
To-day we look upon miracle Of
Gods grace-this congregation-the sue
cessful completion of work ridiculed
at first, doubted by many, antagonized
by people who should have been its most
earnest supporters; yes, so faithlessly
carried on even by ourselves. God has
been faithful, and today, as 1 leave this
church to undertake the same duties in
another field, 1 shall openly confess to
my Master, Lord, I was like the terri
fed disciples in the little ship on Gall
lee. We all were; yet Thy word has
conquered the storms of Affections and
subdued the waves that threatened US
with destruction.
"But the time has come when God has
laid the work begun in His name and
blessed so wonderfully by Him into your
own hands Me, and of this / am firmly
convinced, He has called away to show
you, in the first place, that not l, but He.
has done this work, that not my person,
with it's poor gifts, but that His work and
power alone have built up this congrega-
ton. Secondly, to show you how strong
and powerful you may be, if you lean
upon the hand Of God alone, and trust
implicitly in His promise. Not until the
past few weeks did you know your own
strength and the powers within you,
planted there by Him. You have sudden
ly awakened to the fact that you are a
self-supporting congregation.
81 shall not forget my congregation OF
the Church of the Redeefner. To you,
who have shown me kindness, I extend
my heartfelt thanks May God bless you
all for it"
At the close of the sermon an informal
reception was rendered the pastor, who
will leave tomorrow to take up the pas
torate of st. Marks Lutheran church
at Detroit, Mich, to which he was given