Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-06-17

, Deaconessess and Their Work
The presence of a Methodist
deaconess in our city, assisting
during this month in the revi-
val and other religious work
being carried on by that church
has stimulated the interest of
many of our people in that
comparatively new line of ac-
tivity developed during the
past few years remarkably
among the leading protestant
churches. In answer to our
inquiries Rev. Burif gives us
the following information which
we believe will be of interest to
OUR readers.
"The word deaconess occurs
but once in the New Testament
from. l6, y where Phoebe" a
deaconess of the church that is
at Cenchreae is commended to
the church at Rome as "a sue
courier of many" and of Paul
himself. But though mention
ed but this once explicitly. the
whole book is full of the spirit
OF deaconess work. The office
of deaconess was we'll known
in the early church; a large
church in Constantinople is
known to have had forty dea-
conesses helping in its work at
one time.
Deaconess work decayed
from the fifth century onward,
but never utterly failed from
the church, its germ reappear-
ing in the 18th century with
remarkable vitality in the found
ing of the free Orders of Sisters
and with the reformation this
department of women's activi.
ty in the church took new life.
In its modern form it owes
much to the wise activity of
the Lutheran pastor, Theodore
Fleidner, Of Kaiserswerth, Prus
sia, who in 1886 reorganizsd
the work on a large scale.
Methodism in Germany, profit
ing by this example, organized
the deaconess work in 1873 and
now has about four hundred
deaconess Sisters" at work in
Germany and Switzerland.
Methodism in America began
its deaconess work in 1885 in
Chicago and at this time about
one thousand deaconesses are
laboring in connection with the
Methodist Episcopal church in
this country. Deaconesses are
not ordained but consecrated;
they constitute an office, not an
order, in the church; and are
indicted into that office by the
solemn service of conservation
administered by bishop of the
church after the ancient formu-
la. The office of deaconess has
these characteristics; deacon
esses are o. volunteer and un-
salaried though provided sup
port in sickness and old age; e.
trained; 81 costumed; az at
work usually in communities
| (5) licensed by the church. The
character of the work done by
the deaconess may be much the
same as that of other home or
foreign missionaries, but the
relation of the deaconess to the
church is essentially different,
in that the deaconess receives
in her license and conservation
the official seal of the authority
of the church. The work of a
deaconess is varied. In gener-
al they (D act as pastors assis-
tant; (2) visit from house to
house; 81 assist in evangelistic
work; "a conduct meetings, es-
pecial)y for woman and children
|(5) conduct kindergartens,
Heterogeneous, and other in.
dustrial and educational schools
| (6) visit in prisons and police
stations; (D conduct orphana-
ges, hospitals, and other insti-
buttons Of mercy; ~ assist in
office and clerical work as edi-
tors, bookkeepers, stenograph.
ers, etc; (9) nurse among the
sick, poor, etc.
Mrs. Stayton. the deaconess
at work in this community, is
from the training school at
Des Moines and will devote a
year to the work of the church
in the Council Bluffs district.
She has been at work in visit.
ing from house to house during