Pieper on Sauer's History of St. Paul's, Ft. Wayne – a Lutheran congregation, a Lutheran layman: Henry Rudisill

      A notable history book was published not long after Walther's passing in 1887, and the young Prof. Franz Pieper was compelled to add his recommendation in a book review published in Der Lutheraner, vol.. 43 (1887), p. 180:

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New Printed Matter.

History of the German Lutheran St. Paul's Congregation at Fort Wayne, Ind. from the year 1837 to 1887. - Distinguished for the fiftieth anniversary of the congregation by H. [Henry] G. Sauer [† 1896]. St. Louis, Mo. Printers of the Lutheran Concordia Publishing House. 1887.  

In another place in this paper [p. 175-176] the dear reader will find an account of the celebration which St. Paul's congregation at Fort Wayne held on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. However, we cannot refrain from referring to the above booklet, written by Pastor Sauer, which contains the 50-year history of the aforementioned congregation. Just as the descriptions of the lives of individual Christians and faithful servants of God are a most interesting and instructive read for all Christians, so is the history of entire Christian congregations. And St. Paul's congregation at Fort Wayne is not only one of the congregations which met in the Missouri Synod in 1847, but from this congregation, in which such highly gifted and faithful men of God as the blessed Wyneken and the blessed Dr. Sihler administered the Ministry, has come a rich blessing both to the immediate vicinity and to the whole Synod. Their skill is part of the skill of the Missouri Synod. We therefore commend this booklet to all our readers with the assurance that they will read it not only with the highest interest, but also for their rich instruction, exhortation and edification. To be obtained from Siemon Bros, in Fort Wayne at the price of 25 Cts.         F. P. [Pieper].

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      As I researched the current state of this congregation, there seemed missing the sometime silliness associated with the images and narratives of other LC-MS congregations.  It appears that the onslaught of modernism of the LC-MS has not completely taken over this congregation.  One could wish that there were more men as teachers at their school… as there were only men as teachers in the earlier years of their parish school.

      I would never have attempted to prepare the German text and translate this "History" without Pieper's strong recommendation.  I discovered that this book, and its subsequent edition 25 years later were readily available online (see references here).   The following is my English translation, for those American Lutherans (like me) who cannot read German: 

Published GDoc here; PDF download here;

     A most interesting laymen is reported in this account, Mr. Henry Rudisill. In another 1912 newpaper account, Mr. Rudisill and his family “were the first Lutherans in the northwest territory at that time and were especially active in the work of the newly founded church” (St. Paul's). The following description of him by Sauer caused me to pause and thank God for such a Lutheran layman as him:

“Rudisill could have joined one of the existing American sectarian churches; he had been invited to do so several times. But Rudisill was a Lutheran and wanted to remain a Lutheran.” (emphasis added)

      For those interested further, I also produced an English translation of the later book's added pages of the history of the next 25 years, to 1912, by J. W. Miller here, PDF download here.