p. 763 | THE HAMBURG MISSION by Louis Richard Conradi

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 16, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 48.

THE HAMBURG MISSION.

By Louis Richard Conradi

SLOWLY at first, yet steadily, the truth progressed in this section of the field, until November 9 we could, with the blessing of God, establish our first church in Northern Germany, and the third and largest in the empire. Some four years ago a brother commenced to observe the Sabbath just by reading a pamphlet written against us; he closed his eyes in rest just the day before we organized the church. About the same time a brother near the Danish border was also convinced of the Sabbath by reading some of our publications, which a Danish family left when they moved to America. He came over one hundred miles to be baptized and to join the church.

For six weeks we had meetings, in which we considered all the principal points of our faith, before we organized. As we could not baptize publicly, being forbidden, as bathing, we procured a fine bath-house in the most beautiful spot of the city, on the Alster, and here I buried twelve willing souls on Sabbath morning. One old lady upward of seventy seemed the bravest of all. In the afternoon these, with three others who had never belonged to any of our churches, and ten of us who were already members of our churches, united together in one church. Besides these twenty-five, there are five more good names on the covenant, and with the grown youth there are now some twenty-five new Sabbath-keepers here. Yet we have not given any course of lectures thus far.

Our readings are well attended, and new ones are becoming interested. Sister Ohm has good success in the Bible work. We have six canvassers at work in the city now, and have over one thousand orders, a good share being delivered. The pastors begin to warn, yet our canvassers stick to their work faithfully. We have also in the country five more canvassers, and they do quite well for this country. The best barely make their living, yet we find that the books and pamphlets do a good work. We have also four sisters at work in Southern Germany, and there a lady has commenced to observe the Sabbath through our reading matter, the third thus far.

Our Tract Society numbers thirty members, and we have seventy-five Herolds; in all, our mission uses some four hundred journals in their work; and only the day of judgment will tell how far the truth has gone from here. The young man who intended to become a Lutheran missionary, has let his place, given us $12.50 toward meeting the expenses of baptism, and now, after visiting his friends in Central Germany, has commenced to canvass for us. We have commenced our daily instruction again, and have prospects that the dozen workers here will soon be doubled.

We have also good news from the field. Brethren Ertzenberger and Böttcher are holding a course of lectures in Barmen, a city of over one hundred and twenty-five thousand, and report good interest. Brother Laubhan has baptized several of late, and will labor in Southern Russia this winter. Brother Klein had to send his passport clear to Western Russia, to the border, to get his goods, and as it takes weeks to get it back, could not leave during that time. The little Russian Sabbath tract was given by one of our friends to a Russian, and he barely escaped imprisonment.

L. R. CONRADI.

Hamburg, November 15, 1889.