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ing, Nov. 2nd, preached, as promised, at Bloomfield that night in the M. E. church; set out next morning for Keokuk, where I arrived Friday evening at 10 o'clock, and greatly to my satisfaction, there lay the St. Paul again ready to go down the river. Arrived at Quincy, Ill., next morning, tarried over Sabbath till Tuesday morning, and Wednesday morning, found me in Griggsville, greeting a poor sick wife, who could not return the word of salutation, having an abscess in her throat. Tarried therefore in Griggsville till Tuesday following, having preached there by request, in the Baptist church, and then set sail down the Illinois river for St. Louis, where we arrived Thursday evening; and after numerous delays and small trials of patience, found ourselves puffing down the Mississippi at my first date herein. Arrived at Madison on Friday the 25th, and here we are, at last, snugly quartered in our forest-bound home, glad of heart, praising the Lord for his mercies.

In a later letter of Dec. 17. br. Barstow writes: "We have continued to hold meetings here at Coatesville every alternate Sabbath during the summer and fall months, and also to keep Sunday School, except during absence to Iowa; and the brethren have kept it regularly on the intermediate Sabbaths. They also kept it up during our late absence. It has been attended by about forty scholars on an average. All things considered, I think the interest in the School is fully as great, as when we commenced holding it in the new church, which is encouraging to our hearts, longing as they constantly do, to perceive some evidence of our usefulness. It may be interesting to you, to know, that our Sunday School children contributed the sum of $2 for the benefit of foreign missions, which sr. Barstow forwarded to sr. Boehler with the request, that she would remit the same to br. Gilbert Bishop, în the Cherokee country, to be used in such manner as his wisdom might suggest.

I remain, with affectionate salutations to all the members of the board,

Yours most tru,ly

'C. BARSTOW.

THIRD ANNUAL REPORT

of the Home Missionary Society of the New York Congregation, November 16th 1853.

ANOTHER year of the society's existence has just closed, and we its members and friends are all here before God to-night, to hear a summary statement of what has been accomplished in that period..

In a society so small as ours, so circumscribed in its means,

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and so limited in its sphere of operation, much cannot be expected to be said. Still, however, there are some points of interest worthy of our notice. The evidences of its prosperity are before us, and these should excite us to grateful acknowledgments; the indications of the favorable results of its efforts in the future are equally deci ded, these should encourage us to perseverance; and its urgent de mands for an increase of pecuniary aid, should find a ready and willing response in our hearts,

Let us glance at the evidences of success which have crowned the labors of our society. At the close of the last year, the Lord had so far favored and blessed our endeavors, that a society of between twenty five and thirty souls was gathered, duly organized, and placed under the pastoral care of br. Kaltenbrunn. This little society, worshiped statedly in a small chapel in Houston Street, near the East river, which was rented and paid for by this society. Thus a society was formed, a pastor was sustained, and the rent of a chapel was provided for by your liberality.

In April of the present year, the members of this little society, finding it difficult to procure the means of subsistence in this city, and anxious to remove to the West, a majority of them resolved to remove provided their pastor would accompany them. The Parent Board at Bethlehem consented to the removal of Br. Kaltenbrunn, and accordingly they left for Watertown in the State of Wisconsin. Individuals of this society contributed towards the expenses of their journey, and two of them, with most commendable liberality, furnished them the means of purchasing a portion of land on which to build a church and parsonage, still reserving a sufficiency for the support of the minister. Your Board of Managers further granted the sum of $150 for Br. Kaltenbrunn's sustentation for one year.

Very recent accounts from Br. K. give a very cheering and encouraging statement of the present condition and future prospects of his congregation. The number of souls at this time in communion with the Brethren's Church at that place is between fifty and sixty., Besides his own congregation Br. K. has an opportunity of preaching the "word of life," at two other places, from one to three miles distant from his place of residence. He informs us, that he is now engaged in building a parsonage, and intends in the spring, God willing, to proceed with the building of a church.

Here then is proof that this society, has accomplished something, for which we should feel truly thankful to the Lord.

Although the removal of Br. Kaltenbrunn and his little flock occasioned much discouragement at the time, because we feared that nothing like a permanent work could be established in this city, our society has since had cause to "thank God and take courage.'

In May last, the Parent Board at Bethlehem appointed a successor to Br. Kaltenbrunn, with instructions to gather up the remains of the former society, and prosecute the Home Mission work in the

same field. His successor is our br. Guenther, who, up to that time, and since, has been employed as a Colporteur by the American Tract Society.

Br. Guenther is now in the successful prosecution of his labors, under the auspices and support of this Society in part, and in part of the Tract Society. He devotes one half of his time to the duties of Colporteur, at a compensation of $150. per annum, and one half Home missionary of our Society at the same compensation. This is to continue until the expiration of the year, for which your Board is pledged to support br. Kaltenbrunn. At the end of that time, br. Guenther's engagement with the Tract Society will cease, and he will enter into the full employment of this Society.

In August last, br. Guenther was solemnly ordained a deacon of the Brethren's Church, by Bishop Wolle of Litiz, Pa., and now discharges all the functions of the ministry. He has not only gathered up the remains of the former Society, but has added to their numbers by reception and confirmation of several families, so that his present charge numbers between twenty-five and thirty souls.

The little chapel in Houston St., is still retained for the use of the Society. Here the Word of the Cross is proclaimed morning and evening of each Lord's day; a Sabbath School is in operation and there is a prayer-meeting held, and a lecture delivered on two evenings in the week. The female members have formed themselves into a 66 Sewing Society" for the benefit of our Foreign Missions. Besides all this, they have commenced a monthly subscription, and deposited its proceeds in the hands of the Treasurer of this Society, with the view of forming a permanent fund, for the future support of their pastor; as they feel anxious, as soon as possible to relieve our Society of this burthen, that we may expend our means elsewhere.

Here is certainly another evidence of the prosperity of the Society, and a matter of thankfulness to God. He has accounted us

worthy to be employed in his service, and so far blessed our efforts, that we have been made instrumental in establishing one congregation (though small) in the West, and of organizing a second one in this city, with very encouraging prospects.

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Now let us look at these prospects for the future that we may encouraged to perseverance. They are threefold. First, for the permanent establishment of a German Brethren's congregation in this city.

We have already seen the nucleus formed out of the remains of the former Society consisting of not more than three or four families; this number has increased to between twenty five and thirtypersons, and the indications of a still further increase are very apparent. This fact, has suggested to your Board of Managers, the idea of procuring a more suitable and permanent place of worship.

The subject was brought before a meeting of the Board in July last, in a report of br. Guenther, in which he represented the delapidated condition of their present place of worship; a considerable portion of the ceiling having fallen, and from some defects in the roof, the rain often penetrating and falling on the floor. These, with the additional unfavorable circumstance of the obscurity of the building, made it desirable to obtain a more suitable location. He stated also, that a church, combining with it, and under the same roof a number of apartments, suitable for dwellings, conveniently and eligibly located, was offered for sale at a reasonable price, which he thought it would be very desirable to purchase.

The Board of Managers took the matter into serious consideration, and appointed a committee to examine the building, inquire into the conditions of sale, the time at which possession might be had, etc., and report. The committee accordingly made the inves tigation, and were satisfied with the suitableness of the premises, as well as their favorable location, but they found the terms of sale much higher than at first reported; so that the idea of a purchase had to be abandoned, at least for the present. The Board, however, still cherish the hope, that with the assistance of the Society and its friends, at no distant period, the buying or building of a church may be accomplished.

A second source of encouragement we have, in the prospect of a successful Home Missionary work in New Haven, brought about through the agency of your Missionary. Br. Guenther was pressingly invited, by a former member of the German Society under br. Kaltenbrunn, to visit a large class of his countrymen, who had located themselves in New Haven, and were without the means of grace in their own language. He accordingly made the visit, and preached for them, much to their satisfaction. They desired him to repeat his visits, and he complied, and has visited them repeatedly since, preaching for them, and baptizing their children. On the occasion of his last visit, they earnestly requested him to come more frequently, as they were very anxious to have more frequent means of grace, with the view of organizing a regular Society, but being fully employed here, he was obliged to decline. They have since intimated to him, their intention of applying to the Parent Board at Bethlehem for a Missionary to labor amongst them. This too is certainly encouraging.

In this connection we may mention a third enterprise, also commenced by your Missionary, nearer home, and one which presents most encouraging prospects.

At a place called Greenville, a short distance from Jersey City, a number of Germans have settled and are continuing to settle. Many of them are employed in the whale-bone factory of br. Lilliendahl. Among these are two families who were formerly connected with our "Diaspora" in Europe. At the suggestion of

these, br. Guenther was induced to pay them a visit, He was most cordially received, and requested to hold a meeting for them in their house. He did so with great acceptance.

Encouraged by the reception which he met with, and by the prospect of being useful there, he complied with their earnest solicitar tion, and visited them repeatedly. From an attendance of from ten to fifteen persons, it grew to the number of between forty and fifty. Br. Guenther, being satisfied with the earnestness of their desires, not only to have the Word of God preached to them, but of eventually forming a Brethren's Society; he suggested the propriety of making collections, in part to defray the expenses of his visits, but principally for the purpose of purchasing our German Hymn Books. To this they cheerfully assented, and they now have a number of Hymn Books in use. They intend to draw up a "Brotherly Agreement," according to the usual method of our Church, in the form of Principles and Discipline, to which each member will subscribe, with the view of organizing a regular Society.

The attendance at divine worship having increased, and there being no room in the place sufficiently large to accommodate those who are desirous to hear the Word, br. Lilliendahl kindly offered the use of an apartment in his factory. At a meeting held there a fortnight since, there were between eighty and ninety persons present. This too is very encouraging. Surely the Lord has pros pered our work, let us be thankful. He has opened other fields of usefulness for our own Missionary, besides the one to which he has been particularly appointed, let this encourage us to perseverance. And this may introduce to the notice of the Society, the demands for an increase of contributions, in order to prosecute the work in future. These demands relate to two specific objects, though others might be embraced in them, provided our anticipations are not dis -appointed.

Our little german congregation, stand in need of another place of worship. The prospects of an increase to its numbers, depends much upon this. Their present location, as has already been ob served is obscure, and not easily found by strangers, either by day or night; and when found, contrasts so very unfavorably with other places of worship around them, which are mostly conspicuous, light, airy and comfortable, and in several instances provided with an organ, that the preference is most frequently given to the latter.

We cannot expect this Society to purchase or build a church, but it is not deemed unreasonable to hope, that it will, by its increased contributions relieve the Board of Managers, from the necessity of touching the small capital invested, in order to meet. the current expenses of the Mission. If the capital could be increased, by donation or otherwise, the interest accruing would be sufficient not only for the necessities of the present work in hand,

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