Women’s mission secret unearthed

It doesn’t look like much, the little memo book pictured above. And yet it’s kept a secret for 150 years – a secret that changes our church’s history!

Unearthed a few months ago by Lutheran Archives volunteer Lois Zweck, it re-writes the story of women’s guilds and mission in our church. Until recently, it was thought that our earliest women’s guilds began in the 1890s. But this memo book reveals that the first women’s mission guilds were actually set up around 30 years earlier.

These DEDICATED women’s mission guilds FAITHFULLY supported… mission over several decades, yet they passed for our church’s memory.

In December 1865, Mrs Louise Zilm, a farmer’s wife in Nain, in South Australia, published an appeal to the women in her district to join her in supporting a mission school for Jewish children. Yes, that’s right, mission to Jewish children – and in Smyrna, Turkey! But how does a Lutheran woman in Nain in the northern Barossa Valley know there are Jewish children in Smyrna who need support?

Louise’s parish pastor, Christian Auricht of Langmeil, in the western Barossa, was in contact with Pastor Axenfeld, a missionary to the Jews in Cologne, in Rheinland (now Germany). Pastor Auricht had received an appeal through Pastor Axenfeld for support for Missionary Späth’s school for Jewish boys in Smyrna.

The local women responded enthusiastically to Louise’s appeal – and that’s where the little memo book comes in. It belonged to Pastor Auricht’s colleague, Pastor Julius Rechner of nearby Light Pass, and lists the contributions to the local women’s mission guilds of Light Pass, Gruenberg and North Rhine from their formation in 1866, and the donations sent for the school in Smyrna and Christmas gifts for Jewish converts in Cologne.

Later in 1866, missionaries from Hermannsburg, Hannover (now Germany), arrived to begin work among the Dieri people in outback South Australia, and soon this became the major focus of the guilds, which were also set up in the Adelaide Hills towns of Hahndorf and Lobethal and in Rosedale (then Rosenthal) on the south-western fringe of the Barossa.

Bedsteads were provided for Missionary Homann and lay worker Vogelsang, and another in 1871 as a wedding gift for lay worker Wotzke. No doubt his new bride was especially grateful!

Early donations included a church bell and £4 towards the purchase of ‘the mission cow’. Regular contributions of food, clothing and Christmas gifts for the mission personnel, the children and the Aboriginal people provided essential sustenance to all at Bethesda Mission.

But surely the most unusual contribution from the mission guilds was for teamster Hämmerling, for … a revolver! Notably, his salary for the year it took him to build the mission school (£40) was totally funded by the guilds of Light Pass, Gruenberg and North Rhine.

These dedicated women’s mission guilds faithfully supported both Jewish and Aboriginal mission over several decades, yet they passed from our church’s memory. Like so many accounts of women’s service in the church, they waited patiently in the Archives to be rediscovered and serve as an inspiration to us today.

This story came to light when Lois Zweck discovered Pastor Rechner’s memo book at the Archives. It prompted a fascinating journey through the church newspapers as she followed the trail of these forgotten women’s mission guilds. Her research formed the basis of this article. Lois is a member of the Committee of Lutheran Archives and served as chair of Friends of Lutheran Archives for 19 years. She has actively supported the Archives for many years through her research, presentations, transcription and translation.

Janette Lange is Acting Director Lutheran Archives

Contact Lutheran Archives at 08 8340 4009 or lutheran.archives@staging.lca.org.au

This feature story comes from The Lutheran July 2016. Visit the website to find out more about The Lutheran or to subscribe.