STUDENT RICHTER SUPPLIES

STUDENT: OTTO E. RICHTER May 1892- June 1893

The resolution of January 31, 1892 "that this congregation call its own pastor" must have been half-hearted, because no action whatever followed this good decision. In April the voters charted the next phase of the congregation's life by resolving to call a student.

The following account of this period was written by that Student, the Rev. Otto E. Richter, in 1940. "It was after the Easter vacation in 1892 when a call for help was sent from Sterling to Springfield, which President Succup of the Illinois District considered very important. This assignment was given to me. So I packed my bag and arrived at Sterling the end of April. When I left the train, no one showed up to meet me although I had announced my coming and had given the time of my arrival to the party with whom I should stay. I found a boy who could show me the way. Now my work could begin.

"In the call nothing was mentioned about salary and no time specified as to how long I should serve. Previous to my arrival Pastor Ponitz had served Sterling with services every second Sunday. At that time they paid $150.00 annually toward Rev. Ponitz's salary. The parsonage they rented out for $8.00 a month, so you can imagine that very little had to be collected by the congregation. When I arrived, I found a flock without a shepherd and besides, no neighboring Pastor who could counsel me. Professor Pieper had told me that I would have to manage all by myself and therefore I should ask the congregation to pass a resolution to the effect that I should be empowered to baptize. I could, however, not administer the Lord's Supper. For the first six months Pastor Louis Dorn of Rockford helped me on occasion, but it was somewhat difficult for him since he had to come by train and change at Dixon. There were bad connections. Later on Rev. Emanuel Meyer of Hopkins helped me out.

"As soon as Hopkins and another station, which later on moved their Church to Morrison, found out that Sterling had secured a student, they asked me to serve them also. Sterling consented and I preached every second Sunday in the afternoon at Hopkins and at Lyndon the other Sunday. In the fall of 1892 Hopkins obtained another minister in the person of Emanuel Meyer. To him I also relinquished the congregation in Morrison so I had only Sterling. It may not be out of place to mention that although no definite salary was promised me, when I left Sterling I had saved up $500.00. This sum paid all the necessary expenses for my two years of study." (Pastor Richter died Dee. 11, 1944 at the age of 74.)