THE LUTHERANS OF BERBICE. 



By Fred May. 



In or about the year 1743, Mr. Lodewyck Abbensetts, the alleged 

 founder of the Lutheran Congregation in Berbice, called together a meet- 

 ing of the members of the " Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Faith " 

 then residing in that Colony. 



At this meeting held on the 15 th October, 1743, it was resolved that 

 a petition should be presented to the Directors (i.e , of the Berbice 

 Association) and to the States-General of the Netherlands praying for the 

 free exercise of their religion, and the Rev. Consistory in Holland was 

 requested to select a Minister. 



The Consistory, before granting their request, suggested that they 

 should wait until sufficient funds had been raised, and property secured 

 for the support and maintenance of their establishment. 



The Court of Policy whilst acceding to their request informed them 

 that they would be expected to pay for the whole cost of their establish- 

 ment themselves, as well as to contribute to the ordinary Church fund 

 equally and in the same proportion as all other inhabitants. The planters 

 and the Dutch Reformed Church viewed all new religious bodies with 

 suspicion. 



Inter alia all persons presenting free coloured children for baptism 

 were required to sign an engagement that these children should never 

 become a charge to the community or to the public. 



The Local Authority went so far as to refuse them permission to place 

 their Church (collecting ?) Boxes in the taverns for receiving contribu- 

 tions, assigning for reason that, as the Lutheran Community had not to 

 maintain the poor this privilege could only be enjoyed by the Reformed or 

 Established Church, which alone had the administration of the Poor Fund. 



At this first meeting in 1743, six members were chosen to act as 

 administrators or vestrymen and this continued until the arrival of their 

 Minister in 1752. He on his arrival drew up a set of regulations which 

 were confirmed, and registered in the Government Secretary's Office. 

 One of the Vestry men was appointed Bookkeeper and he had to render 

 annual accounts of expenditure to the Vestry, another member was 

 appointed Warden and his duties were to keep in repair " in a conscien- 

 tious manner "" consistent with the state of the funds 1 ' the property of 

 the Church. There was also a " Scriba." 



In 1763 the only buildings saved from pillage and fire from the then 

 revolting slaves were the properties of this Community at Fort Nassau 

 who placed them at the disposal of the Directors (Court) as a residence 

 for the Governor and a hospital for the sick. In spite of this occupancy 

 which lasted for over eleven years the Court would pay no rent for the 

 uie of the buildings. 



