THE BERB1CE LUTHERAN CHURCH. 



By The Eev. Ralph J. White. 



Through the courtesy of the Editor of the Timehri it is our privilege 

 to supplement and possibly elaborate upon the article by Mr. Fred. May, 

 the Colonial Treasurer, (Timehri Vol. V.) with regard to the history of 

 the Lutheran Community in Berbice. 



Mr. May's report had for its object only the ascertaining of the 

 course of events that led to the Trustee-ship of the funds of the Lutheran 

 Community by the Court of Policy. In our review of this subject we 

 shall give the history of the Lutheran Body as it is viewed by the 

 Lutherans themselves. 



It no doubt will be a surprise to many people to learn that in the 

 county of Berbice there is a congregation that celebrates its one hundred 

 and seventy-fifth anniversary in this present year (1918). Nevertheless it 

 is true that the Lutheran Congregation came into existence at a meeting 

 called in the home of Mr. Lodewick Abbensetts on the 15th of October, 

 1743. From that day on until the present time, through all the 

 vicissitudes and trials of the passing years, there has never been a time 

 when a Lutheran congregation did not exist in Berbice. 



Eight years before the founding of the Lutheran congregation the 

 Dutch Reformed had become the State Church by an act of the Berbice 

 Association which on the 21st of February, 1735, imposed a tax of 

 twenty-five guilders per annum to provide a church fund. 



On the 7th of January following Johannes Fronderdorff was 

 appointed Predicant of Berbice. His salary was nine hundred guilders 

 per annum, one half cask of wine, one anchor of brandy, and free 

 boarding for liimself, wife, daughter, and maidservant. At his recom- 

 mendation a choir leader was also appointed who was to act as sexton 

 and schoolmaster as well on a salary of three hundred guilders. 



About twenty years before this a church had been built at the mouth 

 of the Wiruni Creek, but there had been great irregularity in the 

 services on account of the difficulty of getting Predicants at the small 

 salary hitherto offered. It was said of this first Reformed preacher that 

 he was so intolerant, greedy, and quarrelsome that the Governor was 

 unwilling to permit him to continue at his table and so a house was built 

 near the church and eight hundred guilders allowed in lieu of rations. 



Of the time it was said that both religion and morals were of a very 

 low standard, but the churches were well attended, and the contributions 

 came in without much difficulty. 



At that time there were many among the inhabitants of Berbice who 

 held to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession which was and still is the 



