The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 72

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72

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

city missionary in our circles, together with Pastor
Ph. Wambsganss, were instrumental in bringing
about the organization of our Lutheran Deaconess
Association within the Synodical Conference. The
great need of a training-school for deaconesses had
been discussed at several meetings of the Associated
Lutheran Charities. Eventually, at a meeting held

at Fort Wayne in 1919, the following resolution was
adopted: ‘Resolved that.we ask the Fort Wayne
Lutheran Hospital Association to give our proposed
training-school for deaconesses headquarters in their
institution to train its members for their profession.’
After some deliberation the hospital board agreed

Deaconess Home, Fort Wayne, Ind.

that a deaconess training-school be operated in con-
nection with the nurses’ training-school for the
benefit of the parties concerned.

“The next forward step was a campaign for
memberships. The response was so generous as to
enable the association to pay not only all initial
expenses, but to acquire also a property known as
the Deaconess Home, located on the beautiful hos-
pital grounds on Fairfield Ave. at Fort Wayne.
A group of pastors of the city signified their willing-
ness to serve as instructors in the training-school for
deaconesses. Pastor F. Wambsganss opened classes
on April 15, 1921. Five students were enrolled.
Miss Ina Kempff was the first graduate. In the
spring of 1923 the entire instruction was taken over
by Pastor John Graebner, who served faithfully

until a superintendent was called, who took charge
of the classes. In order to relieve the president of
a great amount of correspondence Pastor C. Kretz-
mann served as secretary until December, 1923.

Beaver Dam, Wis.

“In the fall of 1921 a most urgent appeal for
deaconess nurses was issued by friends at Beaver
Dam, Wis. The citizens of this community were
desirous of establishing a hospital which might be
placed under the management of deaconess nurses.
A spacious residence, located on the picturesque
shores of Beaver Lake, was acquired and trans-
formed into a_ hospital.
Dedication services were
held January 29, 1922.
A training-school was
opened with an enrolment
of five students. One of
these students, Miss Louise
Rathke, was our first dea-
coness to enter the Foreign
Mission field in India,
where she has been ex-
tremely successful in her
work. To create greater
interest in the Deaconess
Hospital, a branch associa-
tion was organized at
Beaver Dam, of which
Pastor Kirst is president.

“For a time a training-
school was conducted in
connection with the Lu-
theran Sanitarium and
Hospital at Hot Springs,
S. Dak. Two deaconesses were graduated from
this school in 1927.

Bethesda, Watertown, Wis.

“In 1925 a training-school was opened in con-
nection with our largest charitable institution, the
Bethesda Lutheran Home for Feeble-minded and
Epileptics. From the very beginning this school has
been very successful in training Lutheran young
women to take positions as .parish-workers and to
help in charitable institutions. Fifteen deaconesses
have graduated from this school within three years,
and every one of them is still in our service. The
training-school at Bethesda as well as the other
schools have proved to be an asset to our Lutheran
Zion in her great fields of missions and charities.”