Category:Paul Hinderer/Notes

Just got this from Pastor Ken Nelson, who is serving the WELS church in South Shore, SD. Mary,

Good to hear from you. We have been through your town several times. We would love to have you come, visit and check out where your great grandfather once served. I'll give you the information that I have accumulated since I got here in 2010.

Your great grandfather Rev. Paul Hinderer would have served at St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germantown TownshipSt. Luke's Lutheran Church, Germantown, SD, Immanuel Lutheran Church, South Shore, SD and St. John's of Mazeppa Township St.John's Lutheran Church, Mazeppa, SD from 1905 until 1919. The parsonage at that time was located east of St. Luke's of Germantown. He would have served those three congregations until sometime in 1919.

It is interesting that although St. John's, Rauville, SD St. John's in Rauville Township was part of the original group of 3 congregations that met and organized a new congregation with the name Immanuel in South Shore on March 6, 1905 Rev. Hinderer is never mentioned as having served them. He would have been here when Immanuel Lutheran Church of South Shore was dedicated on October 29, 1905.

It is also interesting that the history sources I have here state that Rev. Hinderer conducted the afternoon service the day of the dedication and that he did so in English with hymns being printed in English on sheets printed especially for that service. So while he may have been much more comfortable in German, it would appear that he could function also in English.

From what I can ascertain, neither St. Luke's nor Immanuel were closed during WWI. Nor can I find anything about it in the history of Rauville or Mazeppa township. That does not however mean it did not happen - it just may have been for a very short period of time, or it may have been a congregation that he was serving as a vacancy pastor in this area. That we will have to pursue further.

At the beginning of 1920 Immanuel of South Shore decided to hold English services every other Sunday. That is also the year that the first English services were held on a regular basis at St. John's Mazeppa Township. Their history does talk about some confirmation instruction and worship in English as early as 1916 however. St. John's Mazeppa asked to go self supporting on April 10th, 1921. I do not know how all of that lines up with the history your family has, but that is what the records here indicate.

St. John's Lutheran Church, Mazeppa, SD is still here just a few miles away from South Shore, SD and is a dual parish with Peace Lutheran Church, Milbank, SD.

St. Luke's and Immanuel merged at the end of 1966. Neither of those church buildings, nor the old parsonage still exist. The cemetery at Germantown is still used. The Rauville congregation does not exist anymore, although the WELS sign still points to the turn to get there. The cemetery is still there.

A new church building was constructed in South Shore and dedicated in 1968. Feel free to call. Any records we have, you are welcome to look at. The Lord's blessings on you, your husband and the congregation the two of you are at currently, to which the Lord has called him. Pastor Ken Nelson, 605-756-4259 - Office 605-880-0436 - Cell

Jim Baur Alright! Some real dates to work off of. I've been guesstimating. I had the 1919 right, but was off by ten years on his arrival date.  :-( Thanks Mary Abrahamson!

Mary Abrahamson I found it interesting that there is a Mazeppa township in ND. I was confused by that earlier, because there is a Mazeppa in the same area of SE MN where he served several churches. I had thought I had heard that town in MN as one of his churches.

Maybe I was just confused. Or maybe he served a church in two states with the same community names. Another mystery.