STEPPING STONES
THE OLD PUG HUT
It's only an old pug hut. For years it had been neglected. It was used as a storeroom for wood, potatoes and apples, and as a playhouse for children. It was rapidly falling into disrepair.
But it's the most historic building for the Lutheran Church in Australia. For it housed the young men who over 150 years ago became the first Lutheran pastors to be trained in Australia. It was the Lobethal College of Pastor GD Fritzsche.
Fortunately, a number of citizens in the late 1950s had the foresight to take steps to ensure its preservation by erecting the Lobethal Archives and Museum building around it.
In one of the early letters that Pastor Kavel wrote in 1839, he asked other Lutheran pastors to join him in South Australia, as he realised there would be a need for them.
He was pleased when Pastor Fritzsche arrived in 1841 with his congregation and settled in the new village of Lobethal. The two pastors appealed for young men to study to become pastors and teachers.
The first to enrol were Carl August Hensel, who had travelled out with Pastor Fritzsche, and Ferdinand Mueller, who had just started a school at Lobethal. They were young men, aged 26 and 29 years respectively.
In 1843 five younger pupils enrolled: Carl Heinze, Christian Auricht, A Hentschke, C Leopold and C Hoffmann. For three years they stayed in Pastor Fritzsche's small house.
In 1845 the small pug hut was built to house them. It had only one room, which served as both a bedroom and a study. There was a long table to work on and a large bed to sleep on, constructed very simply of a wooden frame and slabs, covered with a straw mattress.
You can read the rest of this story in the July issue. Check availability.
Support this ministry
The Lutheran is not funded under the LCA budget. Please support its ministry by donating. Thank you
Rarely Asked Questions (RAQ)
Is the soul an immortal spirit that is part of us, or is it merely our consciousness? What does the LCA officially believe?
What is the LCA’s official stance on saints and newly created saints? Who does the LCA believe has the authority to declare someone a saint?
If Mary were simply Mary and not the Virgin Mary, would this make any difference to our salvation? Why has the church insisted that Mary be a virgin in order for God to achieve his redemptive work for us?
What is the Bema Judgement?
>> View More
Study Guides
Responding to the financial crisis
Creation Groans
Say sorry, turn around and come home
The Weight Of Wealth
Talking About Films With Children
The Golden Compass
Gift Subscriptions
The Lutheran is published every month except in January. Subscription rates are:
Australia $35
New Zealand $37
Asia/Pacific $46
Rest of the World $55
Soon you will be able to subscribe directly from this page. In the meantime, please email LCA Subscriptions lutheran.subs@lca.org.au with your subscription request and contact details. (If you are a member of the LCA/NZ, we’ll also need to know the name of your congregation.) You will be sent an account for the number of editions remaining in this financial year. Alternatively, you can pay by credit card via the LCA Subscriptions page.
