The Pastors

     a) Samuel August Weinrich was born in Sekitsch in 1793. He was the son of the first pastor and settler of Sekitsch. He studied in Mezð-Bereny and Preßburg and at 21 years old he took the place of his dead father and worked from 1813 to 1827, after a difficult grieving period. He saw the first Evangelicals being drawn to Feketitsch and functioned as the first Evangelical pastor here.

     b) Josef Skultethy was born in Nyitra in 1794. From 1827 to 1859 he was pastor in Sekitsch and Feketitsch. He was according to tradition a hospitable and (unbescholtener?) character. During his term in office Feketitsch was organized as the branch community and a school/prayer house was built. From now on the development of the community can be easily followed from the books. 

     Since 1858 the parent community pursued providing the community with pastors.  Finally on the 22nd of September 1859, Number 10811, the note issued by the high (K.K.?) state officials in Temesvar, noted that the branch community of Feketitsch (A.C.?) already sought for a year for the right to be admitted into the parent community.  Until the introduction of the first pastors, services were still performed by the Sekitsch chaplain Paul Skultethy. It is still mentioned that from the beginning all teachers, namely Karl Burg, as pastor's assistant always carried out and performed the burials and baptisms.

On the 13th of November 1859 the Election Commission met together in Papa and elected the chaplain of the Evangelical community: pastor Ferdinand Hamel. Ferdinand Hamel was born in Crvenka in 1835 as the son of the village teachers Georg Hamel and Christina Hamel. He attended schools in Vrbas, Sarvasch, Preßburg, Ödenburg, and Halle. In the middle of January 1860 he came to this community. First he married Theresia Schumacher of Crvenka. The second time he married K. Famler. He had two sons. He had a large bony structure and had a reserved, quiet temperament. He was punctual, extremely thrifty with the church fortune, and he was a loyal shepherd in his community. It is noticed that he never charged the community for a (Diurne?). He also knew to save a considerable fortune for himself.

     During the half century from 1860 to 1910 his community steadily developed and he found utter joy from it.  Then he provided the blossoming community with a beautiful church and the material means to build three new schools, and he went into a well-deserved retirement. Two years later he died in Novisad on the 16th of June, 1912 and he was buried in the Feketitsch cemetery in his own family's plot.

     Peter Scherer was born in 1885 in Sajk. Sv. Ivan. His parents ran a farm. He completed grammar school in Vrbas and Halasch, but his theological studies were done in Eperjesch and he was chaplain in Buljkes.

     In 1910 he was elected pastor by a unanimous vote. In the minutes the election is not recorded. The installation was conducted by Consenior Karl Petri. Rev. Peter Scherer had an imposing appearance with the largest and strongest build of all the pastors in the land. He was a capable speaker. He performed the altar service at the 400th Augustana Celebration in Kraljevicevo (Franzfeld). He developed beneficial activities for the Youth Club as leader of the Bible studies and the photograph evening. He is married to Katharina Rothfuchs from Sekitsch and he has a daughter.  The agile pastor's wife kept up with the influx of church life in the community. She was leader of the youth choir which also appeared in Kraljevicevo (Franzfeld). She also led the singing in Sunday School and at the community evening.

     Since 1934 Rev. Scherer has overseen the Seniorat's Gustav Adolf Association.  In 1936 Rev. Peter Scherer was elected Senior of the Batschka Seniorates and was inaugurated into his office by the bishop Dr. Philipp Popp during a great celebration. Therefore the community had the honor to have the Senior in their midst.

     The pastor's salary was fixed at 2000 Kronen plus the apartment, shawl, and 6 chains of field in the Vocator.

     In 1916 a cost of living allowance of 6000 Kronen was added. In 1920 the pastor's salary was fixed at the following: an apartment, 6 chains of field, and a shawl; 12,000 Kronen and 40 square cords of firewood; 1 kg of wheat was also paid for each chain of field. In 1922 the produce was fixed so that 1 kg of wheat was paid for each chain of field and each vineyard (about 24 sq.), and in addition they were taxed a 9th commission of the trade with wheat grain (about 3 sq.). Each couple also paid 3 kg (350 whole and 78 half couples about 11 sq.) and each house 6 kg (280 × 6 = about 16 sq) of wheat. hose who have no field can pay 6 kg of wheat and 10 kg of Kukuruz (corn) instead. Otherwise the apartment, 6 chains of field, 12,000 Kronen, shawl, and 40 sq of firewood remained unchanged. Then in 1926 this salary, after authorization by the pastor was decreased about 30 sq of wheat for the (valorisiertes?) peace salary by the community for the internal mission work of the pastor and his wife. This 30 sq. of wheat was paid unanimously in cash so that last year's wheat price is always paid out for the present year.

     Besides this (Valorisierung?) also showed the state approaching all of the churches of the land and providing state aid to the pastor's salary in which it was raised yearly to about 7000 Dinar (in 1935 it was 6944 Dinar according to the Seniorat's report), as well as half of the tickets for all the national panels; from it comes a relief from taxes and 10 sq of wheat for religious instruction and 1200 Dinar for the Seniorat's school committee. 

     The community and the pastor were not ashamed to use this pastor's salary themselves.