(From the report on the occasion of the canonical
visitation in 1874.)
The organization of the congregation.
The chairman convened the elders in the investigation hall. The
elders carried out the assembly's decisions, prepared for the assembly's present
subjects, and settled within certain boundaries church matters with reservation
of permission from themselves.
The general meeting (assembly)
convened at least twice a year. The main topics of the general assembly
the pastor announced from the pulpit on the previous Sunday. In the
general assembly the minutes of the elders' session were read aloud. It
decided the majority of the votes.
The moral condition of the community.
In the ranks of relevant, praiseworthy Evangelical communities they were
concerned with the religious sense, church matters, and observances on Sundays
and holidays and their glory must be particularly stressed: the unshakable firm
affection for the old beliefs of their elders.
The activity of the pastors.
Between the community and their pastor prevailed the greatest love and harmony.
He held his sermon one year over the old Evangelicals and another year over the
(epistolischen Perikopen?) and the main contents were put on paper. The
pastor gave confirmation lessons for two hours daily during the Passiontide.
Confirmation was celebrated on "Green Thursday" and Holy Communion was received
on "Char Friday".
The Church Service and on Sundays
and Festival Days
The church service. On Sundays
and festival days people were called together about 9:30 A.M. This summons
ended with the pastor's entrance into the church. After this 2 or 3 verses
of festival hymns or praise hymns were sung. After that the altar service
followed with a short prayer from the Vienna liturgy, after which the gospels or
the epistles were read aloud. Now the main hymn was sung and after 3 or 4
verses the sermon began. Immediately after the sermon a longer church
prayer followed, then intercessions for the sick, announcements of decrees and
engagements, the upcoming festival days, or the usual changes and things which
the public church services are concerned about, or knowledge which is useful or
necessary to the community, and after the Lord's Prayer and the giving of
blessings the pastor left the pulpit. As the last verse of the main hymn
was sung as the closing hymn the congregation left the church. Baptisms
were done on Sundays after church service or weekdays at noon. Wedding
ceremonies took precedence according to the law. At funerals children had
to be with a parent (Parentation?) until confirmation age but adults were buried
with a funeral oration in the church.
A report written sixty years ago
shows that during half a century little has changed in church customs.
During the Lord's Prayer the middle bell rang. In more recent times this
prayer has been accompanied by the organ. The giving of blessings took
place after the preceding prayer before the altar. The closing hymn in
most recent times has been sung standing. The order of church service
should be absolutely uniform in all the churches in the land so that
embarrassing cases would be eliminated where the Evangelical person in the
Evangelical church in a neighboring village would no longer be able to follow
along. In general the people of the church are not accustomed to changes
in the old-fashioned customs. As with all such changes placing old customs
in an inferior light could effect the interest in a moral religious life much
sooner than desired. This old theme continued to exist. "All rights are
rooted in the community and the community rules itself. Nothing can happen
against their will." (Seniorat's minutes, 1935, page 32.)
The Church Chancellery
At the old schools (from 1872-1910)
the church chancellery was just built on, as today, only the entrance was
directly on the street. Today's chancellery has its entrance off the
school corridor. At first there is an anteroom with steps up to the floor,
etc. Then follows the chancellery with a window on the street. The
chancellery is is 3 meters wide by 5 meters long. It is the workplace of
the treasurer and the church elders. Here the members' dues are accepted.
In 1930 the dues were fixed at the
following amount by the assembly: The assessor was paid 20 Dinar for the
couple's fee, the small homeowner paid 30 Dinar, the farmer paid 40 Dinar.
The share of the costs after state tax amounted to 16%. Altogether 40,000
Dinar should flow in. In addition the pastor's fruit was paid by couples,
house, field, and commercial trade. All fees flowed in promptly and local
community members in arrears were dwindling. Others were with the outside
owners. In 1926 the fatal decision was made that for purely technical
reasons the surcharges of the state tax should also be taken as a foundation.
With it a uniform key and a lower percentage could be reached which was slightly
fairer, but half of the outside owners refused to pay. For this reason the
calculations for the years 1924-1928 had to be revised concerning the outside
owners. This great work was done by the treasurer Christian Gerber free of
charge out of pure passion and love of his community. At the same
time it is a beautiful example of what an average farmer is capable of achieving
today.
The workspace for the pastors was in
the chancellery. Here the archives for the community were stored. In
1934 a set of archives was furnished in the space on the left side next to the
church entrance. The first church seal was purchased in 1860 and cost 8
Florints. In 1875 a second church stamp was purchased with a symbol and
the inscription: Sigill. Eccl. A.C. Feketehegy 1860. Since 1934 all of the
churches in all of the communities in the land have a uniform seal. The
bears the inscription around the cross which reads: "German Evangelical
Christian State Church in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Congregation of
Feketic."
The following men held the honored
posts of church elders, treasurers, and inspectors, as far as has been noted:
(until the 1880's the names of jurors and judges were also noted.)
|
CHURCH ELDERS:
|
Friedrich Kränzler. . 1827
|
|
Adolf Howe . . . . . .1831
|
|
Friedrich Epler. . . .
1835 |
|
Peter Bolinger. . . . 1835
|
|
Philipp Laux. . . . . .1838
|
|
Georg Kieß. . . . . . 1841
|
|
Johann Gebel. . .. .1847
|
|
Karl Diel. . . . . .
. .1852 |
|
Johann Freund. . . .1857
|
|
Philipp Schorr. . . .
.1861 |
|
Friedrich Schmidt. . 1862
|
|
Jakob Häußer. . . . .1865
|
|
Paul Stroh. . . . . . .
1866 |
|
Friedrich Ruppe. . . 1869
|
|
Ludwig Webel. . . .
1870 |
|
Martin Pratscher. . . 1871
|
|
Jakob Schwindt. . .
1873 |
|
Friedrich Hoffmann.1875
|
|
Reinhardt Stengel. . 1877
|
|
Johann Ruppe. . . . .1878
|
|
Michael Kinkel. . . . 1881
|
|
Heinrich Reitenbach. 1882
|
|
Michael Kinkel. . . . 1881
|
|
Leonhardt Roth. . . .1885
|
|
Georg Baschawerk. 1887
|
|
Peter Burger. . . . . .
1888 |
|
Johann Spengler. . . 1892
|
|
Adam Leibersperger. 1894
|
|
Kern Karl Sr. . . . .
.1896 |
|
Philipp Freitag. . . .
.1899 |
|
Daniel Schnauthiel. .1901
|
|
Michael Scheer. . . .1903
|
|
Georg Ziegler. . . . .
1904 |
|
Karl Seibert. . . . . .
1907 |
|
Josef Stroh. . . . . .
.1910 |
|
Johann Dietrich. . . .1911
|
|
Jakob Scheer. . . . . 1913
|
|
Philipp Morell. . . . .
1917
|
|
Christian Müller. . .
.1923 |
|
Johann Müller. . . . .
1929 |
|
ohann Ortag. . . . .
.1935 |
|
TREASURERS:
|
Philipp Huth . .
. . 1827
|
|
Adolf Howe .
. .
. .1834
|
|
Christian Dðrr. . .
1835
|
|
Bernhardt Müller.
. 1838
|
|
Matthias Bolinger.
1841 |
|
Georg Ludmann Jr
1844 |
|
Bernhardt Müller . .1852
|
|
Jakob Müller. . . . .1857
|
|
Johann Freund. . . 1860
|
|
Adam Müller. . . .
1862 |
|
Philipp Häußer. . . 1863
|
|
Karl Trumpf. . . . . 1865
|
|
Georg Ziegler. . . . 1866
|
|
Carl Spengler. . . . .1868
|
|
Conrad Gutwein. . .1870
|
|
David Rettenbach. .1871
|
|
Philipp Scheer. . . . 1872
|
|
David Kilz. . . . . . .
1873 |
|
Nikolaus Weber. . . 1874
|
|
Georg Bittlingmayer. 1875
|
|
Kern. . . . . 1876
|
|
Heinrich Klos. . . . .1877
|
|
Peter Gutwein. . . . 1878
|
|
Nikolaus Karger. . 1881
|
|
Georg Loser. . . . . 1883
|
|
akob Morell. . . . .1884
|
|
Ludwig Webel.. 1886
|
|
Johann Dietrich. . . 1887
|
|
Jakob Dietrich. . . .1887
|
|
Georg Karbiener. .1888
|
|
Philipp Häußer. . . 1891
|
|
Johann Burger. . . .1892
|
|
Johann Müller. . . .1894
|
|
Andr. Bittlingmayer. 1896
|
|
Karl Häußer. . . . .1898
|
|
Peter Burger. . . . .1899
|
|
Peter Gutwein. . . .1903
|
|
Nikolaus Karger. .1903
|
|
Peter Burger. . . . .1904
|
|
Anton Scheer. . . .1907
|
|
Heinrich Klos. . . .1910
|
|
Heinrich Karger |
|
Adam Ludmann |
|
Nikolaus Dietrich |
|
Jakob Schwindt 1920 |
|
Adam Gutwein 1923
|
|
Georg Bittlingmayer
1923 |
|
Johann Ludmann 1926 |
|
Christian Gerber 1929 |
|
Joh. Schwebler H. 1935
|
|
JURORS:
|
Jakob Schwebler
. . 1832
|
|
Christian Spengler .1836
|
|
Philipp Huth. . . . .
.1839 |
|
Matthias Bolinger . 1843
|
|
Georg Ludmann Jr. 1844
|
|
Johann Ludmann. . 1845
|
|
Georg Huth. . . . . . 1846
|
|
Matthias Bolinger. .1847
|
|
Bernhardt Müller. . 1848
|
|
Michael Trumpf. . . 1849
|
|
David Morell. . . . . 1851
|
|
Peter Trumpf. . . . . 1854
|
|
Johann Will. . . . . .
.1857 |
|
Martin Pratscher. . .1858
|
|
Karl Spengler. . . . .1859
|
|
Karl Trumpf. . . . . .1863
|
|
Stefan Gerber. . . . .1865
|
|
Johann Ludmann. . .1867
|
|
Nikolaus Weber. . . 1874
|
JUDGES
|
Christian Gerber. . .1868
|
|
Andr. Bittlingmayer.
|
|
Karl Trumpf. . . . . .1870
|
|
Nikolaus Weber. . .1871
|
|
Georg Karbiener. . 1874
|
|
Jakob Morell. . . . .1875
|
2nd JUDGE
Karl Trumpf. . . . . .1870
In the later years the above
Judges and Jurors are not recorded in the church book, or
only very occasionally. It was desirable that these
records be included again so that these men would be
represented also in the interests of the congregation.
CHURCH INSPECTORS
|
August Pulsky. . . . .
1890 |
|
Dr. Ludwig Kern. . .1901
|
|
Dr. Johann Scherer. 1903
|
|
Josef Stroh. . . . . . .
1911 |
|
Jakob Morell. . . . .
.1917 |
|
Peter Burger. . . . . .
1923 |
|
Peter Gutwein. . . . .
1929 |
|
