Editor's note: The Baptists of northern Kentucky established German-speaking churches in both Newport and Covington. The facts given below are taken from the Northbend Baptist Association Minutes and are rather limited; more information will be added as it is located.
A short history of the Newport German Church is here. - Jim Duvall
The German Baptist Church
Covington, Kentucky
Associational Missions Report
". . . God has laid a great and special obligation upon our Association, in the fact that our bounds comprise a large city, with all its influence of infidelity, pauperism and crime. In the city precincts of Covington are 150,000 Germans. The influence the Germans are to exert on our destiny is a matter for profound solicitude. There is not within the bound of our Association another place of such destitution. We recommend that the Association establish a mission among the Germans in Covington, and, for the present, appoint a colporteur to labor among them. We recommend the appointment of an Executive Board, which shall appoint a colporteur to labor among the Germans, and devise means for his support. This Board shall consist of one member from each church in the Association, with the addition of three members from the churches in Covington. It shall hold quarterly meetings, the first to be _____. This Board shall report the work done at the next annual meeting of the Association, and also to the Board of the General Asssociation of Kentucky.
J. M. Bent, Chairman."
[From North Bend Baptist Association Minutes, 1879.___________ Report of the Committee on Associational Missions
Your Committee would report that H. Gellert, German Missionary, was employed by the Executive Board appointed last year to labor among the German population in the city of Covington, on half time, at a salary of $350 per year, and that five have been received and baptised into into the fellowship of the German Baptist Church. A Sunday School has been established in which quite an interest is manifested, and from the present outlook we believe that under the blessing of God a good work will be accomplished during the ensuing year in this field of labor. We commend Bro. Gellert to the brethren of the North Bend Association as the right man in the right place - a pious and zealous worker, and ask your prayers and contributions in his behalf that he may be strengthened and sustained in the good work in which he is engaged.
J. M. Bent, Chairman
[From North Bend Baptist Association Minutes, "Report of the Committee on Associational Missions," 1880, p. 8.___________ Sunday School Report, 1884
The following is the Report of the Sunday School Board from a chart at the back of the minutes:German Mission -
Name of Superintendent, G. Koopman - Post-office of Superintendant, Covington - When Originated, 1888 [sic - 1880] - Number Months in Session, 12 - Average attendance, 30 - Number of Officers and Teachers, 4 - Number of Pupils in School, 40 - Number of Volumes in Library, 0 - Do you use the Baptist International Series of Lessons, Yes - Number of Baptist Teachers taken, blank - Numbers of Quarterly and Leaflets taken, blank - Number of Sunday School Papers taken, 75 - Number of Church Members in School, 4 - Number of Conversions in School Past Year, 0 - Number of Mission Schools, 0 - Average Weekly Collections, 0 - Total Collections for Year, $22.21 - Expended for Sunday School Supplies, $60.87 - Expended for Missions, 0 - Total Expenditures, $60.87Editor's note: There was a total of 16 Sunday Schools in the Northbend Association that year with a total of 835 pupils.
[From North Bend Baptist Association Minutes, 1884.]
___________ NBBA Minutes, 1885.
The Board have, during the year, considered the advisability of undertaking the erection of a mission chapel, but decided on account of the hard times and consequent scarcity of money among our people, that it was not expedient to undertake the enterprise. A committee was appointed to confer with the State Sunday-school and Mission Boards, also, the Home Board at Atlanta, and, if possible, obtain assistance in purchasing a lot and erecting a chapel.
Amendment to Report. Resolved, That we, the messengers composing the North Bend Association, hereby instruct our Mission Board to adopt the most vigorous measures in securing funds to support our missionary, purchase or build a chapel for him, and place our German mission in Covington on a permanent basis.
Our missionary reports the following statistics:
Sermons preached . . . . 104 Prayer-meetings held . . . . 52 Sessions of Sunday-school . . . . 52 Visits to families and individuals . . . . 306 Bibles and Testaments distributed . . . . 4 Tracts . . . . 300 Collections . . . . $20.40 Expenses . . . . $36.11 Deficiency . . . . $15.46 No. of Pupils in Sunday-school . . . . 75 No. of teachers in Sunday-school . . . . 7 Church members in Sunday-school . . . . 5 Largest number present in Sunday-school . . . . 72 Smallest number in sunday-school . . . . 31 No. of Sunday-school papers taken . . . . 75 No. of Lesson leaves taken . . . . 50 Collections . . . . $36.41 Expenses for supplies . . . . $33.04 Other Expenses . . . . $23.74Treasurer's Report James W. Walker, Treasurer, in account with North Bend Association German Mission, September 12, 1884.[NBBA Minutes, 1885, p. 7. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]Received from the following churches for last year (1884) Bullittsburg . . . . $35.73 Big Bone . . . . $43.14 Bullittsburg . . . . $94.40 Big Bone . . . . $83.36 Fourth St., (1st) Covington . . $75.85 Madison Avenue . . . . $97.11 Bellevue . . . . $75.00 Sand Run . . . . $28.50 Burlington . . . . $38.11 Dry Creek . . . . $23.90 Florence . . . . $30.00 Oak Ridge . . . . $ 2.50 Bank Lick . . . . $14.00 Walton . . . . $10.00 Beaver Lick . . . . $26.00___________
Kenton County (KY) Baptists
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