T J5ak /^y., I
Dedicated
Bishop
Rondthaler
Volume XI
Winston-Salem. N
Saturday, February 7, 1931.
Number 1 7
Beloved Bishop
Rondthaler Called
To Final Rest
Bishop Edward Rondthaler, 88,
jcloved leader of Moravians of the
Southern province, and one of the
South’s best known churchmen,
aid to rest in Moravian Graveyard
Monday afternoon. The placing of
:he body in its final abode was pre-
■eded by simple, but deeply impres
sive services at his late home and
it the Home Moravian Church.
Hundreds of friends crowded the
■hurch and overflowed i
londthaler Memorial Sunday School
juilding and Memorial Hall, in each
if which amplifiers had been placed.
Jncounted others in homes also list-
■nod to the service as it was broad
cast through Station WSJS.
The funeral plans were carried out
n accordance with the, expressed
vishes of the venerable minister. A
irief service was held at the home,
■onsisting of the praying of the
)urial litany, led by Bishop Edward
>osland, of Lititz, Pa., bishop of
lie Northern province of the Mora-
aii Church.
Then the body was removed to
ome Church, which had been the
ene of the bishop’s worships for
ore than a lialf century. The
ce was opened with chorale which
arts with “Rise my Soul, stretch
hey wing, thy better portion trace.’
Uso used in the service was the
lymn, “Jesus Makes My Heart Re-
and the closing hymn was
Ten Thousand Times Ten Thous-
nd.”
Participating in the Scripture
•eading was Bishop J. Taylor Ham-
Itnn, of Bethlehem, Pa., and Rev.
ames E. Hall, of this city. Prayer
■ IS offered by Rev. F. W. Grabs, of
iethania.
The memoir of Bishop Rondthaler
IS read by Dr. J. Kenneth Prohl,
lastor of Home Moravian Church.
Ic traced the life of the beloved
ishop, with particular reference to
is activities in the church and to his
mg period of service in the up-
uilding of God’s Kingdom on earth.
Dr. Pfohl pointed out that the
ishop came from a long line of
Ipravian ministers and mission-
recongnized for their loyalty
nd devotion to Christ and the
Bishop ELdward Rondthaler
church and their zeal for the exten
sion of the Kingdom. He referred
to the oft-repeated testimony of
Bishop Rondthaler that his greatest
gain, during his course of prepara-
for life, was a deep personal
experience of the saving grace of
God through Christ into which he
1 led through the study of Rom-
X, 9, “If thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised Him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.”
The memoir told in details of
Bishop Rondthaler’s call to Salem
and of his long and glorious record
in the Southern province. It was
his privilege to see the work of the
Moravian Church successfully de
velop and expand and joy to see the
Southern province emerge from the
lowest place in point of members
and activity among the provinces of
the unity to second position.
Dr. Pfohl also referred to the
bishop’s interest and activities in
Salem Academy and College, with
which he maintained an active con
nection, as head of the Biblical liter
ature department, to the very end of
his life.
Bishop Rondthaler also was an
editor and writer, andl many ar
ticles that will live after him were
prepared by his pen. His memora-
(Continued on Page Three)
Life of Bishop One
Of Great Service
And Tireless Energy
Bishop Edward Rondthaler was
born at Schoeneck, Pa., July 24,
1842, the son of Edward and Sarah
Louise Rondthaler. He was edu
cated at Nazareth Hall, the Mora
vian preparatory school for boys at
Nazareth, Pa., and the Moravian
Theological Seminary, Bethlehem,
Pa. He continued his studies at the
University of Erlangen, Germany,
returning to this country in 1864.
The year 1864-65 was spent as a
teacher in N azareth Hall and he was
then ordained a deacon of the church
and appointed to the pastorate of
the Brooklyn congregation. In enter
ing the ministry, he was following in
the footsteps of his father and
grandfathers, who had been distin
guished ministers before him. He
was married, in 1867, to Miss Mary
E. Jacobson, of Bethlehem, Pa., a
daughter of Bishop John Christian
Jacobson.
After six years in Brooklyn, dur
ing which time he rebuilt the church
and parsonage, which had been de
stroyed by fire, he accepted a call to
the First Moravian Church, Phila
delphia, and served there until 1877.
It was in that year that an urgent
appeal came up from the Southern
province. The war had left the
country impoverished and the peo
ple discouraged. Like other de
nominations in the South, the Mo
ravian folk had found it hard to
carry on against the terrible con
ditions that existed for nearly twen
ty years after the sectional struggle.
The need for young men in the South
was apparent and in this Edward
Rondthaler recognized a definite
opening for discharge of duty.
In spite of the threat which he
cognized to his rather frail
physical make-up, the young min
ister accepted the call to the new
field and came to North Carolina,
arriving in Salem, with Mrs. Rond
thaler and their two children, Oc
tober 19, 1877. He went at once to
his work as pastor of Home Church,
icceeding Rev. Albert L. Oerter.
A summary of Bishop Rond
thaler’s life since he came to North
(Continued on Page Three)