All Saints Day Message
November 8, 2009
Anna Rosina Kliest Gambold
Hebrews 11:1-3, 13-16, 32-38
Born: May 1, 1762
Place: Bethlehem, PA
She is described as a “sprightly person as well as in fancy and imagination with the gift of making the hearts of her Indian pupils blossom like the rose.”
Death: February 19, 1821
She was one of the earliest female botanists in America
- She was an authority on both ornamental and medicinal plants
Anna married John Gambold at the age of 43
Together, John Gambold and Anna Rosin Kliest Gambold became the foundation of “Spring Place”.
At the close of the 18th century the Cherokee were in the process of giving away more of their land. As soon as a treaty was signed, the government would begin making a grab of more land and forcing another treaty.
At this auspicious time in the history of the Cherokees the Society of the
United Brethren, known as Moravians, authorized, in 1799, Reverend Abraham
Steiner of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to establish a mission in the Cherokee nation.
The Moravians
The name Moravian identifies the fact that this historic church had its origin in ancient Bohemia and Moravia in what is the present-day Czech Republic.
In the mid-ninth century these countries converted to Christianity chiefly through the influence of two Greek Orthodox missionaries, Cyril and Methodius.
They translated the Bible into the common language and introduced a national church ritual. In the centuries that followed, Bohemia and Moravia gradually fell under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Rome, but some of the Czech people protested.
The foremost of Czech reformers, John Hus (1369-1415) was a professor of philosophy and rector of the University in Prague. The Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, where Hus preached, became a rallying place for the Czech reformation.
Gaining support from students and the common people, he led a protest movement against many practices of the Roman Catholic clergy and hierarchy. Hus was accused of heresy, underwent a long trial at the Council of Constance, and was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
ORGANIZED IN 1457
The reformation spirit did not die with John Hus. The Moravian Church, or Unitas Fratrum (Unity of Brethren), as it has been officially known since 1457, arose as followers of Hus gathered in the village of Kunvald, about 100 miles east of Prague, in eastern Bohemia, and organized the church.
This was 60 years before Martin Luther began his reformation and 100 years before the establishment of the Anglican Church.
By 1467 the Moravian Church had established its own ministry, and in the years that followed three orders of the ministry were defined: deacon, presbyter and bishop.
GROWTH, PERSECUTION, EXILE
By 1517 the Unity of Brethren numbered at least 200,000 with over 400 parishes. Using a hymnal and catechism of its own, the church promoted the Scriptures through its two printing presses and provided the people of Bohemia and Moravia with the Bible in their own language.
A bitter persecution, which broke out in 1547, led to the spread of the Brethren's Church to Poland where it grew rapidly.
By 1557 there were three provinces of the church: Bohemia, Moravia and Poland.
The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) brought further persecution to the Brethren's Church, and the Protestants of Bohemia were severely defeated at the battle of White Mountain in 1620.
The prime leader of the Unitas Fratrum in these tempestuous years was Bishop John Amos Comenius (1592-1670). He became world-renowned for his progressive views of education. Comenius, lived most of his life in exile in England and in Holland where he died (God at work in his providence). His prayer was that some day the "hidden seed" of his beloved Unitas Fratrum might once again spring to new life.
RENEWAL IN THE 1700S
The eighteenth century saw the renewal of the Moravian Church through the patronage of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, a pietist nobleman in Saxony. Some Moravian families fleeing persecution in Bohemia and Moravia found refuge on Zinzendorf's estate in 1722 and built the community of Herrnhut. The new community became the haven for many more Moravian refugees. Count Zinzendorf encouraged them to keep the discipline of the Unitas Fratrum, and he gave them the vision to take the gospel to the far corners of the globe. August 13, 1727, marked the culmination of a great spiritual renewal for the Moravian Church in Herrnhut, and in 1732 the first missionaries were sent to the West Indies.
TO AMERICA IN 1735
After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a Moravian settlement in Georgia (1735-1740), the Moravians settled in Pennsylvania on the estate of George Whitefield 1714-1770. Moravian settlers purchased 500 acres to establish the settlement of Bethlehem in 1741. Soon they bought the 5,000 acres of the Barony of Nazareth from Whitefield's manager, and the two communities of Bethlehem and Nazareth became closely linked in their agricultural and industrial economy. Other settlement congregations were established in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. All were considered frontier centers for the spread of the gospel, particularly in mission to the Native Americans.
WITH THIS HISTORY AS A BACKDROP
Abraham Steiner and Gottlieb Byhan were the first to come to “Spring Place” and establish the Moravian mission work , near what is modern day Chatsworth.
Chiefs James Vann and Charles Hicks (son of Nathan Hicks, a white man married to a Cherokee woman) encouraged the Cherokee council in 1800 to allow the missionaries to open a school for Cherokee children.
In 1801 Chief Vann’s daughter became the first student at the mission, making it the first school in the Cherokee nation.
It seems that Vann and Hicks viewed the mission work as a means to an end. They believed that the teaching of Christian doctrine would help merge the more traditional Cherokee lifestyle with a more Europeanized lifestyle and existence and perhaps secure the Cherokee’s place in this new world.
The mission seemed to struggle to get started and was even given an ultimatum to either get itself up and running or leave, and with the constant support of Chief Vann, the mission finally constructed its school and the work began.
John and Anna arrived in 1805, and the mission work took off.
Anna’s personality and spirit endeared her to the Cherokee.
Mrs. Gambold's amiability, sense of responsibility, and genius for imparting
knowledge as an educator made her the guiding spirit of the mission.
Under this couple’s work the mission became a working farm, a church and a school. The work lasted 31 years.
Anna was described as a missionary, teacher, author, scientist, farmer and friend.
The Cherokee would come to refer to Anna as “Mother Gambold”.
Anna was 43 when she married John, and they immediately came to work at the mission.
Chief Vann as a Providential Key to the work:
In 1809 Chief Vann was murdered. He was known as extremely generous when sober and brutal when drunk. He has participated in a massacre of settlers in the SW territory (Tennessee). He had negotiated with the co-raiders to spare women and children, but that to no avail. Men, women and children were massacred.
He had burned alive a slave for stealing and tortured a girl who knew of the details by hanging her from her thumbs.
The Gambolds rescued her.
He once said, when found on a remote trail after being sobered up, “good, I thought I was shot.”
He was extremely wealthy. He was the son of a Cherokee woman and a Scottish trader. He made much money and gained much land by trading and scheming.
He was very politically astute, and made many gains through politics.
He, however, favored the Gambolds and fought for their work there and supported it financially. The land of Spring Place was even donated by him.
I have not been able to find all the details of all that the Gambolds did, but acts that this give you a taste of their love of God and their love of the Cherokee.
It stands to reason that Chief Vann’s murder was probably for revenge or the like.
What is interesting is that the first convert to Christianity would be Margaret Vann, the widow of Chief Vann the following year in 1810.
The second convert was Chief Charles Hicks. On April 16, 1813 Chief Hicks was baptized in the barn at the mission and given the baptismal name “Renatus” which means, “Renewed”.
During the 32-year history of the Moravian work and 27 years for the Gambolds they saw 100 Cherokee begin their education there.
John and Anna grew the work there to include in addition to the school a chapel, missionaries residence, a dormitory for housing strangers, farm buildings, several large fields and an orchard.
Instruction included: religion (Christian doctrine), reading, writing, science, arithmetic, history, farming and housekeeping
Anna’s work in botany and medicinal gardens set a standard in the field for the day and her work was key in chronicling the natural resources present that could be used in medical advancement. Her work is listed in various journals and research work of the day.
Because of the success of the mission, the Gambolds were asked to take on a work at Oothcaloga (near modern day Calhoun).
Before they could move and take the work up, Anna died of heart failure February 19, 1821.
A Cherokee Chief named “The Warrior’s Nephew” said of the missionaries, “we do not look upon you as whites... you are looked upon as belonging to us.”
Well, the story begins to wind down on Christmas Eve of 1832.
One of the first actions Georgia took in preparation of the removal of the Cherokee was to close all mission stations.
On Christmas Eve of 1832, the Georgia Militia demanded that the Moravians close the mission.
On January 7, 1833 the missionaries bid farewell to Spring Place.
The Georgia Militia turned the mission into its headquarters during the Cherokee Removal.
The actual number of people who were baptized as followers of Jesus Christ is not found anywhere that I could find.
What is found is that upon arriving in Oklahoma, the Cherokee settled some Moravian Mission sites like the one they left in Georgia.
So, the Gospel had done it’s work and was then taken by the one’s who had received it and they preached among other nations.
What do we see of God’s grace here?
1. Father works through pleasant as well as bitter providences
A. Struggle of the work from 1801-1805
B. Murder of Chief Vann
C. The Abuses and generosity of a sometimes sober Chief
D. The salvation of the chief’s wife
E. The salvation of the chief
F. The forced removal of the Cherokee to Oklahoma
G. The landing of the Moravians in Pennsylvania rather than Georgia and
their connection to George Whitefield
H. The reformation heritage of the Moravians and their survival by
establishing of communities and the frontier approach of establishing
a mission base camp
I. The Moravian advancement of educational progression and teaching as
a means of advancing the Gospel
J. Exile to England and Holland as a base of the westward expanse of the
Gospel
K. An indestructible spirit that was trained through hardship that would
persevere through severe trials to see the advance of the Gospel
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
2. Father delights in using well-known means and unknown means to advance the Gospel
3. It does not require being a professional missionary to advance the Kingdom just a willingness to go and a tradition that makes that the status quo
- Long term – they leave and make the mission their life’s work
- Short term – they leave and help the long term guys and return home
4. As the Moravians loved the mission and did it and saw marvelous graces, we too, love the mission and have seen marvelous graces
- The timing on entering such a hard country was perfect
- The relational connections to be established
- The difficulty and hardship
- The transformation of some that promises more
5. We must not be daunted by little fruit early
- It was 9 years before Chief Vann’s wife would believe the Gospel
- It was 7 years for Judson
- We have seen fruit earlier, but not the full fruit of a church planting
movement
6. We must not be daunted by internal challenges and team member changes
