Warner Township

Clark Co., Wisconsin

HISTORY OF THE REFORMED CHURCH

BRAUN SETTLEMENT, CLARK COUNTY, WI

Submitted by Duane Horn, Transcribed by Janet Schwarze

Last Supper

I have heard the following story from two different sources, so I am assuming that it is more factual than fiction.

The families of my father's parents were devout and religious folks. All were of the Lutheran faith, and they brought that faith with them when they came to this country and settled in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin area.

Around 1877 several members of each family moved to Clark County and homesteaded near Greenwood, Wisconsin. included in this group were my grandparents, Robert & Christina (Braun) Horn Because the Brauns outnumbered the Horns, the area became known as Braun Settlement. (It is still called that today.)

As Braun Settlement was just beginning to be settled, there was no Lutheran church available to serve the needs of these early pioneers. Through an arrangement with a Lutheran church in the Wausau area, approximately once a month a pastor from that church would come and conduct services in the home of one of the settlement families.

In early August, 1890, an elderly member of this Braun/Horn family became quite ill and requested communion. The Lutheran pastor was summoned, and he arrived and prepared to give communion. He asked for some grape wine and was told that, while they had other wine in the home, there was no grape wine. The pastor became very upset and said nothing else would do and he had come such a long distance. and left. He refused to give 'his blessing to the ailing person. 

A sister of my grandmother was not easily discouraged and on August 6, 1890, she took a horse and buggy and went to the Reformed pastor in the German Settlement around five miles from Braun Settlement. agreed to do so. She asked the pastor if he would come and he He told the family that the wine made no difference; water could be used as it was what these elements represented that was important and their faith in the Lord was the healing. He gave communion to this family member and later that evening the person passed away, the Lord having answered her prayers.

This gave great satisfaction to the families, but not the Lutheran pastor. He felt insulted and said that they had done wrong and that he could no longer preach to them because they had called in a Reformed minister.

So it came that these neighbors invited the Reformed pastor to conduct services for them. He agreed and on August 23, 1891, he had his first sermon in the Gotfried Braun home. On September 10 eight families joined together and decided to form as a body, by rule and order of the Sheboygan Klassis of the Reformed Church. After that the Reformed pastor came every fourth Sunday in the afternoon and conducted services in the Braun Settlement school.

At a school meeting on July 7, 1903, it was voted that the school should no longer be used for church service or Sunday school, On September 13, 1903, at a church meeting, plans were made to build a Reformed Church in the community. My Grandfather donated the land for this project and a total of $848.50 was raised for a church fund. In 1904 the church was built, and on October 2 it was dedicated to the glory of God.

Today that small Reformed church no longer exists, but many of the Horn and Braun families who still live in Braun Settlement belong to the Reformed Church (Now known as the United Church of Christ) from which the pastor came to give communion to a dying relative so many years ago.

 

 


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