An Ideal Missionary — Rev. John Christian Frederick Heyer

An Ideal Missionary REV. JOHN CHRISTIAN FREDERICK HEYER (July 10, 1793-Nov 7, 1873) FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN MISSION IN SOUTH INDIA By Dr. Santha K. Jetty

THE REVEREND JOHN CHRISTIAN FREDERICK HEYER,

Doctor of Medicine, Minister of the True God, Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Pastor, Preacher, Pioneer and a Patriarch to the Telugu Lutheran Church.

A REMARKABLE MISSIONARY

• The American Lutheran Missionary Society in Andhra was originated with the interest of the British

Colonial Administration under the aegis of the Church of England.

• At the Baltimore Meeting of the General Synod in 1841, the Telugu field was chosen under the society’s

name” The Foreign Missionary Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States” through two of its main agencies namely: The General Synod at Guntur and The Pennsylvania Ministerium at Rajahmundry.

• At the beginning of his missionary career, Rev. Heyer conducted worship services for the English officials

and European residents of the East India Company.

• Rev. Heyer was the founder of the Guntur Mission field on July 31st 1842.
• Rev. Heyer had helped in the establishment of the Rajahmundry Mission field by Louis P.Menno Valett

of the North German Society in 1843.

• Rev.Heyer’s missionary service in India stretched forthreetermsoveraperiodof 30 years from 1841 to

1871.

• Bible work was given aprominent place and catechism was used at every

service of the school and Rev.Heyer starteda Sunday school with in the first year.

• In the year 1844 itself Rev. Heyer baptized three p ersons, Isaac, Ruth and

Prakasam during which time missionary arrival in India has been slowly happening and new missionaries had hard time in settling for the new weather and climatic conditions.

• In the year 1859, many missionary societies were struggling to get even a

single convert, the number of baptisms from the AELM were recorded at forty four, sixteen confirmations and one hundred and nine communicants.

• Rev. Heyer’s Christian contribution made Guntur to the distinction of being the ‘Most Christian District’

in Colonial India.

AN EDUCATIONAL MISSIONARY

• Rev. Heyer had considered the idea that schools network to be suitable for the dissemination of

the Gospel seed among the natives of India and believed that India’s evangelization must be done through a body of trained native workers filled with Christian education and experience.

• Rev. Heyer was an excellent disciplinarian and a good instructor. Increased the effeciecy of th

eschools by conducting public examinations. The foundation for the vast Lutheran educational network along with evangelistic work was laid down by Rev. Heyer in Colonial Coastal Andhra.

• Rev. Heyer had employed caste teachers at the beginning of his educational enterprise, however,

he wished to use more intelligent converts.

• Established Anglo-vernacular schools in Guntur, Rajahmundry, Palnadu, Gurajala, Polepalli and

Dachepalli.

• Rev. Heyer had trained most promising boys to become preachers and village school teachers.
• A girls’ school was founded by Rev. Heyer in 1842 with fifteen girls in Guntur and subsequently in

all the mission fields with boarding facilities. (traditionally girls were denied the right of education since ancient times in India). A Medical Missionary

• Rev. C.F.Heyer, M.D., was a Medical missionary who had dispensed medicines for the healing of

the body and availaed the opportunity to organize evangelistic effort among the patients in the Guntur and Palnadu areas.

• He took a course in medicine, as he saw what opportunities for sucha medical work would present

to his hands for reaching the natives of all classes.

• He never selected away that was easy. He had a passion for hard service. He was the man for the

hour, and God used him, as he was willing to be used. This was the secret of his life and the fruit of his action.

• During his missionary service in Palnad, he had prepared for his death as that field was in the most

malarious part of the Presidency. Surely death never moved him from his purpose. He had his cofifin made had a grave dug. But he never was sick, and when he subsequently left that field, he burned his coffin and used St.Paul’s words over his grave: ”Ograve, where is thy victory?”

• His life was a rich legacy to this Church: His work has grown involume and importance in Andhra

Pradesh and Telangana, India. God had blessed the vast reach and the true value of his labors.

• He had a world vision and his soul was restless unless it was in touch with the whole world. Such

men belong to the whole Church. He was one of God’s NOBLE MEN.

Dr. Santha K. Jetty

ELCA SES Synod Council Member, Atlanta, Georgia