The Moravian Gathering at Shekomeko

In the 1740s, a German fella named Christian Henry Rauch spread Christianity among the Native peoples of North America, launching the Moravian mission at Shekomeko, a notable faith hub in the annals of old New York. It's renowned as the initial Christian congregation of Native folks in the United States, with the first baptisms happening in 1742.

Way back in the 1730s, Christian Henry Rauch scored a one-way ticket from the Moravians to share Christianity with the Native tribes of North America. He touched down in New York City in July 1740, linked up with a gang of Mahican Indians, a crowd of Algonquian-speaking fellows dwelling on the east shore of the Hudson River. being a Dutch-lingo fan, Rauch could converse with the Mahicans who had some Dutch-knowledge thanks to their run-ins with Dutch settlements.

Rauch swayed the Mahican chiefs to allow him to set up shop at their village and started teaching Christianity. A while later, he partnered with missionary Gottlieb Buttner, and the duo dunked a handful of Mahicans into Christianity. In August 1742, Count Zinzendorf, the Bishop of the Moravian Church, dropped by the mission, and he created a fresh Christian congregation of 10 folks, regarded as the initial Christian congregation of Native Americans in the United States. However, the mission received flak from white settlers and was eventually asked to move on.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata

The Moravian Gathering at Shekomeko: A 1700s Faith Venture in New York

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