March 8

1607 Johann von Rist, German Lutheran hymnist, scholar and pastor, was born at Ottensen, near Hamburg, Germany (d. 31 August 1667).

1698 The first meeting of the British group that formed the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (S.P.C.K.) convened.

1714 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, composer and son of Johann Sebastian Bach, was born (d. 14 December 1788).

1715 King Louis XIV (1638–1715) of France proclaimed that he had ended all practice of Protestantism within France.

1800 Henry Newman Pohlman, General Synod pastor in New York, was born in Albany, New York (d. 20 January 1874).

1804 Johann Andreas August Grabau, Buffalo Synod leader, was born at Olvenstedt, near Magdeburg, Germany (d. 2 June 1879).

1824 Johann Georg Kunz, organist and composer, was born in Tringenstein, Nassau, Germany (d. 30 August 1889).

1847 Anton Marius Anderson was born in Bopballe, Jellinge, Jutland, Denmark (d. 1941).

1850 Capital University (Columbus, Ohio) was chartered as a university.

1862 John H. Gurney, hymnist, died in London (b. 15 August 1802, Serjeants' Inn, Fleet Street, London, England).

1878 J. F. Doescher, missionary to African Americans for the Lutheran Synodical Conference, arrived in New Orleans to begin his work.

1887 Henry Ward Beecher, American Congregational clergyman and pulpit orator, died (b. 24 June 1813).

1896 Andrew Schulze, founder and executive secretary of the Lutheran Human Relations Association, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 30 March 1982).

1921 The Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Synod and the German-Scandinavian Synod of Queensland (Australia) merged with the General Synod at Ebenezer, South Australia, forming the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia.

1921 Richard Daniel Biedermann, graduate of Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis) in 1885, died (b. 6 October 1864).

1936 The mission radio station ZHJA, Hankow, China, was begun.

1948 Religious education within the public schools was declared a violation of the First Amendment by the U.S. Supreme Court in its McCollum v. Board of Education decision.

1971 Victor Behnken (b. 21 July 1910), son of John W. Behnken, died. He graduated from Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis) in 1932 and served parishes in Fort Worth, Texas, and Orange, Laguna Beach and Palm Springs, California. He was president of the Southern California District of the Missouri Synod from 1955 to 1969. In 1969 he was elected vice-president of the synod.

1985 John Ewald August Herrmann died in Saint Louis, Missouri (21 March 1902, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada). He graduated from Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis) in 1923 and served as a pastor in Alhambra, Alberta, Canada; Lovell, Wyoming; Nebraska City, Nebraska; Pueblo, Colorado; and Atchison, Kansas. He was active in stewardship and missions and became stewardship secretary and stewardship counselor for the LCMS. He retired in 1970.