Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen

Ludwig ginger Nommensen (* February 6, 1834 on North beach, † May 23 1918 in Sigumpar, Sumatra ) was a German Protestant missionary, who was known for his work among the Batak of Sumatra.

Life

Nommensen came from a poor family. The age of twelve he was so badly injured that you could almost amputated his legs. A horse and cart had run over him and crushed his legs. However, he recovered and then took the decision to become a missionary. In 1857 he joined in Barmen (now Wuppertal) in the seminar of the Rhenish mission. On Christmas Eve 1861, he was sent to Sumatra. There he settled down in 1864 in the Valley Silindung. In August 1865, he was baptized the first families. 1866-1872 supported him on the spot August Schreiber in his work. However, it took many years until larger groups of Batak from their animistic religion separated and were baptized. In a second mission phase (ca. 1881-1903 ) he evangelized at Lake Toba in northern Sumatra. Here he had the defense of Batakfürsten Singamangaraja Si XII. to resist. Nevertheless, he was very successful. In the year of his death Batak Church counted ( Toba Batak Church; Kristen Batak Protestant Huria since 1930, shortly HKBP ) 180,000 members in 500 congregations.

Honors

Religious observances:

• Evangelical Church in Germany: May 23, in the name Evangelical Calendar
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: November 7, in the Lutheran Worship, together with Johann Christian Friedrich Heyer and Bartholomew Ziegenbalg