Dear St. Johns Lutheran Church,

The extended family of Harry Onken would like to present his encased 128-year-old baptismal gown and its historical ledger to St. John’s Lutheran Church in his memory. Our beloved grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather was baptized into the Lutheran faith in 1888. He was baptized in Germany wearing this very gown.For the next 101 years it was worn by 85 family members baptized into the Lutheran faith, with the majority of us at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sterling, Illinois, the last one being his great-great-grandson in 1989. After that time, we decided to document all the family members’ baptisms and frame the gown for preservation.

Our family is honored that the baptismal gown will be displayed at St. John’s Lutheran Church. “We pray that those who view it will remember God’s baptismal promise of three major gifts: forgiveness of sins, rescue from death and the evil, and eternal salvation, (Luther’s Small Catechism) and our promises given during the baptism to support and pray for one another in their lives through Christ, (Affirmation of Baptism/Affirmation by the Assembly).”

In Christ Name We Pray,
The Family of Harry Onken