In response to Kountze’s letter, Rev. Kuhns (1858-1870) arrives in Omaha City on November 19 as a missionary of the Allegheny Synod of Pennsylvania to the Nebraska Territory. Kuhns, a graduate of Gettysburg Seminary, is the first Lutheran Missionary in Nebraska Territory and receives a salary of $500 per year plus whatever he could collect in the field.
On December 5, Kuhns and fourteen prominent area residents organize Emanuel’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, the first Lutheran church in Omaha and Nebraska Territory.