The LHS/MA will examine the history and theology of disaster relief in the Lutheran Church at its fall meeting in September.

According to online financial reports of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), congregational giving for disaster relief rose from $3.5 million in 2003 to $36.8 million in 2005. Both international and domestic events of the last few years, like the South Asian tsunami and the South Atlantic hurricanes, have challenged Lutherans to dig deeper into their financial resources to benefit those who suffer from unexpected catastrophes and their aftermaths. In the face of tragic events and our need to respond to them as a Christian community, we may wonder how our church has conceptualized and grown in its historical and contemporary disaster policies and practices.

How have we defined disaster and how have we envisioned our call to bring aid and comfort to those in distress? How has our church organized itself to maximize effectiveness amid scenes of destruction and chaos and among people whose lives have been seriously impacted by horrific events? How has our faith informed our past and present activity, and what is essential to an ongoing Lutheran presence at disaster sites and among disasters’ victims?

These concerns will provide focus for a two-part program sponsored by the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic over the next year. The first consideration, Lutheran Response to Disaster: History and Theology, will be held Saturday, September 23, 2006 at the Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary in Valentine Hall. Registration will begin in Beekman Commons at 9:00 AM and the program concludes at 3:00 PM. The follow-up program, Lutheran Response to Disaster: Opportunity for Outreach is scheduled for our spring meeting, April 21, 2007, in the same location.

The Fall program will feature a distinguished and varied group of presenters and participants. During the morning session, Dr. Norman E. Barth, former executive director of Lutheran World Relief, will address important historical development in Lutheran disaster response. Dr. Foster R. McCurley, Lutheran pastor, theologian and member of the Lutheran Disaster Response Team from 1995-2003, will discuss the relationship between Lutheran theology and the church’s vision for disaster relief. After a catered lunch in the Seminary Refectory, the day’s participants will reconvene at the Adams County Historical Society, a hospital site during the Battle of Gettysburg, and then return to Valentine Hall for the remainder of the program.

Wayne Motts, executive director of the Adams County Historical Society, will lead a tour and related discussion of the use of the Lutheran Seminary’s Old Dorm as a hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg. Motts’ presentation will focus on the Seminary’s role between the first day of the battle, July 1, 1863 and the departure from Old Dorm of the last patient on September 16 of the same year.

George P. Mocko, former bishop of the Delaware/Maryland Synod and member of the of the LHS/MA Board of Directors, will speak about his experience as pastor and spiritual leader of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Wilmington, Delaware during the 1960’s racial unrest in that city. Finally, Ms Cindy Camp, Diakon’s Disaster Recovery Liaison, will describe her work to bring emotional and spiritual relief to victims of domestic disaster through organized Lutheran social service. Diakon is the social service organization formed in January 2000 by the affiliation of the ELCA and Lutheran Services of America. Ms. Camp has worked for the church following hurricanes Isabel, Katrina, and Rita.

Please mark your calendars now for both programs. Details of the Spring 2007 program will be announced at the Fall Program and in subsequent publications. Reservations may be made for the Fall Program, September 23, 2006, by completing and mailing the attached form and registration fee, $18 for LHSMA members, $20 for non-members, to Mr. Lee Knepp, P.O. Box 76, McClure, PA 17841.

Registration forms are also available online at www.lhsmidatlantic.org. Questions may be directed to LHS/MA president, Rev. Kurt Strause, at the e-mail link on the organization’s website.

Name_________________________________

Phone/e-mail___________________________

Address________________________________

______________________________________

Number for lunch________________________

Desire LHSMA membership (please check) ___

Return to:

Mr. Lee Knepp

P.O. Box 76

McClure, PA 17841

Please make checks payable to LHS/MA.

Lutheran Historical Society

of the Mid-Atlantic Newsletter

ISSN 1049-6424

The Newsletter is issued twice a year by the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic in the interest of the preservation and cultivation of Lutheran history in

Central and Western Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.

Notes of announcements, projects, historical celebrations, genealogical concerns, notes of church or Synodical activities, and notes from other historical societies are solicited.

Address corrections are helpful.

Send replies via email to:

Annabelle S. Wenzke

jjwasw21@suscom.net

Subj: LHS Newsletter

Biglerville Prizes

go to

Williams and Baina

Dr. Kim Eric Williams accepts the

Biglerville Prize from LHS/MA

At its spring meeting, the Lutheran Historical Society of the MidAtlantic presented both the 2004 and 2006 St., John’s, Biglerville Prizes. The 2004 prize for the best book on the subject of American Lutheran church history was awarded to Kim-Erik Williams for The Journey of Justus Falckner. The 2006 prize was awarded to Thomas Baina for The Concordat of Agreement Between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Lessons on the Way Toward Full Communion.

Justus Falckner was the first Lutheran to be regularly ordained in the western hemisphere. 2003 marked the tricentennial of that event – a truly multi-cultural one. Falkner was trained in Germany, but examined and ordained by Swedish missionaries in Philadelphia to answer the call of Dutch Lutherans in the English colony of New York. Not only was his ordination service attended by members of almost all the various religious communities represented in Pennsylvania; musical leadership for that service was provided by a gifted community of radical pietists – the Wissahickon Hermits.

But his ordination service was only a highlight of a long, fruitful, and faithful ministry, and of a fascinating life. Falckner was the answer to generations of prayers from Manhattanite Lutherans for a consistent, trustworthy pastor. He labored faithfully and well, not only in New York City, but up the Hudson River Valley, and across New Jersey. He was an acclaimed preacher, and a dedicated catechist.

Kim-Erik Williams provides a magnificent gift to the church, and to the history of colonial America, in giving Falckner a biography worthy of his life. Both popular and scholarly in the best senses of those words, Williams’ The Journey of Justus Falckner weaves together the man’s early years and decision not to pursue ordination; his time in Pennsylvania and reconsideration of that decision, in the face of evident need; and his 20 years of service to the Gospel in New York and New Jersey.

Dr. Williams is lecturer in Swedish and director of the Swedish language program at the University of Pennsylvania. As an pastor he served congregations in New Jersey, Connecticut, Sweden, and Trinidad. He is the 31^st governor of the Swedish Colonial Society, which he has also served as archivist and chaplain.

It is rare that contemporary events receive historical treatment. Perhaps it is easier, however, for those who stand outside the events to provide the perspective and insight that normally comes with time. Thomas Baina, in The Concordat of Agreement Between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Lessons on the Way Toward Full Communion, brings a critical eye to the events central to the story of American Lutheran in the last fifteen years.

Baina uses with insight and care not only the tools of history, but also those of other disciplines: canon law, ecclesiology, ecumenism, and sacramental theology, as well as rhetorical analysis of debates in assemblies. He offers conclusions valuable to those who continue to carry on bilateral dialogues, and shows considerable sophistication in understanding the ethos of both Lutheranism and Anglicanism.

Baina spent 16 years in the ecumenical offices of the Roman Catholic arch-diocese of Chicago. He presently serves as Vice President and Provost and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Illlinois.

The St. Paul, Biglerville Prize was established by that congregation in honor of its long-time pastor, Frederick Weiser. Awarded every two years, it honors the best book published in that biennium in the field of the history of Lutheranism in America.

Spring Meeting

Great Success

The grave of Pastor David Day and his wife, Emma, Historic Site 2 on the LHS/MA recently established register of historic Lutheran sites.

Torrential rains could not dampen the enthusiasm and reflection on Liberian mission that was the focus of the annual spring meeting at Susquehanna University April 22, 2006. Participants were inspired and informed by the lectures of Dr. Robert Bradford of Susquehanna University and Dr. Maria Erling of Gettysburg Theological Seminary who spoke of the ministry of Pastor David and Emma Day and the emergence of a missionary movement in the Lutheran church in the nineteenth century. Further enlightenment was shed on the work of the mission by an afternoon discussion led by Bishop Ronald Diggs, Bishop of the Liberian Lutheran Church from 1984 to 1995, and Pastor Titus Clarke of the People’s Community Lutheran Church in Baltimore, a church composed primarily of Liberian immigrants who are building a ministry in the United States. Several Liberian Lutherans who were present, such as Pastor Moses Gobah and Mrs. Sue Telewoda, helped us to see both the continuing work for the church in Liberia as well as the fruit of the labor that was begun in the nineteenth century.

Dr. Bradford’s talk about the life of David Day was inspiring as well as informative. Day, a man of very humble background, became a pastor after being converted to Christianity as a youth at revivals held at the Cranberry Schoolhouse in the Upper Bermudian Valley in Adams County. He was catechized by the Lutheran pastor of that area and in 1869 admitted to the Missionary Institute at Selinsgrove, the precursor of Susquehanna University. His dedication to mission was formed early and strongly in his college career and when he was ordained in 1874 by the Franckean Synod, he had already chosen a wife, Emily (Emma), who was as dedicated to mission as was he.

Sent by the Board of Foreign Missions to Liberia, the couple initiated a twenty year ministry that would only be ended by Emma’s death in 1895 and David’s in 1897. It was Day’s genius to see that a secure mission must include practical, as well as religious, instruction. He believed that missionaries are in the field to work themselves out of a job. To that end he established not just churches, but plantations and schools that could be turned over to the Liberians when he left.

While he was there, he actually accomplished the ordination of two Liberian pastors who he hoped would continue his work when he was gone. The work had a heavy cost to the Days. They lost all three of their children to disease and eventually their own lives were cut short also. Today they are buried at Union Cemetery that overlooks their beloved Susquehanna University and Selinsgrove. In a tribute to their lives and ministry, the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic placed its second historical marker at their graves as part of our meeting.

Dr. Erling’s paper was about the struggle to gain support for foreign missions in the General Synod during the nineteenth century. In that struggle, she highlighted the work of Pastor Morris Officer who dedicated his life to gaining support for the Liberian mission and missionaries in the General Synod. Officer was appointed by the General Synod to visit Liberia in 1852 and 1860 to study the possibilities for mission in that newly formed country. His visits were too short to establish a strong mission although he did lay the groundwork for the Muhlenberg Mission that Day would later serve. It was Officer’s work when he returned to America that distinguished him.

Starting in 1863 he tirelessly and continually visited churches of the General Synod organizing support for foreign missions. Often he was discouraged, but he never wavered and gradually the women of the church adopted his cause as they organized missionary societies in congregations of the synod that would support world missions into the twentieth century. Erling pointed out that the women were encouraged to do so by their husbands who wanted to support the evangelical crusades of the nineteenth century in the midst of the confessional controversies that were dividing the church at mid-century. However, the movement attained a life of its own that educated women in leadership raised a great deal of money for missions, and gave women a voice in church affairs that they had previously lacked.

When the discussion turned to the life of the Liberian Lutheran Church in the twentieth century, attention needed to be focused on the effect of the civil war in Liberia that started in 1980 and has affected the life of all Liberians. Bishop Diggs pointed to three areas of the church that marked his time in office. First of all, church leaders felt constrained to address the political situation of their members that often put them into conflict with the government.

Secondly, the strength and life of the church, both then and now, rests on its lay leaders. It is they who are responsible for the continued growth and presence of the church in a severely threatened environment. Thirdly, he mentioned the challenge of stewardship to the church as it struggles to become self-sustaining. He praised Day as being a missionary ahead of his time because he sought to make the church an independent member of churches of the world. These three areas were reflected in the churches of Liberian immigrants who are living in the United States.

Both Pastor Clarke and Pastor Chris Gentile who, with Bishop Diggs, is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Trenton New Jersey spoke of the vitality of their churches due to the dedication and evangelism of its members. They offered us an inspiring and gracious picture of what missionary work can be and in Liberia has been. For everyone who attended it was a memorable meeting.

Historic Church Walking Tours

Eight historic churches in downtown Gettysburg, two of them Lutheran, have organized Historic Church Walking Tours, Inc., to present programs about the Battle of Gettysburg, featuring hospital scenes in those churches, heroic civilian nurses, and stories about the battle and aftermath in that town. These tours are presented on Wednesday evenings during the summer (May 25 to August 22 for 2007) months and divided into two tour selections. The West Tour features the four churches on the western side of Gettysburg and on alternating Wednesdays the East Tour is offered.

The story of these churches is a unique and critical perspective on the battle of Gettysburg. Tours last approximately ninety minutes and originate at the Gettysburg Presbyterian Church, 208 Baltimore Street at 6:00 and 6:30 PM. Tickets are $4.00 per person and children under 12 are free. For additional information, please visit www.historicchurchwalkingtours.org or call 1-888-882-1541. Special group tours can be arranged by contacting the Rev. Dr. Frederick Wentz.

President’s

Corner

Kurt S. Strause

In the first several months of serving as the pastor in my current congregation I went into the archives of our church to look around. I knew we were only a few years away from celebrating our centennial anniversary and I wanted to see the condition of the available historical material. I was both surprised and impressed. Pictures, previous anniversary booklets, minute books were all neatly arranged and catalogued in an easy-to-use manner. Whoever had organized our material made our job of celebrating our anniversary that much easier. As a new pastor I could easily gain a good perspective on the history of this particular congregation. Such perspectives help shape the mission of a congregation as it seeks to both honor its past, yet remain open to the new possibilities that the future may bring.

A major task of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic is assisting congregations in telling their own story to themselves and to future generations who will follow. This includes new pastors who will want to discover the kinds of events and people who have made a particular congregation what it is. Archivists and historians are invaluable resources for churches as they seek to be faithful to the mission to which they are called by God. The board of directors of the LHS/MA helps congregations tell their story by providing the kinds of hands-on, practical advice through workshops and seminars. We also help tell the “larger story” of Lutheran history in the region. This aspect should be seen as helpful to congregations because it helps place the story of a particular community of Christians into a larger perspective. The Fall program on Lutheran Response to Disaster (September 23) is just such an example. Most of our congregations, in one way or another, have been involved in responding to the great needs of persons affected by some kind of disaster. Seeing our congregation’s story in the context of a wider history will enrich our understanding of both.

This past spring we elected five members to our board of directors. Three were incumbents, Pastors Kurt Strause and Paul Luebbe, and Professor Don Housely. Two are new to the board, Pastor Howard Hinkeldey and Pastor Steven Herr, both of Gettysburg. Herr, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, served previously on the board and has also served on the Archives Board. At the subsequent board meeting, Kurt Strause was elected president of the LHS/MA, Don Housely re-elected as secretary, and Lee Knepp was re-elected as treasurer.

Shortly after our spring meeting Pr. Paul Luebbe and his wife Barbara were in a serious automobile accident. Both suffered injuries but Paul’s were much more serious than Barbara’s. As of this writing Paul is undergoing rehabilitation and is making slow, but steady progress. Your prayers for both Barbara and Paul are requested.

Hope to see you at the fall meeting.

Fall Program 2006