Lutheran Historical Conference Newsletter

Vol. 34, No. 3...August 1996...ISSN 0460-0274


LHC: The Seventh Biennial Meeting
Nominees for Board of Directors
Annual LHC Bibliography Submissions
E-mail Addresses for LHC Members Requested
News By/For/About Members
New Members
ELCA Archives "Home Page" on World Wide Web
New ELCA Archivists
LHC Leadership Updates
What Will the Next LHC Newsletter Contain?


LHC: THE SEVENTH BIENNIAL MEETING
October 31-November 2, 1996
Fort Wayne, Indiana

SPEAKERS:

The program will include visits to several historic sites, including Trinity English, St. Paul's, old Concordia College campus, Concordia Cemetery, Allen County Public Library and Genealogy Collection.

The Rev. Robert Smith, chair of the Local Arrangements Committee reports that lodging will be available on campus ($15 per night for single or double, per person). Area motels include: Don Hall's Guest House ($49 single; $55 double) ask for Concordia rate at 219/489-2524; and Budgetel ($53.95 double occupancy, 219/489-2220). A registration pack will be sent to members in the next several weeks. For more information about registration contact The Rev. Robert Smith, Concordia Theological Seminary, 6600 North Clinton Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46825; 219/452-2123.

On Wednesday morning, October 30, Dr. Lewis Spitz will present a Seminary Anniversary Lecture on Dr. Wilhelm Sihler, an early Missouri Synod pastor in Fort Wayne, a founder of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne and an important shaper of opinion in the first decades of the Synod. Members of the Conference who wish to arrive early are invited to attend. Contact Pastor Smith for further details.

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NOMINEES FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At the 1996 LHC convention at Fort Wayne, three new members will be elected to six­year terms of office on the Board of Directors. The nominating committee has prepared a slate consisting of the following nine nominees, and thanks them for their willingness to run for board membership:

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ANNUAL LHC BIBLIOGRAPHY SUBMISSIONS

Once again, LHC members are asked to submit information for the annual "Index of Writings in the Field of American Lutheranism," for the next issue of the LHC Newsletter (deadline October 15). LHC members are encouraged to submit complete citations to contributions to the study of Lutheranism published in 1995. Any serious effort in the field is eligible for listing. Direct your correspondence to:

The Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary Library
600 N. Clinton St.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46825
E-mail: cosmithb@ash.palni.edu
Phone: 219-452-2123
FAX: 219-452-2126

The Rev. James W. Albers
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN 46383
E-mail: jalbers@exodus.valpo.edu
Phone: 219-464-5313
FAX: 219-464-5381

Previous bibliographies are available either in past issues of this Newsletter or on the World Wide Web: gopher://crf.cuis.edu/11gopher_root%3a%5bcus.cts.library.info.lhc.bib.%5d

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E-MAIL ADDRESSES FOR LHC MEMBERS REQUESTED

At the suggestion of Ray Kibler III, LHC Treasurer, all LHC members who have an e-mail address are invited to send that information to LHC Membership Secretary David J. Wartluft: dwartluft@aol.com. Once the addresses are received, a list will be compiled by Dave, who will send it out to all of those on the list via e-mail. If there is further interest in exchanging addresses for those without e-mail capability, the LHC Board will work out a plan to collect the necessary information via either a special mailing to all members or through this newsletter. This information would include address, phone, FAX and e-mail addresses, or in other words, would be a veritable membership directory for LHC. Any questions or concerns about this, please contact: LHC Membership Secretary, David J. Wartluft, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119; 215-248-4616.

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NEWS BY/FOR/ABOUT MEMBERS

David J. Wartluft, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119, has been working this summer on automating the seminary's library catalog and circulation operations.

Ruth Herman Nielsen, 122 S. 39th St., #706, Omaha, NE 68131, has recently completed, Leaves and Acorns From Oaks, a history of the Oaks (Lutheran) Indian Center, Oklahoma. The history of Lutheranism among the Cherokee began with the Danish immigrant pastor N.L. Nielsen who arrived in the territory in 1892. The work included establishing a children's home and school and the Eben Ezer congregation. The book is available for $12.25, postage paid from: Oaks Indian Center, P.O. Box 130, Oaks, OK 74359-0130.

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NEW MEMBERS

The LHC is pleased to welcome the following new member since the last issue of this newsletter was published:

The Tri-Synod Archives (Region 8, ELCA)
Thiel College Library
College Ave.
Greenville, PA 16125

* A new feature of the newsletter, courtesy, David J. Wartluft, Membership Secretary.

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ELCA ARCHIVES "HOME PAGE" ON WORLD WIDE WEB

The Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has recently added information to the ELCA's home page [http://www.elca.org] regarding its reference and preservation assistance services and collections. The archives new "home page" is really a "sub-page" of the main ELCA home page and is found under "Resources" or "Directories: Churchwide Offices, Office of the Secretary." In addition to the general information about the archives, the page contains more specific information on fees, microfilm loans, genealogy research, regional and synodical archives addresses, as well as information on holdings, such as oral histories and published guides to the collection. Other links to further information regarding the archives holdings will be added in the future. Also included in this new home page are several resources especially useful to those working with an archives of a congregation. These new or revised documents include:

  1. Brief Guide for Archives of Congregations of the ELCA, 1989.
  2. Retention of Active Records: Advice for Congregations of the ELCA, rev. 1996.
  3. Maintaining the Parish Register: Advice for Congregations of the ELCA, 1996.

For anyone not able to access the ELCA Home Page, you may also request any of the above mentioned items or information by contacting: ELCA Archives, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60641; 312-380-2818; archives@elca.org.

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NEW ELCA ARCHIVISTS

The ELCA Archives has recently welcomed two new archivists: Diane Asseln and Ellen Swain. Diane is the new part-time assistant archivist, who started July 1. She will be involved in reference and processing work. She recently had been employed by the Chicago Historical Society and is a graduate of the library/archives administration program at the University of Pittsburgh, although she originally comes from the State of Washington. Diane takes the place of Maureen O'Brien Will who moved to Kentucky after working for the archives for six years.

The other new archivist, Ellen Swain, began work on July 15 and is working on the two-year federally funded grant project to organize the records of the Helen M. Knubel Archives of Cooperative Lutheranism. The grant was awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Ellen has previously been employed at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Indiana Historical Society. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois library science program specializing in archives administration and also holds a master's degree in history from Indiana University. Also joining Ellen in the work of the grant is Kathy Scott, part-time secretary from Chicago.

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LHC LEADERSHIP UPDATES*

Raymond Bost, Board Member and Chair, Research and Publication
E-mail: bostrm70@interpath.com

Elisabeth Wittman, Board Member and Newsletter Editor
E-mail: ewittman@elca.org

* Following the biennial meeting in Fort Wayne, a future issue of this newsletter will carry a complete updated listing for LHC leadership.

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WHAT WILL THE NEXT LHC NEWSLETTER CONTAIN?

This newsletter will be able to fulfill its intended purpose of being a clearinghouse of information for archivists, historians, and libraries only if you provide material for it. The editor would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Maria Acuña, ELCA archives secretary, with this issue.

Please use this page (or as many additional ones as needed) to send material for publication to the editor. Items of interest to readers will include notices of research in progress, new appointments, publications, meetings and celebrations planned or held, bibliographical materials and generally anything of interest to LHC members.

The editor cannot promise to print everything received, although all submissions are welcomed. The LHC Newsletter is issued four times a year: February, May, August, and November. The November issue includes the annual "Index of Writings in the Field of American Lutheranism." The deadline for each issue is the 15th of the month prior to each issue. Please send items to Elisabeth Wittman, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, Illinois 60631.

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