The program for the 1998 meeting of the Lutheran Historical Conference will explore the nature of Northeast Lutheranism and the National Church. For the Lutheran Church this region has a history both old and varied, which was unusually influential as both source and foil in the development of Lutheranism in the United States. The conference invites suggestions for papers on this topic to be presented at a three day meeting at Wagner College, New York City, October 29 - October 31, 1998. Papers will be published in the 1998 edition of the Conference Essays.
All papers will need to focus on some aspect of Lutheranism within the Northeastern United States, including one or more of its major expressions in the Muhlenberg Tradition; the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod; or Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Slovak, or Swedish expressions of Lutheranism. Projected session themes include Significant Anniversaries; Ecclesiological Trends (the Priesthood of the Baptized the Office of the Ministry as variously organized in these traditions); Inner Mission; Liturgical Developments; Public Lutheranism (Lutheran Publicity Bureau; the National Lutheran Council; Lutheran Media); Ecumenism and Mergers; Campus Ministry; and Eastern Lutheranism and the Larger Church.
Completed manuscripts and computer disk versions of papers will need to be sent to the program chair no later than October 1, 1998. Pleased send proposals to Robert F. Scholz, Program Chair 1998 LHC, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3 W. 65th St., New York, NY 10023; e-mail: 76233.1651@compuserve.com.
The LHC Nominating Committee, Marvin Huggins, Robert Scholz, and Norman Threinen, invite members to submit nominations to the Board. Please send names to: Norman J. Threinen, Concordia Lutheran Seminary, 7040 Ade Blvd., Edmonton, Alberta, T5B 4E3; FAX: 403-474-3067; e-mail: threinen@istar.ca.
James W. Albers, President:
E-mail: jalbers@valpo.edu
Jon Diefenthaler, Board Member:
Our Savior Lutheran Church
13611 Laurel-Bowie Rd.
Laurel, MD 20708-1563
(As of December 1, 1997)
LHC Membership Secretary, Ray F. Kibler III, reports that three formerly complimentary recipients of the newsletter have joined the LHC as institutional members:
Also, welcome to new individual members:
The Rev. Walter Wagner
Christ Lutheran Church
1245 Hamilton St.
Allentown, PA 18102-4372
The Rev. Mark Braun
938 N. 68th St.
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
Prof. Norman Holte
Dept. of Archives and History
Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary
6 Browns Ct.
Mankato, MN 56001-6121
The long-awaited history of the largest of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's predecessor church bodies, the United Lutheran Church in America, 1918-1962, is now available. The work was begun by Dr. E. Theodore Bachmann (1911-1995), noted historian and churchman, and founder and active member of the Lutheran Historical Conference. The work was completed by his wife and collaborator, Mercia Brenne Bachmann, along with editorial assistance from Dr. Paul Rorem, Princeton Theological Seminary, and PTS students, David Lose and Carolyn Schneider. Other ELCA predecessors had histories prepared, so that a gap in the historical literature of the ELCA is now filled. Bachmann was a logical choice for the project, since he had been both a pastor and historian of the ULCA.
The book includes a chapter by Bachmann on the structure of the ULCA, providing historical information on each department, committee, etc., with listings of such things as the synod names and dates and places of the church conventions. The book also has a name index and a bibliography of Bachmann's other writings. Mercia Bachmann's introduction provides details on the life of her late husband and how the book project came into being, which should be of particular interest to Ted's LHC colleagues. The book, The History of the ULCA, 1918-1962, (Code 1-29256) is available from Fortress Press, Minneapolis, for $25, plus shipping: 1-800-328-4648.
Paul A. Baglyos, 406 North 30th St., Harrisburg, PA 17109, has completed a Ph.D. dissertation entitled, "In This Land of Liberty: American Lutherans and the Young Republic, 1787-1837." The dissertation, which was completed at the University of Chicago under the direction of Martin E. Marty, examines Lutheran attitudes and responses toward the conviction of American chosenness (UMI number: 9729867).
Luther A. Gotwald, Jr., 120 Homestead Lane, Davidsville, PA 15928-0404, has just completed It Happened at Augsburg. The 268 page work takes up each of the 28 articles of the Augsburg Confession followed in turn by each of the articles of the Roman Catholic Confutation with commentary on the 16th century differences. The last chapter takes up the 20th Century Ecumenical Reformation by looking at where Catholics and Lutherans stand now in relation to the same 28 articles. Each chapter includes a tally of the articles of total agreement and total disagreement, both then and now. A publisher is being sought.
Susan C. Hill, 10 White Oak Tr., Gettysburg, PA 17325, is a candidate for the MAR at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg. Currently she is researching Elsie Singmaster Lewars for her master's thesis and is interested in finding any existing correspondence to or from Mrs. Lewars. Anyone able and willing to copy or share such correspondence with her, please contact her, phone: 717-334-1273, or e-mail: susanhill@mail.wideopen.net
B.B. Maurer, 369 Crawford Ave., Morgantown, WV 26505, has been working on a listing of disbanded/inactive congregations for the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod of the ELCA. Among them is one in Smithfield (Union), Middleway, West Virginia, founded in 1792, disbanded 1900, but reported by Paul Henkel as early as 1783. Smithfield is the site of the famed "Legend of Wizard's Clip," which involved a local man's refusal of seeking a priest to perform last rites for a dying traveler. Thereafter the local man's home was the site of various unexplained acts of vandalism and the sound of shears clipping twenty-four hours a day, with all clothing and linens being shredded into half-moon shapes. A priest was eventually brought in and celebrated Mass on the site and the problems ended. A timely story for an October/November issue of this newsletter!
Susan Wilds McArver, 4915 Fortunes Ridge Dr, Durham, NC 27713, joined the churchwide Archives Advisory Committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as member at the September 1997 meeting.
Mary Todd, is now Assistant Professor of History , Dept. for History, Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois. Her new address, phone and e-mail are: 33 Ashland, Apt. 2, River Forest, IL 60305; phone: 708-771-6640 (home) and 708-209-3036 (work); e-mail: crftoddml@curf.edu
Raymond Wargelin, 1510 211th Ave. S., Apt. 105, Minneapolis, MN 55404, has completed a brief history of "Suomi Synod Theological Seminary, 1904-1962." The unpublished manuscript reviews the origins of the seminary, lists the teachers and graduates of the seminary through the years, through the time of affiliation with the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary (Maywood) and ultimately to the time of merger into the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. For further information, contact the author.
R.E. Wehrwein, Faith Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 251, Sanborn, MN 56083, has compiled Surveying Small Lutheran Groups (Parts 1 and 2) for the Lutheran Conference of Confessional Fellowship. It is a series of articles by Wehrwein that appeared in their newsletter and which outline the origin and some of the history of the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, Concordia Lutheran Conference, the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation, the Fellowship of Lutheran Congregations and the Illinois Lutheran Conference. The pair of booklets may be obtained for $5, postpaid, from the author.
Elisabeth Wittman, ELCA Churchwide Archives, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631, presented a paper as part of a session entitled: "Personnel Management in a Small Archives Repository: It Exists and There Is Hope!" at the Society of American Archivists meeting, Chicago, August 1997. She also participated in a panel discussion, "Devotion and Detachment: Documenting the Evolution of Human Relationships and Family in the Heartland," at the Midwest Archives Conference fall meeting, St. Louis, in October 1997.
One of the regional archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, seeks a half-time archivist to administer the archives located at Trinity Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. The archivist's duties include: develop and maintain records schedule for the six synods in the region; solicit collections from the region; organize collections according to archival standards; administer budget and physical facility for archives; reports to Region 6 Steering Committee; and promotes the archives via workshops, newsletters, etc. Qualifications include MA in history, library science or strongly related discipline, with archives component; two years of archival experience; effective communications and computer skills; and knowledge of Lutheran church preferred. Salary range for this half-time job is $13,000-15,000, with excellent fringe benefits.
Send letter of application and three letters of reference to:
Hermann Kuhlmann, Coordinator
Region 6-Mid-America Region, ELCA
6100 Channingway Blvd., Suite 406
Columbus, OH 43232-9090
Phone: 614-759-9090
FAX: 614-759-9095
Application deadline: December 10, 1997. Position available: Mid-February, 1998. EEO and Trinity is a smoke-free environment.
The annual Abdel Ross Wentz Prize has been awarded to Kristina C. Weber, a May 1997 graduate of Pacific Lutheran Seminary, Berkeley, California. The $1,000 award was for her essay, "Standing at a Distance: Women in the Luther Theological Seminary and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary Communities, 1950-1970." Her chief mentors for this project were Professors Michael B. Aune from PLTS and DeAne Lagerquist from St. Olaf College. The award recognizes the best historical research and writing in the field of American Lutheranism by any student enrolled as a first degree student in any of 18 seminaries. The award is named for the former professor who was a leading historian and interpreter of American Lutheran history, 1920-1970. The award is sponsored by the Lutheran Historical Society, Gettysburg and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. For further information, contact: LHS,G, 61 W. Confederate Ave., Gettysburg, PA 17325.
At the 1997 Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Philadelphia, August 14-20, a hospitality area, the "Heritage and Hope Village," included two historical museum displays from the ELCA Archives, Chicago and from the ELCA Northeast Region Archives, Philadelphia. The latter included highlights of materials on display in a special exhibit on Muhlenberg at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. (See LHC Newsletter article, May 1997.)
The ELCA exhibit included an historical timeline, now available on the ELCA World Wide Web home page: http://www.elca.org/co/timeline. In addition several kiosks included several timely historical photographic displays for the ELCA's 10th anniversary; the 50th anniversary of the Lutheran World Federation; 50 years of the ELCA's radio ministry, Lutheran Vespers; and 90 years of campus ministry; with others on youth, women, education, historic congregations, global mission and other topics. Also, leading to the assembly plenary hall, a series of twenty banners were created with likenesses of many persons who epitomized and represented an area of ministry in the church. Such persons as Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, Fredrik A. Schiotz and Franklin Clark Fry, were just a few of those depicted. Also depicted and representing international ministry were E. Theodore Bachmann, late LHC member and Mercia Brenne Bachmann, his collaborator and current LHC member.
For those who are interested in the Muhlenberg exhibit, it will be on display at the Philadelphia seminary through November 1997. Portions of the shorter assembly version of this display will be featured at the ELCA churchwide office in Summer 1998. From the ELCA exhibit, the timeline and the sections relating to the ELCA's anniversary and those of Lutheran Vespers and campus ministry, along with the banners of ELCA personages, will be on display at the ELCA Churchwide Offices through January 1998.
Prior to their visit to the "land of Muhlenberg," the voting members to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Philadelphia were provided a copy of the special "Muhlenberg, Ecclesia Plantanda," issue of Lutheran Quarterly, Volume 10 #4, Winter 1996 (see bibliography is this issue for article citations). Extra copies are available to any interested parties for the cost of reimbursing the postage. Anyone who would like a copy of this special issue, send $2.50 (check payable to ELCA) or self-addressed large envelope (8" x 10") with equivalent return postage. to: ELCA Archives, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.
A Mission History and Research Project was approved by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Board of the Division for Global Mission in March 1997 and as of October 1, 1997, Ms. Joyce M. Bowers has become the first Assistant for Mission History and Research. She is employed by the Division for Global Mission and is based in the ELCA Archives in Chicago. Her work is supervised by Elisabeth Wittman, Director for Archives, and guided and supported by the Archives Advisory Committee. Joyce comes with a long history of mission involvement. She and her husband, Louis Bowers, Jr., served as educational missionaries in Liberia, W. Africa from 1966-1977. Later, she embarked on a career in social work and then, from the time of the ELCA merger, she served as Associate Director for International Personnel in the Division for Global Mission. In that capacity, Joyce traveled to most of the countries where the ELCA has significant numbers of missionaries and became personally acquainted with most of the missionary community.
The major elements of the Mission History and Research Project include:
All of these tasks will be heavily dependent on the assistance of archivists, historians, and others throughout the ELCA and beyond. It is anticipated that the project will make considerable use of volunteer help, so another activity will be recruitment and coordination of volunteers. For further details, call 773-380-2818 or E-mail: archives@elca.org.
The Concordia Historical Institute, St. Louis, has discontinued their newsletter Regional Archivist, in favor of their quarterly newsletter, Historical Footnotes. The two publications often included similar news and thus in the continuing publication, those who received either publication will continue to have a means to follow the activities of the Institute and around the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod to preserve historical resources and make them available for research. Historical Footnotes will contain a new section, "The Archivist's Corner," and will include information on accessions, newly organized and available materials, along with suggestions to assist archivists around the LCMS. For further information, contact: Marvin A. Huggins, editor, CHI, 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105.
William O. Avery has completed, Empowered Laity, The Story of the Lutheran Laity Movement for Stewardship. The story covers the history of the organization begun in 1907 as the Lutheran Layman's Movement, whose express purpose was for fundraising by and among Lutheran laymen to assist the budget of the General Synod, through to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America today. The movement grew over the years and in the 1970s opened its membership to women and took the name Lutheran Laity Movement. The book (code 0-3593-2) is available for $12.99, plus shipping from: Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 1-800-328-4648.
The Vesterheim Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library, has published Volume 2 of Norwegian Immigrants to the United States, 1844-1846. This major genealogical reference work has individual entries for the immigrants for each of the three years it covers, with two different indexes to those listings. The series will eventually cover Norwegian immigration to 1850. Even despite the death of Gerhard Naeseth, compiler, this second volume in the series was continued under the editorship of Blaine Hedberg, current director of the Center. The volume is available for $85 to members, $95 for non-members, with $6 for postage ($21 air mail) from the center: Vesterheim Center, 415 W. Main St., Madison, WI 53703-3116; Phone 608-255-2224; FAX: 608-255-6842.
Saxon Lutheran Heritage, Inc., has produced a new video, "Faith to Faith, The Story of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in Perry County, Missouri." The video tells the story of the original immigrants to Perry County from Saxony, Germany and the impact they had on the LCMS, especially in the years surrounding the founding of the church in 1847. The 45-minute video is divided into six sections and includes a Bible-based discussion guide for use in congregations. The video is available for $23.50, including postage costs, from: Saxon Lutheran Heritage, Inc., P.O. Box 39, Frohna, MO 63748.
The Newberry Library, Chicago, had the exhibit entitled "The Music and Mine of Bach," on display through November 15, 1997. The guest curator for the exhibit was Professor Mark P. Bangert, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and features rare manuscripts, first editions and books from Bach's personal library, as well as other items that influenced Bach's works. The library had planned an array of music events and lectures, featuring Bangert, Martin E. Marty and others during the months of the exhibit. The exhibit was open free to the public.
The Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, once again held their Martin Luther Colloquia, on the last Wednesday of October. The theme for this year's event, on October 29, 1997 was Luther and Melanchthon. In planning for next year's event, the theme is, Luther and Spirituality, to be held October 28, 1998. For further information, contact: Professor Scott Hendrix, Director, Institute for Luther Studies, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, PA 17325; Phone: 717-334-6286; FAX: 717-334-3469
The Lutheran Historical Society, Gettysburg has initiated a World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.abs.net/~lhs/
The first in a series of two-day workshops will be held November 15-16, 1997 on, "The Halle Archives and Pietist Diaspora," sponsored by the Atlantic History Seminary, Harvard University. The first workshop will focus on the newly available archives of the Lutheran Pietists, the Franckesche Stiftungen, in Halle, Germany. The collections include primary sources of the Pietist missionaries and settlement groups in various parts of the world, especially to eighteenth-century America. The archives not only include information on theological and church affairs, but also problems of settlement, the lives of the settlers, interactions with indigenous peoples, and relations with local and national authorities. Presentations will be made by Dr. Thomas Muller, head archivist of the Franckesche Stiftungen and other German and American scholars who have conducted research in these collections. Open to the academic community, younger historians are particularly encouraged to attend, with registration $25 and $10 for graduate students. Expenses are the responsibility of the attendees, although lunches are included with registration. For further details, contact: Pat Denault, Robinson Hall 118, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; Phone: 617-496-3066; FAX: 617-496-8869; E-mail: atlantic@fas.harvard.edu
The 30th Annual Dakota Conference on History and Literature, Art and Archaeology, has issued a call for papers on all aspects of the Dakotas and northern plains region.
The event takes place May 28-30, 1998. The paper title and abstract and biographical sketch are due by January 30, 1998, with papers on archives especially welcome. Contact: Harry Thompson, conference director, Center for Western Studies, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, 57197; E-mail: hthomps@inst.augie.edu
Dates for the annual Congregation Heritage Workshop for Region 9, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Southern Seminary, Columbia, South Carolina, have been set: June 14-16, 1998. The theme for the meeting is, "Publish Glad Tidings," and will include an historical presentation by Susan McArver on The American Lutheran Survey, along with other sessions on Lutheran periodicals over the years. For further information, contact: ELCA Region 9, 4201 N. Main St., Columbia, SC 29203; 803-754-2879.
The Muhlenberg Tradition Series continues in the coming year, and of particular interest is the symposium, "Roots for New Plantings," August 7-9, 1998, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Keynoter will be Bishop H. George Anderson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with presentations by other leaders, along with music and drama commissioned for the event. In the coming year convocations will also be held at three ELCA seminaries, Philadelphia, Gettysburg and Southern. To receive registration materials, contact: Dr. Kenneth R. Senft, president, Mission Resource Institute, P.O. Box 449, Lafayette, PA 19444-0449.
An Augustana Heritage Sesquicentennial Gathering is planned for September 18-21, 1998, at the Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York. The event is open to all members-friends of the former Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, and intends to provide opportunity, "to remember our heritage, to celebrate together, to strengthen our calling today." The meeting will include singing and worship, lectures, reminiscing and group reunions. Registration materials will be available after February 1, 1998, with registration deadline, July 1998. To obtain registration information, contact: "Augustana 98," Scandinavian Studies Program, P.O. Box 20, Jamestown, NY 14702-0020. Other questions, contact: Laurie Livingston, phone: 716-665-5220, ext. 350; FAX: 716-665-9110; E-mail: livingla@jccw22.cc.suny.jcc.edu
The Lutheran Historical Society, Gettysburg, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and Gettysburg College, in 1999 are planning to observe the bicentennial of the birth of Samuel Simon Schmucker, chief founder of the Seminary in 1826 and of the college six years later. Schmucker also served as first president of the Lutheran Historical Society. The Society hopes to honor his legacy with celebratory events, conferences and publications. A fundraising campaign for the event is underway. For donations or other information, contact: LHS,G, 61 W. Confederate Ave., Gettysburg, PA 17325.