Rev. Keith W. Loesch, Director Phone: 703 494-0602 2031 Cheltenham Court Email: [email protected] Woodbridge, VA 22192 www.WittenbergEnglishMinistry.com
“Notes from the Castle Church Door” 2014 MINISTRY UPDATE, No. 4 – November 12, 2014
Dear friends and ministry partners, A Blessed Year of Ministry!
Our English worship services began in May and concluded with flying colors on Reformation Day! The 13 assigned pastors arrived every two weeks like clockwork and came from 13 different states. They were guided, oriented, assisted, and supervised by our four Deputy Directors, who once again did a yeoman’s job of organizing our ministry and managing the WEM office located in the Wittenberg Information Center. In spite of the scaffolding and other construction issues, our pastors conducted the services so that the people who attended could celebrate their faith in Christ and rejoice in their connection to the Reformation – and both pastors and people were richly blessed!
Overall, 2014 saw the third largest attendance in our 18 years of English services at Wittenberg. Only the Oberammergau Passion Play years of 2000 and 2010 had greater attendances than this year. We anticipate that the next three years could have record-setting attendances due to the Luther 500 Reformation Celebration in 2017.
Though the Castle Church and the Town Church were closed much of the year, tourists still poured into Wittenberg to see the Luther sites. There was much disappointment at not being able to see the churches as they had expected. Skillfully, our pastors helped them through it by proclaiming the salvation of Christ and the faith of the Reformation. Thankfully, all the construction is slated to be finished by next year.
New Associate Director Joining the WEM Staff
I am pleased to announce that the Rev. Robert Flohrs is joining the WEM staff as the Associate Director in the new year. Bob and I will be working together for the first number of months, after which time he will fully assume the position of Director, and I will retire to a support role.
A native Minnesotan, Bob has served Lutheran congregations in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona. For the past six years he served as the Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, the International Lutheran congregation in Frankfurt, Germany. He will be retiring in December. Bob and his wife, Rita, plan to split their time living between Arizona and Virginia where their children and grandchildren reside.
Bob has a real passion for the WEM and has served as a volunteer pastor in Wittenberg on two separate occasions while living stateside, as well as serving in a quick emergency situation while living in Frankfurt. With his commitment to Christ and the Church, his pastoral heart, his love for mission and ministry, and his ability to work with the broader Church in both the USA and Germany, Bob is perfectly gifted to lead the WEM into the future.
Reflections from Rev. Ken Moland about His Time in Wittenberg
“My wife Barbara and I had a great experience in ministry during our time in Wittenberg! ...Our town tour with Steve Arnold, Deputy Director, was so helpful …his contacts, both informal and formal, were so valuable to us. … Each of the Chapel services went very well and seemed to be well received by those attending. For the first two services we had “ready-made” congregations, made up of tour groups that joined us. The third service the group was more diverse, but again with a very cohesive worship focus. The Corpus Christi Chapel is such a treasure and I loved the acoustics for congregational singing.
“Another observation – I hadn’t thought in advance about how I would in some ways be ‘preaching to the choir.’ Those in attendance were largely from church backgrounds of some depth. …I was struck by the number of pastors and church leaders in attendance. A seminary president and a professor of Reformation Church History and their tour group, a retired ELCA Bishop, a former editor of the Lutheran Witness, the Director of the LWF office in Wittenberg, a Professor emeritus from St. Louis, etc… It was all good, and of course their presence added to the joy of our worshipping community!
The Castle Church will be beautiful when the renovation is completed, but it was great even now as we worshipped in the midst of the scaffolding. It was a reminder once again that we are a “Word-centered” church, not primarily a church of visual grandeur and artistic enhancements. Among the hymns we sang was this witness of the Danish hymn writer Grundtvig, “God’s Word is our great heritage, and shall be ours forever; to spread its light from age to age shall be our chief endeavor.”
Just before we finished the service, a re-enactment of the battle against Napoleon, including cannon fire, began just outside the church, but no shots were fired in our direction, as far as I could tell! ... I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction among the people following the service, including a genuine appreciation for the opportunity to worship in this historic place we know as the Castle Church.”
The Lord Mayor and His Staff Assistant
The WEM is blessed that a good number of Church and City Government people in Wittenberg are very supportive of our English ministry. I would like to lift up two of them at this time.
The first is the Lord Mayor Eckhard Naumann who called the WEM into being during my 1996 sabbatical in Lutherstadt Wittenberg. The Lord Mayor was first elected to that position in 1990, following the Wall coming down in 1989 and German Reunification thereafter. He has remained in that position for the past 24 years and will be completing his latest 7-year term in 2015. He is a life-long member of the Friedrichstadt parish in northeastern Wittenberg, is a public supporter of our ministry, and a good friend as well!
The second is Arne Lietz who has served as the Lord Mayor’s chief staff assistant since 2010. He also has become a good friend and valued supporter of the WEM. He has worked tirelessly to assist the Lord Mayor in administering the broad scope of city affairs, as well as to see to the wellbeing of both the city, the churches of Luther, and the WEM as well. This past March he was elected to the European Parliament as a representative of Saxony-Anhalt, the state in which Wittenberg is located. We count it a great blessing for both the region of Germany he represents and the broader care for the Church and society that he brings to his new position. With offices in both Brussels, Belgium and Magdeburg, Germany, he will be kept very busy! What a joy it is to know him! Though we will greatly miss his energetic presence in Wittenberg, we rejoice in the giftedness he brings to his role as a representative to the European Parliament! Find us on the web at: www.WittenbergEnglishMinistry.com
Our WEM website is presently under construction and is slated for unveiling within the coming weeks. The “new and improved” version is intended to provide more information that will also be as helpful as possible to everyone who logs on to it. Our website was first developed by Matthias Schelhaas, then a 15-year old Gymnasium student in Wittenberg. A few years later it was transferred to the USA and re-developed as a retirement project by James Duchek at Medina, OH. Currently it is in the hands of Kristin Neuharth at Denver, CO. We are most grateful to Matthias, Jim and Kristin for using their computer skills in behalf of the WEM so that people around the world can use our website to learn about the WEM and more readily ablae to participate in our English services.
Like Us on Facebook Find us at: https://www.facebook.com/wittenbergenglishministry
If you are on Facebook - please LIKE the WEM and invite your friends and church members to LIKE it also. It was begun in August by Deputy Director Steve Arnold so that people who have been to our services in Wittenberg or interested in this ministry could log in and connect with each other. We invite you to share your thoughts about what you experienced in Wittenberg. It is a good place to tell your “story,” and at the same time connect with other interested people who share your interest. Perhaps you are planning a visit to Wittenberg and would like to hear what others have to say about their visit and what you might expect. Check it out and share your thoughts! Thanks, Steve, for getting the WEM Facebook page up and running!
Is a Visit to Wittenberg in Your Future?
Two different tours are being offered in 2015 which will visit Wittenberg and other prime locations in Germany where Dr. Martin Luther played very active roles as the Reformation unfolded.
One tour is a pilgrimage being led by Deputy Director Steve Arnold in June that will take participants through the life and calling of Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and visit the sites significant to each of their lives. The group will also be in Wittenberg at the time of the “Luther’s Wedding” Town Festival. For the Itinerary and Tour information, see Steve’s website: www.PivotPointMinistries.org and click on “PPM Pilgrimage-2015.”
The other tour will be hosted by Joan and myself from September 11-24. We will see Wittenberg and the major Luther sites, as well as Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Prague, Budapest and Vienna. For Itinerary and Tour information, contact me, or locate our tour at www.luthertours.com . Click on “Join a Tour,” then scroll down to “Wittenberg and Capitals of Eastern Europe.”
You can also contact Steve by email at: [email protected] or myself at: [email protected] . Both of these tour opportunities will also be added to the WEM website soon.
Completed renovation of the Town Church, St. Mary’s, showing the Great Organ and entrance to the nave. Opened for worship on Reformation Day, Oct. 31, 2014. Exterior is still unfinished. Your Support Makes the WEM Happen! Thank You So Much!
While we rely on the offerings given at our services, we could not continue without the gifts that are given by people such as you, the reader, whose heart is touched by this ministry and who want to help WEM continue to do Gospel ministry to the churches, tourists, and residents of Wittenberg. Along with your gifts, YOU are a vital part of this unique ministry and a true blessing in helping to make it happen. Thank you!!!
Special thanks to the following for their generous gifts received since June:
Rev. & Mrs. Robert Cordes, Woodbury, MN Mr. & Mrs. Stan Dawgert, Fredericksburg, VA Rev. & Mrs. Ralph Guetersloh, Galena, MO Mr. & Mrs. William Weizel, Bowie, MD Rev. & Mrs. Tony Metze, West Columbia, SC Mr. & Mrs. Royce Loesch, Pierre, SD Rev. & Mrs. Eugene Reddel, Gibsonia, PA Mrs. Carol Petzold, Rockville, MD Rev. & Mrs. Wayne Lehrer, Falls Church, VA Mr. Thomas Lutz, DeQueen, AR Dr. & Mrs. Lester Isbrandt, New Hope, PA Rev. & Mrs. Keith Loesch, Woodbridge, VA Rev. & Mrs. Bernard Nass, Alexandria, VA Mr. & Mrs. Donald Klein, Newkirk, OK Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Schleede, Ashburn, VA Mr. & Mrs. William Love, Woodbridge, VA Mr. & Mrs. Dan McDevitt, Woodbridge, VA Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Meyer, Stafford, VA Mr. John Fagerberg, Woodbridge, VA Mr. & Mrs. Barry Heddinger, Woodbridge, VA Mrs. Martha Ator, Dumfries, VA Mr. & Mrs. Ted Ensminger, Woodbridge, VA Mrs. Patrice Martinez, Woodbridge, VA Mr. & Mrs. Frank Marr, Dumfries, VA (Thanksgiving for 50 yrs of marriage) Grace Lutheran Church, Woodbridge, VA Good Shepherd Lutheran Women’s League, Chiefland, FL
Special thanks also to the following who designated their Thrivent Choice Dollars to WEM from June through October:
Mr. Arnold Abel, Sykesville, MD Mr. & Mrs. Larry Leiby, Woodbridge, VA Mrs. Martha Ator, Dumfries, VA Mrs. Joan Loesch, Woodbridge, VA xMr. & Mrs. Ted Ensminger, Woodbridge, VA Rev. William Otte, Rochester, MN Rev. Ralph Guetersloh, Galena, MO Rev. Eugene Reddel, Gibsonia, PA Mrs. Jill Pfitzer Jepsen, White Bear Lake, MN Mrs. Elizabeth Schnabel, Medina, OH Rev. Donald Jukam, Poulsbo, WA Ms. Sara Schreiber, Champlin, MN Rev. & Mrs. Noel Koss, Woodinville, WA Dr. Mary Manz Simon, Odenton, MD Rev. Roland Langford, Charlestown, MD Dr. LeRoy Wilke, Woodbury, MN
To support the WEM, please make checks payable to “Wittenberg English Ministry” and send them to: Rev. Keith Loesch, 2031 Cheltenham Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192. The WEM is a 501(c) (3) tax exempt organization.
To direct your Thrivent Choice Dollars: 1) Go to www.thrivent.com and log in, then in the top menu bar, click on “My Thrivent” 2) On the right side, Click on “Direct Choice Dollars” and follow the directions. 3) Under “Search Organizations”, type in or select “Wittenberg English Ministry, 4) City and State: Woodbridge, VA Zip 22192 5) For “Organization Type” WEM is considered an “Other Lutheran Organization” 6) Click on “Search” and follow directions to “Direct Now” OR you may Call 1-800-847-4836 and designate your Choice Dollars by phone.
A Closing Word
With the 18th year of ministry now behind us, our hearts turn toward Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas. On November 10, Blessed Dr. Martin turned 531! Baptized the following day, he was Spirit-led through the rest of his life to fulfill God’s call to the ministry of the Gospel and bring about the Great Reformation of the Church! Let us all give thanks for what God did through Luther, and devote ourselves to the service of Christ and His Kingdom.
With joy in Christ, Rev. Keith W. Loesch