LUTHERAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE MID-ATLANTIC LUTHERAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE MID-ATLANTIC VOLUME 29, N UMBER 2 NEWSLETTER S UMMER 2018 SAVE THE DATE: INSIDE THIS ISSUE: President’s Corner 2 Welcome Newest LHSMA Annual Meeting and Program 2 LHSMA Members Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Board Happenings 3 Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA Featured Lutheran: 3 John C.F. Heyer Banquet and meeting followed by keynote Spring Program Recap 4 presentation by Tim Townsend Spring Annual Meeting 5 LHSMA Membership 7 Speaking on his book: Mission at Nu- Renewal Form remberg: An American Army Chaplain From the Region 8 and the Trial of the Nazis (Harper- 8 Archives Collins Publishers, 2014.) Townsend explores the ministry of Lutheran Pastor Henry Gerecke with 21 Nazi leaders awaiting trial at Nuremberg. Stay tuned to the next edition of the LHSMA newsletter and our webpage - www.LutheranHistoricalSociety.com for registration details SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: LHSMA to celebrate 30 Membership Renewal Reminder years in 2019 By Jim Mummert Seven new members join LHSMA The formal Membership Drive for 2018 has ended, Board elects Sheila Joy as but if you forgot to renew your membership for this new Archivist/Historian year kindly consider activating your Annual Mem- John Christian Frederick bership by submitting the annual fee of $20.00 us- Heyer was the first missionary sent out by ing the enclosed form on page 7 of this newsletter. Lutherans in America. If you are receiving this newsletter but have not Good turnout experienced initiated membership, this is the perfect time to do so. Your membership for Spring Program will be extended to December of 2019. Avoid keeping track of deadlines Archives for St. John’s, for dues by becoming a Life Member at only $250! Lutheran Church, Snydertown PA P AGE 2 VOLUME 29, N UMBER 2 President’s Corner - Summer 2018 2019 will mark the 30th year get the society functioning again to Shelia Joy. Shelia serves as an ar- since the Lutheran Historical Socie- please be in touch with me at 717- chivist and cataloger on the staff of ty of the Mid-Atlantic was reor- 334-5212 or the A.R. Wentz library at United ganized following a thirty-seven- [email protected]. Lutheran Seminary. We give year hiatus. Founded in 1843 by Even as we give thanks to God thanks to God for the service of Samuel Simon Schmucker the Lu- for a wonderful annual program and Deaconess Marianne Brock who theran Historical Society helped luncheon in April focusing on the has concluded her service on the foster aware- upcoming 400th anniversary of Lu- board. Marianne’s leadership with ness of Lu- therans in North America, plans are the publicity committee and her theran histo- underway for next year’s annual many contributions to the board’s ry through- gathering. The 2019 annual meeting overall work will be missed. out the Mid- will be held on Tuesday, April 9th Thank you for your support of Atlantic re- on the campus of Gettysburg Col- the society and I encourage every gion. For lege. The format will be different member to invite at least one person over 100 this year with an evening banquet to join the society this year. God’s years the society helped populate followed by a public lecture on the blessings for a wonderful remainder with books the growing collection college campus. Our keynote of the summer to you all. at the Gettysburg Seminary library. speaker will be Tim Townsend, an Sincerely in Christ, As the society approaches this anni- award winning author versary we and journalist. Town- Pastor Stephen R. Herr, give thanks to send’s book Mission at LHSMA President God for the For over 100 years Nuremberg: An Ameri- vision and ef- the society helped can Army Chaplain and Feast of Mary Magdalene forts of those populate with books the Trial of the Nazis July 22, 2018 involved in the growing collection (HarperCollins Publish- reactivating our at the Gettysburg ers, 2014) explores the organization. Welcome New Members Seminary library. ministry of Lutheran A number of pastor Henry Gerecke LHSMA welcomes the following those leaders with twenty-one Nazi new members to the Society: rest eternal in leaders awaiting trial. Annual Memberships: the Church Triumphant and may Townsend along with 2018 annual Cynthia Baxter - Butler, PA light perpetual shine upon them. meeting speaker Mark Granquist Several of those involved continue received the society’s St. Paul, Bishop Robert Driesen - York, PA to participate in our society and I Biglerville Prize in 2017. Details Jeff Goodman - Ephrata, PA hope you will be able attend the and registration materials will be Mark Granquist - Northfield, MN annual meeting on April 9, 2019. announced by the end of the year. Beth Hawk - Lancaster, PA Part of the agenda that night We hope you will mark your calen- Bishop Matthew L. Riegel - Morgantown, WV will be to recognize those individu- dars for this exciting event. Bishop Theodore Schneider - als who helped with the reorganiza- I want to thank the board of Gaithersburg, MD tion. While we have some records directors for their service and wel- Please notify us of any corrections. of those years, I invite any members come our newest board member who were involved in the work to by Jim Mummert LHSMA 2018 - 2019 Board of Directors Board Members Board Emeriti Stephen Herr John Deeben Sheila Joy John Fehringer James A. Mummert Susan Hill Archivist/Historian President Secretary David E. Flesner Jill Ogline Titus Donald Housley Mark Oldenburg Lee Knepp Jane English Kevin Hepler Paul Tomkiel Michael J. Kurtz Vice President Treasurer Maria Erling L UTHERAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE M ID-A TLANTIC P AGE 3 LHSMA Board Happenings By John Deeben The Board of Directors for the Lutheran Historical with sincere regret was made by Mark Oldenburg, se- Society of the Mid-Atlantic met on May 16, 2018, at conded by Lee Knepp. Approved. Committee assign- Valentine Hall on the Gettysburg Campus of United ments for 2018 were also facilitated. Lutheran Seminary. President Steve Herr called the Under Of- meeting to order at 9:36 a.m. and welcomed the assem- ficers’ Reports, bled board members. Personal introductions were made President Herr around the table for new board member Sheila Joy. thanked board John Fehringer provided opening devotions. members for A motion to accept the meeting agenda as amended their help on the was made by Lee Knepp, seconded by Mark Olden- day of the burg. Approved. Minutes from the meeting on January Spring program. Secretary John Deeben noted July 1 17, 2018, were approved on motion by David Flesner, will be the deadline for the summer newsletter submis- seconded by Paul Tomkiel. sions. Treasurer Lee Knepp presented a report of the Officer elections: Vice President Mark Oldenburg society’s financial situation as of May 2, 2018. A mo- facilitated officer nominations for 2018. Oldenburg re- tion to approve the report was made by Paul Tomkiel, ported that all current officers are willing to serve an- seconded by David Flesner. Approved. other term, including Steve Herr as president, Mark The board broke into individual committee meetings at Oldenburg as vice president, John Deeben as secretary, 10:15, and reconvened at 10:50AM. and Lee Knepp as treasurer. The committee also nomi- Membership Chair Jim Mummert reported that the nated Sheila Joy as archivist/historian. Maria Erling society obtained 11 new members, meeting the 10% made a motion to elect the officers by acclimation, se- challenge set for 2018. There are currently 112 mem- conded by David Flesner. Approved. President Herr bers, including 35 Life members. 24 members have not also reported that Marianne Brock offered her resigna- yet renewed for 2018. The committee offered a recom- tion from the board. A motion to accept the resignation (Continued on page 4) Featured Lutheran: John Christian Frederick Heyer John Christian Frederick Heyer was the first missionary sent out by Lutherans in America. Born in Germany on July 10, 1793, he came to America in 1807 to es- cape the Napoleonic wars. He studied theology in Philadelphia and the University of Gottingen. Back in America, he was licensed as a lay minister and preached in Pennsylvania and the Midwest. Ordained in 1820, he preached and taught at Gettysburg College and Seminary for twenty years. Heyer was commissioned in 1841 by the Ministe- rium of Pennsylvania as the first foreign missionary of the American Lutheran churches. He spent fifteen years (1842–1837) founding missions in the region of Andhra, India. His health failed and he returned to organize churches in America, particularly Minnesota. In 1869 he returned to Andhra to reorganize the Rajahmundry mission. He then returned to Philadelphia to serve as chap- lain of the new Lutheran seminary until his death on November 7, 1873. P AGE 4 VOLUME 29, N UMBER 2 400 Years of American Lutheranism: 2018 Spring Program Recap By John Deeben The Spring program of the Lutheran Historical So- There were scattered reports of Lutherans in Amer- ciety of the Mid-Atlantic took place on April 17, 2018, ica before 1619. A Danish expedition to find the North- on the Gettysburg campus of United Lutheran Semi- west Passage included Rasmus Jensen, a Lutheran nary. The society enjoyed a monk, who died in February 1620 after the expedition healthy turnout as members became trapped in Hudson Bay. Lutheran beginnings in gathered in the auditorium of America, therefore, were not auspicious. Lutheranism Valentine Hall to hear key- in America had an accidental nature about it, there were note speaker the Rev. Dr. no planned colonies, just small groups and families.