wfn.org | ELCA Lutherans Celebrate Tenth Year With Stories and Cake

[ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 18, 1977

ELCA LUTHERANS CELEBRATE TENTH YEAR WITH STORIES AND CAKE
97-CA-25-MS

     PHILADELPHIA (ELCA) -- Participants at the biennial churchwide
assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America  marked the church's
tenth year with a birthday party on Saturday  evening. ELCA vice president
Kathy J. Magnus of Denver, Colorado presided over a "Tenth Anniversary
Banquet" with birthday cake, sparkling cider, an exhibit of childrens art
and a band.
     Recalling his eight years during the formative years of the new
church, Dr. Herbert Chilstrom, the ELCA's first presiding bishop, said, "I
remember driving to my retirement home in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, with
warm tears streaming down my face. They flowed as I remembered wonderful
colleagues in those first years, wonderful experiences, and wonderful
relationships."
     He turned humorous, saying, "In retirement I've begun to making
chokecherry jelly." After explaining how eating the tart raw fruit can
literally "choke" one, he said, "Chokecherries remind me of those eight
years I served in the ELCA bishop's office. There was at least one issue or
crisis every day that you could choke on."
     Chilstrom's successor, presiding bishop, the Rev. H. George Anderson,
added to the levity.  He said, "Immediately after I was elected to this
position, I approached the podium [in Minneapolis] where Chilstrom was
standing. I wondered why he had such a broad smile on his face. Today, with
two years under my belt, I understand why he was smiling."
     In a video presentation projected on large screens the more than
1,000 diners heard from Lutheran theologian, the Rev. Martin Marty. Half
chuckling, Marty said, "One of the things really worth celebrating is that
the ELCA has actually held together for ten years."  He was referring to
the fact that the new church    experienced a rocky ride in its first
years, faced with significantly less income than had been projected, and
buffeted with a divisive discussion about sexuality.
     The keynote speaker for the evening was the Rev. Walter Wangerin, Jr.
-- storyteller and host of "Luther Vespers," a radio ministry of the ELCA.
Wangerin wove artwork created by Lutheran Sunday school children in the
Philadelphia area a tapestry of stories from his life experiences. Each
crayon drawing pictured Jesus hosting a meal for six guests.
     Wangerin said, "These kids have illustrated perfectly what it means
to be the church. They've shown us in great diversity -- some of us have
big hair and some of us have no hair at all."
     Illustrating the challenge the ELCA faces in overcoming regional
divisions, the midwesterner joked, "Some of us came here from New York. I'm
not sure how they found [Philadelphia]. For most of them this place is too
far west. They probably had to ask directions in New Jersey." New Yorkers
laughed as heartily as any in the crowded hall.
        He closed his remarks with an evocative series of recollections
about his maternal grandfather. He said, "He was like a lot of Lutherans
are. I knew he loved me but he had a hard time actually saying that out
loud."
     Wangerin said, "My mother always told me I was the 'spittin' image of
my grandfather. It took me years after his death to discover the real
meaning of that expression." The explanation came from a member of a
congregation Wangerin served in Evansville, Indiana. In her thick southern
accent, the speaker's parishioner told him, "You northerners don't hear the
words right. We're really saying 'spirit and image.'"
     Wangerin said, "That was a moment of discovery for me. I truly was in
the 'spirit and image' of my grandfather, and so are all of is in the
spirit and image of Jesus Christ. And that is the way we are all becoming
one body in this wonderful new church."

For information contact:

Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html