One hundred years ago, because there were war-time restrictions in the state of Iowa prohibiting the use of any language other than English in public gatherings, a tent was erected in Minnesota, one mile north of the Lime Creek Lutheran Church. Some of the 1918 convention sessions were held in this sixty-foot square tent where…
Posts by Dennis Fritz (Page 7)
One hundred years ago — on June 17, 1918 — at Lime Creek Lutheran Church in northern Iowa, our synod was reorganized as “The Norwegian Synod of the American Evangelical Lutheran Church.” The synod was contending for the same confessional doctrine of the old synod of 1853. In 1957 the name was changed to “Evangelical…
One hundred years ago, over two-hundred pastors and representatives from congregations were preparing to make their journey to Lime Creek Lutheran Church near Lake Mills, Iowa for the synod’s reorganizing convention which was to meet Friday, June 14, through Wednesday, June 19, 1918.
We are whiners, aren’t we? Nothing can be perfect, especially the weather. It’s always too rainy, or too dry, or too cloudy, or too sunny! As the heat of summer really begins to beat down, I’ve found myself whining about it more and more. One biblically bad whiner was the prophet Jonah. He whined about…
One hundred years ago, during the reorganization convention of the ELS, the Rev. Bjug Harstad, who was the first president of the newly formed church body, encouraged the small gathering. He referenced words from the book of Jeremiah: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in…
The ELS has always had a commitment to Lutheran elementary education. It has been questioned if our present synod would ever have been organized if it had not been for the support of those who had been educated in Christian day schools. We may properly say that we owe our present existence as a Biblical-teaching synod in large…
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod and Bethany Lutheran College are intimately united. The college gives a visibility and identity to the synod. In turn, the synod gives moorings to the college and elects both the Board of Regents and Board of Trustees for the college. Since 1928, most conventions of the synod have been conducted on the college campus.
The Bethany Lutheran College Choir was established in 1929, two years after the synod took over the operation of the school. In early years, concerts concluded with “The Benediction” by P. Lutkin. Since the 1940s, concerts have concluded with a time-honored tradition of singing the hymn “On My Heart Imprint Thine Image” written by T.…
Bethany Lutheran College became a co-educational junior college in 1927 when it was purchased by the ELS. At that time a high school department also was established which shared both the faculty and the dormitories. The high school was discontinued in 1969. Today, Bethany Lutheran College offers twenty-four majors, twenty-four minors, and eight pre-professional programs…
May is a month of change. The weather starts to warm up, the grass turns green, the leaves return, and signs of life return as the last signs of winter disappear. May also brings a close to another school year as students pack their bags and head home for the summer. Big changes occur throughout…