Pastoral Message

Dear Flock:

As you well know by now, we’re observing the 175th anniversary of our congregation.  The actual date of organization is December 1st, which makes November a big on-ramp to our festivities on December 5th and 7th that are described elsewhere in this newsletter. 

As a way of experiencing some of our congregation’s history, we’ll have a display of artifacts and pictures in fellowship hall throughout the month and we’ll have some plenary sessions on Sunday mornings after church at 10:15 to highlight some aspects of the last 175 years.  You can imagine, 175 years is a lot of time to cover.  The congregation started before the Civil War, when Moline was just a village in the downtown area.  Then came the mass immigration of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  Then, of course, World War I, the Roaring 20’s, the Great Depression, World War II, and the “modern era” that most of you have experienced. I used to joke with our very old people that they had lived over half the history of the congregation – and it was true – and the numbers will never work that way again. 

I’ve sure missed those people as I’ve researched the history.  I’d have liked to ask some questions.  When you think of all those periods, it blows the mind to think of what all this congregation has experienced.  Nineteen  pastorates.  Famous guests invited in.  Loads of events, classes, service groups, concerts, and plays.  Weddings, funerals, and special services.  Expansions of the property.  All these occurred with the steady heartbeat of divine worship Sunday after Sunday after Sunday with hordes gathered to be fed as Christ’s people in this place. 

As immense as I’ve found it as a researcher, you can imagine the challenge of trying to convey it all to you.  Not possible.  The best we can do is sample it.  To that end, we’ll have the following plenary sessions after worship on Sundays at 10:15 in fellowship hall. 

11/2:  An essay about Pastor Lars Paul Esbjorn, our founding pastor.  It will be accompanied by a panel of our retired pastors. 

11/9:  Moline: An Example of an Early Swedish-American Urban Parish; a lecture written by one of our past members, Dr. Myron Fogde, who was a retired Church History professor from Augustana.  

11/16:  We’ll have the video from 2018 of some of our oldest members on a loop that you can drop by and see in parts at your leisure.  This is the best oral history we have. 

11/23:  Going Forward from Behind:  “A Real Pastor’s Wife,” an historical fiction piece written and delivered by Dr. Ann Boaden, retired English professor from Augustana.  It will be accompanied by a panel of our pastor’s wives. 

11/30:  A menage of First Lutheran Characters come to visit us out of the past. 

It’ll be an enjoyable six weeks.  I encourage you to attend whatever you can.  We have a goodly heritage around here.  

Yours,
Pastor Dan