This was my second exchange with Ursula. I hope it is helpful to more list members. Marvin -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [G-P-L] Lutheran Connectons Date: Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:12:58 -0600 From: Marvin Huggins [1]<[email protected]> Reply-To: [2][email protected] To: Ursula [3]<[email protected]> References: [4]<[email protected]a.mail.c omcast.net> Ursula, The "Evangelical Calendar" about which you ask reflects another aspect of the confusion many have with identifying and locating the right congregation with records of their ancestors. The "Deutsche Evangelische Synode von Nordamerika" developed out of the "Kirchenverein des Westens," which was organized about the same time as the Missouri Synod and the other midwestern Lutheran church bodies like the Wisconsin and Iowa synods. And it also happened to be centered in Saint Louis, which compounds the confusion. The Evangelical Synod (for short) is an American reflection of the Prussian Union churches from Germany with a mixture of Lutheran and Reformed confessional allegiances. It was at odds with the Missouri Synod, which stood on a strict adherence to the Lutheran Confessions in the Book of Concord of 1580. However, individuals and families who belonged to congregations affiliated with the Evangelical Synod may have thought of themselves as Lutherans and passed down that tradition in family stories. They may also have moved back and forth between congregations affiliated with the different church bodies. Often it is only when one knows the name of a pastor who performed marriages and baptisms of family members can one determine with which church body the pastor was affiliated and trace an existing congregation where the records might now be located. The Evangelical Synod (see [5]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_synod_of_north_america)merged with the Reformed Church of America in 1934 to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church. That body, in turn, merged in 1957 with the Congregational Church to form the United Church of Christ (UCC). So congregations in the Saint Louis area and elsewhere in the midwest that had originally affiliated with the Evangelical Synod are now usually part of the UCC. In most cases their names have changed, for example, from Saint Paul Evangelical Church to Saint Paul United Church of Christ. In a few cases these congregations have retained the name "Evangelical." The records of the Evangelical Synod and of some of its congregations are located today in the archives of Eden Theological Seminary in the Saint Louis suburb of Webster Groves. This is one of several archival repositories of the UCC. Marvin Ursula wrote: Marvin, Thank you so much for the detailed information regarding the Concordia Historic al Institute. I was confirmed in Germany in 1956 in an Evangelical-Lutheran Church. After I i mmigrated to America, I resided in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and now Michigan. No t until I came to Michigan [Macomb County] did I become a member of the U.C.C., formerly known as St. Matthew German Evangelical Church in Adair, Michigan. Th ere are several other U.C.C. churches in this area, the church records of which I have translated. There are also two Lutheran churches in this area and it took me quite some tim e and research before I understood the difference between these churches. In fa ct I would say that most of the people probably think they are the same. Speaking of the Evangelical Calender that was published by the "Deutsche Evange lische Synode von Nordamerika" [German Evangelical Synod of North America] thro ugh Eden Publishing House in St. Louis, MO, can you tell me when the Synod chan ged its name to "Missouri Synod"? Was it the same time as when the synod was di vided? I can imagine the important role this annual calendar played in the life of the German immigrants, especially since there were few opportunities for German-la nguage reading material. To those of you who don't know anything about this calendar, let me tell descri be it to you: it was in paperback book format that apart from a calendar had ma ny good stories, some non-fictions and fictions, stories for children, news abo ut current events in Germany, photographs of public officials, advertisements f or church bells, organs, bibles, and religious instructions, postal rates, and finally a directory of all the pastors who served in the German Evangelical Syn od of North America. I once planned on scanning one of the Calendars but because they are printed in Fraktur, few people would be able to read the text, save for the list of pasto rs in the back of the book which are printed in Times Roman font. Ursula References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. mailto:[email protected] 3. mailto:[email protected] 4. mailto:[email protected]a.mail.comcast.net 5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelical_synod_of_north_america