Yes, I am familiar with this group, the Evangelical Synod, which was one of the background components of the E & R Church. You're right, the terminology is quite confusing!! At 09:23 PM 1/8/2007, you wrote: >Passing added comment: the 19th century Saxon and Prussian immigration >had certain relationships to the failed 1848 democracy attempt --O.K., >Justin, HOW do we label this one? !! -- in (now) Germany, and German >Reformed folks ALSO came to New Orleans and up the river to the Missouri, >founding what became known as the Evangelical synod of North America. >"Evangelical" here does NOT mean Albrighters or other uses of that word; it >means German-background "protestant," though now-a-days the word often >implies "Lutheran" in Germany. (This terminology is really mixed up!!) This >was the group who established Eden Theological Seminary and a printing press >in St. Louis, and Elmhurst College near Chicago, among others. > > This latter group was the "Evangelical" part of the merger with the >former German Reformed denomination that became the "Evangelical and >Reformed" denomination which many of us can remember. I assume that all of >the former E&R churches in Centre Co came from the German Reformed and NOT >from the Evangelical Synod of North America. The various permutations of >this group all taught from the Heidelberg Catechism, and many congregations >descended from them still do. They operated Franklin & Marshall College >(men) (Lancaster), Heidelberg College (Tiffin OH), Hood College (women), >Frederick MD, Cedar Crest College (also women), Allentown, in PA or >vicinity, plus others elsewhere. Most are now co-ed. Their theological >seminary has been in Lancaster since 1899, across college Avenue from >Franklin & Marshall College.