ELCA NEWS SERVICE November 21, 2003 ELCA Council Participates In 200th Anniversary Of North Carolina Synod 03-214-DP*/JB WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (ELCA) -- More than 1,200 members of the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) participated in a celebratory worship service here Nov. 15, marking the 200th anniversary of the formation of the synod. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, preached. Hanson and the ELCA Church Council attended the celebration as part of the council's fall meeting in Charlotte, N.C.. The North Carolina assembly of Lutheran congregations is the oldest in the United States with the same continuous geographic area, according to a synod news release. The event was held at Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University. The Rev. Leonard H. Bolick, bishop of the ELCA North Carolina Synod, Salisbury, presided. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley declared Nov. 15 "North Carolina Synod Day" in the state. "We are here today to renew our commitment to you, and to renew our commitment to God's church," Hanson said in his sermon. Early Lutheran immigrants who arrived in North Carolina as early as 1673 "brought not only questions but brought with them the gospel," Hanson said. Hanson reflected on the Gospel lesson for the day, found in John 21:15-19 of the Christian Bible. In that lesson, Jesus asks Simon Peter some questions and tells him to "Feed my sheep. Tend my sheep." "My hope and prayer is that the 241 congregations of the North Carolina Synod are not only communities of faith, but are communities of believers in which we are invited to bring our searching questions," Hanson said. "Jesus says 'feed my sheep, tend my sheep,'" he said. "What is the food? It is the gospel. Friends, there are starving sheep all over North Carolina." "The risen Christ takes us into places we don't want to go - - separated by war, yearning for justice, working for peace," Hanson said. "Together we go -- claimed, gathered and sent -- and marked by the cross of Christ forever." Dr. David Cherwien, Minneapolis, composed special music for the service, which was performed by the Lenoir-Rhyne College Choir and Brass Ensemble. Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C., is one of the 28 colleges and universities of the ELCA. According to the synod news release, the history of Lutherans in North Carolina began in the 17th century when thousands of German refugees arrived in the North Carolina Piedmont, after first settling in the colonies of New York and Pennsylvania. Joining the German-speaking Moravians and Reformed, the Lutherans soon felt a growing need for their own churches and schools. The North Carolina Lutheran church began organizing officially in 1745. The Rev. Adolphus Nussman and Gottfried Arends, a teacher, arrived from Germany in 1773 to establish more Lutheran congregations. Arends was soon ordained and played a major role in organizing 19 congregations in western North Carolina. The sole purpose of forming the synod in 1803 was to provide the growing number of congregations with adequately prepared ministers, the news release said. In July the North Carolina General Assembly passed a joint resolution honoring Nussman and Arends, and congratulating the synod on its anniversary. The North Carolina Synod has grown from four pastors in 14 congregations to 437 professional church leaders in 241 congregations. The synod's baptized membership is 88,727. The synod's theme for the anniversary year is "Graced by the Past -- Called to the Future." "We can be proud of a fascinating, rich heritage," said Bolick. "Now our call is to the future. We must show the determination of those who have gone before to meet the challenges ahead." In addition to the Nov.15 worship event, the synod is involved in an anniversary fund drive to raise $200,000 for the benefit of various Lutheran ministries in North Carolina, the ELCA and the world. -- -- -- Information about the ELCA North Carolina Synod, including photographs from the 200th anniversary worship celebration, can be found at http://www.nclutheran.org on the Web. *Donna D. Prunkl is communications coordinator for the North Carolina Synod. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news