The 99th
Easter at Zion

Da 12:2 - "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Ac 23:6 - "But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!"

1 Pe 1: 18-21 - "... You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, ... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."

Dealing with Prophecy and "Old" Ideas. Resurrection was not a new idea. There was promise of resurrection from the Old Testament prophets. It is about 25 years after the resurrection when Paul is before a governing council again. Paul had just been hauled before the Sanhedrin because he had been proclaiming the risen Jesus Christ. Now remember, Paul had sat at the feet of Gamaliel, the most noted rabbi of first century Judaism--he knew what he had been taught. Paul had also had an encounter with the very Christ that had arisen from the dead when Paul was on the road to Damascus perhaps 20 years before.

God Calls on His People to Remember His Word and What He Has Done for Us. As he stands before the Sanhedrin, Paul knew what God wanted him to do. This audience was to remember the promise, not only of a Savior, but of resurrection given through the prophets. The assembly being addressed is divided because of God's Word, the word about resurrection, because "Jesus is the first among many brothers" to be resurrected. The Pharisees believed God's Word while the Sadducees were "selective." Today, we know that we will be like Christ on the last day. Paul was talking 2000 years ago and we are talking about some point in the future when we speak of our resurrection.

It all begins with memory of God's Word, though, doesn't it? Memory doesn't always work so well. Look how memory has failed us at Zion. We don't remember our history!

What Do We Remember about Zion? We are coming up on Easter in the 99th year of Zion Lutheran Church. Our Baldwin Historical Plaque on the front of the church recognizes Zion as starting in 1906, but church records demonstrate that Zion celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 8 in 1945, not 1946. A year too early? Were the church fathers a year off in their anniversary calculations? Later we find that Zion celebrated its 60th anniversary in April 1966, 21 years later--were the church fathers off a year again, this time the other side of 60 years? Was there an 80th anniversary--because there is no record in 1985 or 1986 when it comes to anniversary?

What Does It Mean When We Don't Remember Exactly? This coming year we will formally celebrate the 100th birthday of our church on Reformation Sunday 2005. Our church council has discussed the issue of start date. Was it 1905 or 1906? We have opted for a start date of 1905 which pegs our Centennial then at 2005. Our centennial medallion notes a church centenary of 1905 to 2005, but what is the real story? What do we remember?

A Best Guess. We know that pastors from the Augustana Synod were visiting Silverhill as early as 1897. In December 1905 Pastor Hartelius from a Swedish congregation in Thorsby met with a group who would be the founders of "Swedish Lutheran Zion Church." He committed to scheduled services for Silverhill to begin in 1906. He would come every other month to hold a service in the schoolhouse, now the home of Debbie and Phil Owen. We know that some kind of Lutheran services were already ongoing in the Silverhill area as early as 1897. We know that services were held in that school house with a tramp organ received from an Augustana church in Illinois. We know that there was an original church bell used to call the Lutheran community to worship and to mark the beginning of services. When the current bell was obtained for the church in 1928, the original bell reportedly passed on to the Silverhill school campus in memory of the early days of Silverhill, a natural considering it probably had rung from the belfry of the old school house beginning with the early days of the church.

We Can't Remember What We Don't Know. Pastor Hartelius' arrangement for Silverhill services apparently continued until about 1908 when Pastor Hartelius accepted a call to a parish outside of Alabama. Sunday school in Silverhill was held every Sunday whether or not a Pastor was available and apparently continued as formal short-term pastors serving the area came through the Augustana Synod's Lutheran Home Mission. We find no regular written records of Zion's activities from 1906-1914 and some information is inferred from third party sources. We know that there were major weather, disease (yellow-fever), and crop problems in this period and that some early Zion members withdrew or moved from the area to the North. When Pastor Swanlund from the Augustana Mission Society arrived in 1913, more formal records began to become available. Pastor Swanlund would become God's spark plug that would bring a coalescing of Lutherans in Silverhill and the building of the historical church structure in 1915.

What We Do Know Is Confusing. We have actual written organizational documentation from December 1905 and additional material from late January 1906. Early church minutes reveal a concern about church organizational structure within the Augustana Synod. Actual specifics regarding Zion's organizational articles were recorded as they were discussed and approved using the Swedish equivalent of Robert's Rules of Order, item by item. We know who were appointed deacons, who were trustees, who the church caretaker was, and who signed off on documents as church secretary. It is interesting that the lack of history for these missing years is not a new quandary, since we know that Pastor E. Oscar Johnson annotated these very early minutes in Swedish on July 3, 1930, and conveyed the documents to Rock Island, IL, the home of the Augustana Synod. You see, the Synod wanted to know what we want to know--what happened at Zion between 1906 and 1915.

And What about Language Issues? What about legal documents? The formal church organization would occur on May 21, 1906, but actual registration would not be processed by the Office of Probate in Baldwin County until June 2, 1906. There may have been a bit of a disconnect since Alabama does business in English. Church and Sunday School services were initially held in Swedish, the language of most people in Silverhill. All early records were in Swedish. English became the dominant language of the church as the children of Swedish émigrés became adults and as other nationalities settled in Silverhill a generation later.

Sometimes Records Are Hard to Document. Remember when Congregational President Pete Midgarden was researching historical documentation relating to the 2003 church building project? He discovered that Zion Lutheran Church's Articles of Incorporation were not public record with the State of Alabama until the 1980s! Zion Lutheran Church's original incorporation document states that the congregation held an organizational meeting, May 21, 1906, at which time it agreed to incorporate and have a board of trustees for the church as required by Alabama state law. In retrospect, the church had to reinterpret its Swedish roots into English law acceptable in Alabama. You see, we know that early church minutes were affirmed in a short meeting, April 2, 1906--this is before incorporation. Incorporation papers were completed, May 21, 1906, but C. H. Valin was now acting as church secretary. Was it because he was better in English? The official church record shows that the official file for record was made in the Office of Probate in Baldwin County on May 21, 1906.

Is There an Easter Connection? What does this have to do with Easter? Was the 40th anniversary an Easter celebration in April 1945? We don't know. What our history tells us is this: God was busy in Baldwin County and Silverhill specifically as Lutheran Christians organized to worship God in this place. The Book of Acts show that Paul called on the Sanhedrin to remember God's Word as he stood before them. Isn't that what we do each Sunday and on Easter, remember what the Lord has done?

Bottom Line. It really makes little difference when Zion began as a church. It makes little difference in the big scheme of things whether we have a centennial medallion or not. What is important is that we be called again to God's Word. Just as the Sanhedrin needed to remember God's Word, we need to hear the testimony of the ages that Jesus Christ, God's Son, was born a human, lived without sin, died for our sins, and was raised from the dead. That's Easter. All of this was for us. The testimony of the Bible is clear that Christ now lives in heaven as proof that God loves and cares for us AND He even now prepares to come again to close this age.

Easter Challenge. As we approach this Easter season at Zion, can we do less than remember God's Word? Can we do less than recognize that Easter is the beginning of the end for Satan and his rebellion against our God who loves us and gave His Son for us?

~Pastor Dave

Sources: Church Archive, December 26, 1905. Church Council Minutes, January 22, 1906. Church Council Minutes for April 2, 1906. Andersen, Mrs. Trygve. "Zion Lutheran Church Will Mark Its 60th Year Sunday." [no newspaper source], April 28, 1966. Setterdahl, Lilly, and American Friends of the Emigrant Institute of Sweden, Inc. Memories Preserved, Vol. II: Scandinavians in Alabama and Guide to Interviews with Swedish Americans. Verona, MO: Johnson's Valley Printers, 1992, pages 69-70. Documents. Corporation Records, State of Alabama, vol 1, p. 199. Midgarden, Pete. Narrative, February 18, 2003. Tracking down historical documents relating to the formation of Zion Lutheran Church. n.a. "In 1905 Silverhill Forms Lutheran Church" The Baldwin Times, 11 November 1971, p. 13C.

Council Recap

The regular meeting of the Zion Lutheran Church met in the Parish Hall at 7 pm on March 9, 2004. Those present were Vera Avera, Pete Midgarden, Charlie Canning, Darlene Tasso, Ernest Burnett and Loreli Walker. Absent was Linda Gibbs. Pastor Johnson opened with a devotional from Mark 16:14, after the resurrection--the Great Commission, Cultivating the Christian Walk. He also talked about the evangelism workshop.

Secretary report was submitted and accepted.

Treasurer report was presented, Ernie Burnett made motion to accept, Charlie Canning seconded, motion carried.

The Long range Planning Committee will report next month.

Thrivent Report: Pete, Ernie and Charlie are this committee. There is $1300 available which can be used for work projects and fund raisers. The Evangelism Program will qualify if done as a fund raiser. Thrivent will match dollar for dollar what we collect as donations or free will offerings. Our Area Thrivent chapter will match our Lenten offering 50 cents on dollar we receive, up to $600.

Pastor's Report: Discussion: the Implementation of a social night one night a month. Charlie Canning made the motion that we have a game night the third Friday in May, thru August. Loreli Walker seconded it. Ernie Burnett amended the motion as on a trial bases. The amendment carried.

Membership: Should we actively ask people to join--The Birthday of Pentecost will be a day for new members.

Grant: ways of utilizing grant money that is available was discussed.

The eventual purchase of a laser printer was discussed and tabled for a later day.

Seminary is in deep financial trouble. Long term this will be of special interest as to having future minister available. We will decide as to how to contribute at a later date. Chairman Pete Midgarden will send a letter to the seminary for added information.

Pastor Don/workshop: Charlie made the motion to put announcement in the bulletin for funds. These funds will be matched by Thrivent

The Gideon's are coming Sunday and there will be a door offering.

Ernie Burnett gave a recommendation that the old fellowship hall become a Library/Museum. Response to this was optimistic. He also stated that the parking area has to be addressed. During rains it is very bad.

Old Business: Pete reported that he had not discovered a good systematic way of keeping a running history of the church. He will continue working on it and hopefully have a suggestion to discuss at the next meeting .

Vera Avera is going to donate permanent flowers so that when there happens to be no others available we can use these.

It was also decided upon that members wishing to use the new facilities should give sufficient notice, clean up afterwards, etc.

With no other business the meeting was adjourned.

~Submitted this day by Loreli Walker, Rec. Sec.

Zion's Website

Zion's website took on a new look in March, thanks to the hard work and artistic creations by Debbie Owen. The site is easily navigable and contains a wealth of information about our church.

Debbie has incorporated many special effects on to the site, from original composition by organist Dr. Michael Coleman, dozens of photographs of people and activities, a current calendar of events, and even the inviting sound of Zion's historic church bell.

Thanks, Debbie, for this wonderful gift!

Special Offering

Dewey Jackson, of Gideons International of South Baldwin, visited Zion on March 14. According to Dewey, it was a great day for the Gideons. God is doing great things at Zion Lutheran. He thanks the congregation and Pastor Dave for gifts of $130. The total amount will be used to purchase and place Scriptures. It will provide approximately 26 Bibles or 96 Testaments.

"The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever"
--I Peter 1:24,25

Pastor Don Richman, Founding Director of East European Missions Network of Bloomington, Minnesota, (www.eemn.org), concluded a Lutheran Missions Conference at Zion Lutheran Church in Silverhill, Alabama, entitled, "God Restores the Broken-Hearted: A Lesson in Evangelism from Russia and Eastern Europe" and then proceeded to Destin, Florida, to discuss joint plans for church and people building in East Europe with Churches Alive International's Board Chairman Douglas Anderson and Central Eastern Europe Project Leader William Weise.

When asked what is the greatest need for East European churches, Richman noted that there is a history of bitterness and suffering among the peoples and the churches of the former Soviet Union. East Europeans, just like us in the west, are people who need a spirit of forgiveness which is preceded by repentance. Repentance is the Christian concept of recognizing wrong, asking for forgiveness, receiving it from those who have been wronged, and then continuing on in life as one who is new and fresh to life. Richman notes that "it is the blood of Christ that ultimately cleanses our sin and allows newness of life (1 John 1:7)." The church needs such forgiveness.

A second great need is for pastors who can enable the laity to minister to their peers in the church. The church's history in the Soviet block and its personnel may be a great barrier to actual ministry. Thus there needs to be a freeing of the Holy Spirit to work among both clergy and people to serve one another in the church of Eastern Europe.

East European Missions Network staff, Chelsea Bushman (English Language Camp Teacher) (l) and Pastor Don Richman (Founding Director), presented sessions at the Lutheran Missions Conference at Zion Lutheran Church in Silverhill, Alabama, entitled, "God Restores the Broken-Hearted: A Lesson in Evangelism from Russia and Eastern Europe."

Richman stressed that we have learned that the church is strengthened by those who have suffered through the tribulations of communism, and we now need to apply that strength to the sharing of the Good News with those inside and outside the church. Thus, the proclamation of the Gospel, what the evangelical community calls the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), becomes strategic for the growth of the church in Eastern Europe so that those who have not heard of Jesus may ultimately be incorporated into the life of church.