Remembering our History

In 1 Corinthians, Chapter 4, we read: “Think of us in this way: as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries.  Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.”  Also in 1 Peter, Chapter 4, we read:  “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.”  We are stewards of God’s grace.  We are stewards of God’s mysteries.  As individuals and as congregations, we are also stewards of the histories of our congregations and families, histories that make us who we are and shape our futures. 

Sometimes in the busyness of congregational life, we focus on the day-to-day tasks of ministry and building faith.  Planning worship, teaching confirmation, council meetings, caring for our buildings, serving funeral lunches, planning the summer’s youth trip and VBS, hosting community groups, the list of what keeps us busy in our congregations can go on and on.  It seems efficient and necessary to focus on the daily ministry that is unfolding around us in real time, requiring our focus and effort.  Thinking about our congregation’s history may seem like something that we just don’t have time to do today, or we think that it is something we will focus on more when our congregation celebrates a big milestone anniversary. (Which many of you are doing!) 

You and I as people of faith in our congregations are stewards of God’s grace today and we are also stewards of the history of our congregations.  There are great gifts in those histories. God has led us through difficult times and brought us to this day. The history of our families, our communities, and our churches shapes who we are in the present moment. Those histories also help us consider how the gifts of the past can serve as signposts to the ways God is calling us into the future. 

Around Southern MN there are so many congregations with powerful, historic stories to tell about faith and hope and courage.  Some examples include:  

• A congregation whose building was literally built by the stones pulled out of the farm fields of the founding families 
• A congregation who had a fire and rebuilt with faith, using shards of stained glass from their original building in their processional cross in the new building 
• Many congregations and their members who had a role in helping found one of our Lutheran colleges like Gustavus or St. Olaf 
• A congregation whose pastor and members helped found other area Lutheran congregations in the early years of Lutheranism in MN. 

The stories of the people of faith who came before us are also important:  Who were the people who built and founded this congregation?  What values motivated them to found our congregation?  What challenges did they overcome?  What did they learn over the years? What joys and successes filled their lives? 

Our history as people and as congregations makes us who we are today.  It is a legacy that we continue to live out in our worship, our fellowship, and our service.  It is also a grounded, rooted way to think into our future as congregations. 

Some ways to use the history of your congregation to ground and inspire your current ministry and future ministry include: 

• Have a congregation trivia night focused on the history of your congregation.  Create a history timeline. Some topics to look for or questions could include people in the history of your congregation, what was happening in the world at the times that were important for your congregation, tidbits about the building of your congregation.  
• If you have a cemetery surrounding your congregation, around All Saints Day, have a night telling the stories of the people who are buried there.  This can be done formally with prepared scripts or people can tell family stories in an informal way. 
• Use stories of the early years of the congregation as preaching illustrations for sermons that think about how God has been involved in your congregation in the past, in its present, and how that calls you into your future. 
• Involve confirmation students and youth!  Create a scavenger hunt about the church’s history.  Ask them to create art about moments in the church history that can be displayed.  Have them write letters to the faithful saints of the congregation’s past about what the church is like now and what they hope it will be in the future. 
• Use themes and stories from your congregation’s history to shape a Lenten sermon series.  This could then also lead into some reflections on where God is calling you into the future! 

We as God’s people are called to remember and celebrate the legacy of faith that we have been given, just as we carry that legacy into the future.  Take some time to discover the unique history of your congregation and then discern how your history shapes the present and future that God is calling you to live into! Synod staff are honored to join you for milestone anniversaries or to walk with you as you create a timeline and tell your congregation’s story. We give thanks for you as stewards of God’s grace.