Exhibit, special service and movie to honor the first president of the LCMS during the ‘Walther Bicentennial’

ST. LOUIS—October 19, 2011—As part of the church body’s 200th birthday celebration of its first president this October, the Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and its entities and congregations are planning several special events this month as tributes to all that Walther accomplished.

Many LCMS entities and congregations will recognize the bicentennial of Walther’s birth (Oct. 25, 1811) with special events, activities and resources this fall and extending through the 125th anniversary of his death in 2012.

Some of the events include the following:

• Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, 1805 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, will have a special a special birthday service at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, followed by a reception. The Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will give the sermon at the church where Walther was a pastor from 1841 until his death in 1887. They regular monthly German service at 8:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, will focus on Walther’s accomplishments while pastor at Trinity. Learn more here.
• A new exhibit, “To God Alone the Glory: The Life of C. F. W. Walther,” will open on Monday, Oct. 24, at the Concordia Historical Institute at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 804 Seminary Place, St. Louis. The exhibit will detail the life of Walther and include three of Walther’s desks, two bookcases, letters, pipes and various publications that Walther authored. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 p.m. Please call 314-505-7900 for more information.
• Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, has produced “Walther,” a full-length feature film, which follows the life of Walther and highlights his influence on the development of Lutheranism in America. A special birthday showing of the movie is set for 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in Werner Auditorium at Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis. Admission is free. Click here to learn more about the movie. The Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of the seminary, and the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, LCMS president, will give special presentations at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Werner Auditorium on the seminary campus.

Walther joined the Saxon Germans who immigrated to the United States in 1839, and at the age of only 27 found himself leader of the group that settled in Perry County, Mo. In 1847, Walther played a key role in the founding of the LCMS, which now ranks as one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States with 2.3 million baptized members in some 6,200 congregations and more than 9,000 pastors.

To find out more about the Walther Bicentennial, visit www.lcms.org/Walther200.

About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), is a mission-oriented, Bible-based, confessional Christian denomination headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. Founded in 1847, the LCMS has more than 2.3 million baptized members in some 6,200 congregations and more than 9,000 pastors. Two seminaries and 10 colleges and universities operate under the auspices of the LCMS, and its congregations operate the largest Protestant parochial school system in America. The church broadcasts the saving message of Jesus Christ over KFUO Radio, and it has relationships and active mission work in 89 countries around the world. In the last five years, the LCMS has awarded more than $35 million through more than 900 domestic and international grants for emergency response and disaster relief. Today, the LCMS is in full doctrinal fellowship with 33 other confessional Lutheran church bodies worldwide and is a founding partner of Lutheran Services in America, a social ministry organization serving one in every 50 Americans. For more information, visit www.lcms.org.

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