Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic

09/05/2026

Kristi Keller, a member of the LHSMA Board of Directors, will be presenting a paper, "Lutheran Religion in the Space Age," at the Lutheran Historical Conference's Bienniel Meeting to be held in St. Paul Minnesota, 8-10 October 2026.

For the full program and registration information, https://www.luthhistcon.org/lhc-biennial-meeting.

08/24/2026

https://www.facebook.com/historictrappe/posts/pfbid0T6AdGMRdXYbDZA3UJpZd3B81CSNzxZRHu1STGxhphaixVnpzpBfomh4xhuMKkXh4l

Our fall lecture series begins on Tuesday, September 15, at 7 pm, with “Moravians in the American Revolution,” by Scott Paul Gordon!

The American Revolution put Pennsylvania’s Moravians in a tough place. They wanted to remain neutral, but Patriots demanded that they choose a side and threatened to seize all their property if they didn’t. When military forces—troops on the move, prisoners, and injured soldiers—occupied Bethlehem (“engulfed” the small community, Bethlehem's leader John Ettwein said), Moravians had no choice but to transform the way they lived. Their communities did survive these dangerous times. But, as this talk will explore, the Revolution permanently transformed Bethlehem.

Location: St. Luke's Fellowship Church, 200 W. Main St. Trappe, PA

Cost: FREE

Visit HistoricTrappe.org for more info

08/13/2026

March 6 [1784]—Set out of Littleton; came to Sideling Hill, nine miles; thence then miles to Juniata, which we crossed on the ice; from thence to Bedford, fourteen miles. The snow still continues the same depth. Politics and politicians are as plenty here as in Philadelphia, if great things may be compared to small. I had flattered myself that, as we were going toward the frontiers, we should soon be out of the latitude of politics; but even here two men cannot drink half a gill of wh***ey without discussing a point of politics, to the great improvement and edification of the bystanders. Especially, so to me, while I stand incog. and hear the name of Muhlenberg made use of, sometimes in one way and sometimes in another; for were I known, I believe no one would have the hardiesse to mention that name with disrespect, and look at me, for I have at present the perfect resemblance of Robinson Crusoe: four belts around me, two brace of pistols, a sword and r***e slung, besides my punch and tobacco-pipe, which is not a small one. Add to this the blackness of my face, which occasions the inhabitants to take me for a travelling Spaniard, and I am sure my appearance alone ought to protect me from both politics and insult.

—From General [John Peter Gabriel] Muhlenberg's Journal, 1748, transcribed in Henry A[gustus] Muhlenberg, _The life of Major-General Peter Muhlenberg, of the Revolutionary Army_ (Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1849), 427-428.

07/31/2026

_Jesus in the Church until the end of the world: convincingly demonstrated from the Book of Revelation of John, chapters 10 to 22, and its apparent fulfillment to date_ (1753) by Joachim Oporin.

Oporin was Henry Melchior Muhlenberg's professor at Göttingen, and HMM served as his private secretary.

06/27/2026

Susan Hill, the major force behind the film, is an honored former board member of LHSMA. She has been researching and writing about Singmaster for decades. Both the film and the concert should be great!

Save the Date! At 6 PM on Sunday, July 12, Music, Gettysburg! will present a concert to support the documentary being filmed of Adams County's most famous daughter. Elsie Singmaster Lewars was one of the most popular and honored writers of mid-century America. Her novels and short stories, about Pennsylvania Dutch life, the Civil War, and European history, delighted people of all ages. Now a documentary is being filmed about her life and work.

The concert will take place in the Gettysburg chapel of United Lutheran Seminary, just across the street from the house in which she spent most of her adult life. It will include selections from her stories and letters, as well as music inspired by them, performed by singers Wayne Hill and Susan Hochmiller, violinist Ryan Kozak, organist Jonathan Noel, and several young singers.

Admission is free, and every penny received in the offering will be spent to support the film project.

06/05/2026

As part of its Synod Assembly and in observance of the 250th of the nation, the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod will hold a Service of Holy Communion using the Church Agenda of 1748 (a.k.a. the Muhlenberg Liturgy) on Friday, 5 June 2026, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Morgantown, WV, at 7:00 p.m. While the service will be held in English, the music settings will all be appropriate to the time of the American Revolution. The service is open to the public.

05/02/2026

44th Annual Convention, The Pittsburgh Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (1886).

Note well: Thiel College faculty, at the direction of the synod, prepared theses for discussion.

04/07/2026

"Lutherans and the American Experience at 250 Years"

The Lutheran Historical Conference is accepting paper proposals for its Oct 2026 meeting (but the deadline is April 13). Here's the description:

"The Program Committee invites proposals that investigate the history, theology, and cultural presence of Lutherans in the American context from the colonial period to the present. We seek to explore the ways Lutherans have both adapted to and shaped the diverse cultural, social, religious, and political landscapes of North America over the past two and a half centuries. We encourage proposals that situate Lutheran experience within the broader American story of settlement, diversity, and change, highlighting both the distinctiveness and adaptability of Lutheran traditions across time. We are interested in contributions that consider how the American context influenced Lutheran witness and activity. Proposals from archivists are especially invited."

Visit the LHC website for details: https://www.luthhistcon.org/lhc-biennial-meeting