Summer 2004
Dear Mt. Olive Family and Friends,
You’ve no
doubt heard or read that our synod’s focus this year is “North American
Outreach”. Now there’s a novel idea!
Well, not really!
While going through
an aged scrapbook that my aunt had compiled many years ago, I was fascinated by
a particular newspaper clipping she had saved.
It was from December 1949.
My parents grew up
in rural Wisconsin on family farms two miles apart. They both attended the same Wisconsin Synod country church. Until rather recently, the family farms
remained in the family.
Back in those days,
nearly everyone in that small community grew up on family farms. Everyone knew everyone. Most everybody was somehow related to
everybody. And, as I recall from my
younger years as an every-Sunday-afternoon-visitor to the farm, almost everyone
attended the same church, (except for the Catholic family up the road. They had to drive into town to attend
church.)
That’s why the
newspaper article was so intriguing to me.
It told of a Pastor Nolting who was installed as the pastor of two rural
congregations – St. John’s where both sets of my grandparents called home, and
St. Matthew’s, a few miles down the road.
His installation took place on May 1, 1949.
States the article,
“Immediately after the installation an intensive Mission Campaign was begun,
canvassing the vicinity for prospective members.” One has to read between the lines, but I’m led to believe this
canvassing effort was energetically begun at the urging (coercing?) of the new
pastor and carried out with the help of the congregation. Since most of these folks were my relatives,
I have the right to a few other assumptions: “It’ll never work! We know everyone who lives in these parts,
and if they aren’t church folks now, it’s not likely they’ll ever be.” “Why go stirring up the countryside? We know everyone here, and some folks may
not like us talking to them about church.”
“Our church has been right here on the main road since 1886, and the
sign says ‘Welcome’! What more can we
do?”
Then again, I can
also imagine quite another attitude. I
can envision a group of Christians who knew that many of their neighbors did
not have a meaningful relationship with Jesus, and that if these neighbors and
friends were to suddenly be taken from the earth, they would not go to
heaven. I can visualize caring
Christians who desperately wanted to reach their neighbors with the Word of
Salvation, but just didn’t know how.
When their new minister arrived, they begged, “Pastor, would you help us
reach our neighbors? With God’s help,
we’ll bring them in. We just need you
to teach them God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit work through it.”
And work He
did! The Holy Spirit brought 34 adults
together into a Bible information class.
Imagine that! From a tiny, rural,
Wisconsin countryside – where everyone knows much more than your name – and
back in the days before “North American Outreach” was a synodically sanctioned
“program”, 34 adults attended a thorough 3-month study of Christian doctrine. And what I find even more amazing (humanly
speaking) is that all 34 finished the course.
In a special Wednesday worship service on December 14, 1949, 33 adults
were examined and confirmed (one was sick and later confirmed privately,) and
15 of them, along with 11 children and babies, were baptized in the name of the
Triune God. Praise the Lord!
One can only imagine
the joy this Spirit-born event brought to the new pastor, and what excitement
it brought to the congregations. 45 new
members at one time would impact even a large congregation. But 45 new adults and children in two little
country churches was a “Revival” that would surely beget revival.
There on the
fragile, yellowed page of an old scrapbook, accompanying the article titled
“Never Too Young, Never Too Old—Confirmation Photo Proves” was a picture of
these new members of God’s family. I
recognized many of the names. Studying
the picture and reading the article brought tears to my eyes. It caused me to do some serious
soul-searching, but it also brought an amazing excitement and encouragement.
This “Revival” was
not the product of a high-spirited, full-of-vigor, fresh-out-of-the-seminary
fireball pastor, (he looks to be in his mid-50’s). It was not the result of
costly, high-tech engineering or computer-generated mass mailings. It was not the result of new and innovative
forms of worship, praise bands, or a glitzy campaign. (Not that any of these things are wrong; they just aren’t
enough.) But it was the result of a
passion for souls and face-to-face invitations to neighbors and relatives. It happened because a pastor together with
his people prayerfully made it a priority to take the Great Commission
seriously. It happened because God
promised that His Word would not return to Him empty, but would accomplish what
He desired and achieve the purpose for which He sent it.
“North American
Outreach” is a great idea – but it’s not new.
May the Lord enable us and energize us, so that we may continue what
others before us have done – for the saving of many souls!