Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-12
iLUTHERANS TO
UNITE SYNODS
Plan to Merge the Several
Branches Into One
Organization

On Thursday, November IA, repre-
sentatives OF more than three-quar-
, ters of million of confirmed Lu-
ttherans will meet in New York
formally to organize the United Lu-
theran Church in America. The
Lutheran Church is a very old one
in this country. dating back to 1919
in Canada, 1859 in Pennsylvania
and 1643 in Manhattan, but its men,
bers are of such a liberty-loving and
congregational type. and their origi-
nal blood has come from so many
European nationalities, that they
have been slow to see the merits of
centralized organization.
Their first synod was organized in
174S, and new synods have been
forming rapidly ever since. a syn
Cd represents the congregations of
York and New Jersey there ar three
synods that will enter the United
Lutheran Church In Pennsylvania
there are five on six, and so on. A
general body covering the United
States was organized in 1920, an
Lother in 1867 and a third in 1856.
These are he three general bodies
now coming together. For the last
year and a half they have been care
fully preparing for the coming
merger. and next month will see
forty-three synods of the United
States and Canda Joined together.
Every one of these synods, and the,
three general bodies, The General
Council of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church ir North America, The Gen
nra1 SNnnl Of thn n rhtrrr6
in the United States and The United
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in the South, have voted
singly and severally in favor of this
move. A joint ways and means
committee has been at work for over
n year in preparing the legal and
other details for the consolidation.
On Tuesday, November ~, each of
the three bodies will meet separate
ly in New York. The General Syn
Cd will meet in st. James Church
at Madison avenue and Seventy
third street, the General Council in
Holy Trinity Church, Central Park
West and Sixty y-fifth street. the Unit
ed Synod in the Church of the Ad-
vent. Broadway and Ninety third
street These bodies will occupy a
day or a day and a half in winding
up their own affairs. On Thursday
they will enter Holy Trinity ChuI ch
in procession, each body by itself,
and preceded by the ways aid means
con- n, ittee, and the first preliminary
egi,. steps toward effecting ] merg-
e., WI be taken. In .the evening"
ere VIII be n religious se:VIce with
Holy Communion, whsh tha Rev.
Henry Eyster Jacobs, dean Of the
Mount Airy Seminary ut phIladel-
phia and Nestor of tide Lutheran
Church in America, will preach the
Sc, mon. On the following morning
the nody will proceed 20 organize
for business ard the merger will be
ccusummated, and on Sunday after
noon q great central ratification and
thank sgiving mass meeting is TO be
held In the Hippodrome. Tho Lu-
theran churches of New York have
organized their forces for several
months and worked out with elab-
crate detail a program of business
and hospitality.
a complete constitution for che
government of the new body and of
all its boards has been prepared and
has been adopted by all the synods.
This constitution is acknowledged
by all to reflect the faith, spirit and
practice of the Lutheran Church.
It's preamble invites md continues
to invite all Lutheran sypodS I'M
America to join in the one general
organization on this basis. The new
boards of the church Will probably
be chartered in the states in which
they have their central office These
boards will probably be located in
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Pittsburgh and Chicago.