Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

Rev. Lawrence W. Wick (1940- ) oral history

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Track 2, Transcript p. 4-7: Track 2, Transcript p. 4-7
Transcription: Track 2 LW: Well, that's one of my fortes, I guess. Um, I don't know as far as hobbies and interests. When I work, I love to work, and when I'm on vacation, that's when Cont. p.5 probably do my relaxing. I like to sail and I love to read -- a lot of reading as you can tell. RA: Well, and I would gather from your interest in the Wilmette library which is.... LW: I do. I do do a lot of reading. Um, and enjoy Wilmette and plan on being here for a long period of time. RA: Good. I'm glad. And I do know from your parishioners that they are very happy with you. LW: Ah, well, it's good to know. It's a mutual arrangement. We just love each other, I think, by and large. So the congregation, as far as the history of the congregation is concerned ---- Lutheranism is the only non-English speaking immigrant church other than Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism, though, had the Latin Mass which served as a very unifying factor, and, uh, the Polish and the Irish, the French, the Spanish, could all come to a new land and could retain their cultural roots and yet participate in that common Latin Mass. And so the Latin Mass was a tremendously effective unifying factor for the immigrant Roman Catholic. Lutherans didn't have that. Lutherans came from a diversity of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and they each participated in worship in their own indigenous tongue, which meant that, uh, the Norwegians and Danes and Swedes and the Finns and Germans, each developed their own Lutheran Cont. p.6 church. RA: And I notice you have English in the title of your church. LW: That's right. That was the original title of the church. It was Wilmette English Lutheran Church. Now what happened was that as these various ethnic groups came to the United States they retained -- the church was the one place they could retain that kind of ethnic cultural identity. The roots of this particular congregation, which is now a member of the Lutheran Church of America, uh, was a denomination which quickly began the process of acculturation ---- began to identify themselves as Americans and less as immigrants for a cultural identity. RA: The true melting pot idea. LW: That's right. More so than than the others. The Missouri Synod, which is the most conservative element and of which the other Lutheran Church of Wilmette is a member, has been, uh, retained a stronger ethnic identity and worshipped in German and the educational program was in German. So that when this congregation was established in 1921 to make a distinction between these two Lutheran churches, its name was Wilmette English Lutheran Church. RA: I see. LW: So that it was an English speaking church from the very Cont. p.7 beginning. RA: Perhaps you can answer one question for me then. What is the Zionist Lutheran Church? Can you answer that? LW: No, I don't. Unless that's a particular congregation's name is Zion Lutheran Church. RA: No. It is throughout the country. Very strong in the state of Pennsylvania and there is one at Deerfield, Illinois. LW: Well, now Zion Lutheran Church in Deerfield is a member of the Lutheran Church of America. RA: It is. LW: It's just that their name is Zion Lutheran. RA: But do you know there was the Zionist and in Pennsylvania... I'm wondering. Luther went to Stuttgart very early and converted a great many people. I come from that line. My father's line and I have tried through many ministers to find out what the original meaning was because I have a theory that I've never been able to disprove or confirm and that is they were originally Jewish and were converted in Strausbourg by Luther.... LW: That may be.
Creators: Wick, Lawrence W., 1940-, Interviewee; Adler, Rhea Saul
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Text
Item Type: Audiocassettes
Description: Interview of Rev. Lawrence Wick, pastor of Wilmette Lutheran Church, by Rhea Adler in Wilmette, Illinois, in April 1978. Describes the history of the church from a Swedish congregation.

ABSTRACT:

Pastor - Wilmette Lutheran Church - Third parish served — Family and community participation — Home—owner
Educational background — Sears Roebuck international scope Theological training at Lutheran School of Theology — Chicago -
Frederick Lutheran Church, Virgin Islands - Chaplain at
Elgin State Hospital - Institute of Pastoral Care -
Ordination — Richmond, Illinois pastor — Purdue University,
Master of Science degree in Counseling — Doctor of Ministry
degree, Chicago Theological Seminary
Community activities - Board of Rotary - Wilmette Library Board - Wilmette Clergy Council

Elaboration of the Wilmette English Lutheran Church — Back (south
end) of church first built - 1929 built sanctuary for
$60,000 - Crash - Couldn’t make payments — Moved out -
Worshipped in Masonic Temple. Church building sold to
Board of American Missions of old United Lutheran Church Eighth pastor — Congregation strongest it’s been - Debt free
Endorsement fund — Large contribution to Wilmette community — Three charter members in present congregation

Controversy among Lutheran churches — Mergers — A.E.L.C. — Danish — Finnish — Lutheran Church of America solidified -
Dr. Robert Marshall of Kenilworth - Member of Wilmette
Church made president
Local congregation strong in worship and music — Organ — Overhauling by Curt Roderer of Evanston
Church staff

Illinois Synod of Lutheran Church of America — 800 acre camp near Oregon, Illinois
Changes in congregation — Youth activities — Church extension — Benevolence
Church related colleges
World missions — Peace corps — Third World attitudes-changes

First church in Wilmette - Community Church - Included various denominations
Place of Publication: Wilmette, Illinois
Date of Original: April 1978
Date Of Event: 1929
Subject(s): Lutheran churches
Oral histories
Wilmette Lutheran Church
Pastors
Personal Name(s): Wick, Lawrence W.
Local identifier: R 977.32 WI
Language of Item: English
Copyright Statement: Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Date: 1978
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Public Library
Copyright Holder Contact Information: 1242 Wilmette Ave.
Wilmette, IL 60091
U.S.A.
Recommended Citation: Wick, Lawrence W., and Rhea Saul Adler. Dr. Lawrence Wick. Wilmette, Ill: Wilmette Public Library District, 1978.
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
Email:refdesk@wilmettelibrary.info
Website:
https://www.wilmettelibrary.info/

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