Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

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

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Track 5, Transcript p. 14A-16: Track 5, Transcript p. 14A-16
Transcription: Track 5 RA: This is the local history. Would you care to comment about, uh, now you said you came here to bring together the congregation. Was it just the congregation or was it a wider area? I do know about the controversy in the Lutheran Church. Would you care to comment on that? LW: Okay. That's more the Missouri Synod. Uh, and that controversy has not affected us. Uh, St. John's in Wilmette. I don't know if you've done a history there yet or not. RA: I haven't done the history there. Cont. p.14B LW: They are embroiled and I think will come out the other end of that particular controversy. They were a congregation of the Missouri Synod but, due to the controversy, they dropped out of the Missouri Synod and now they're part of a new denomination called, uh, Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches - A.E.L.C. RA: That grew out of the St. Louis group, I believe. LW: Yes. We've not been part of that. The Lutheran Church of America has been the, ah, came about in the early sixties ---- or mid--sixties ---- ah, as a merger of the United Lutheran Church which was predominately a German ethnic group, the Augustana Lutheran Church which was, uh, Swedish, the old A.E.L.C. which is different than the A.E.L.C. you hear about today which was a Danish church, uh, and which centered mainly in Des Moines, Iowa. And then a Suomi Synod which was Finnish. So those four, ah, elements of Lutheranism merged and, uh, formed the Lutheran Church of America. It is the largest, most liberal, most socially and theologically of the Lutheran bodies in the United States. RA: I see. Very interesting. LW: It has its national headquarters in New York and, ah, has been, ah, just has been a solidifier of the denominations. The president of the Lutheran Church of America has been Dr. Robert Marshall who was a member of this Cont. p.15 congregation who lived in Kenilworth. RA: Oh! oh! LW: And, uh, and has been president for, oh, ten to fifteen years. And is now resigning. Going on to other things.. RA: Oh, yes. And he never was minister here when he lived in Kenilworth? LW: No. No. No, he was president of the Illinois Synod... RA: I see. LW: …when he lived here in Kenilworth. Was just a member. RA: Oh, yes. LW: The church has had a staff ministries. Uh, its never been big enough really to need staffs. However, it's been able to afford them and, uh, I would say that right now our staff centers around worship and music. We have an exceptionally fine worship and music program here. RA: You have always had, have you not? LW: We have always had fairly strong ones. It's stronger now than it has ever been. We have an exceptionally fine organist and exceptionally fine choir director. We're in the process of rebuilding the pipe organ here at Wilmette. The pipe organ we have was put in in 1929 when they built the church and it cost us $6,000. We're in the process of rebuilding it at the cost of some $30,000. And when we're through, we'll have a pipe Cont. p.16 organ comparable to a new instrument that we would have to pay $100,000 for. Should have about twenty--six (Indistinct). May I ask whose organ.... LW: It was originally called a Kilgen organ, which was in the Twenties a popular pipe organ because Kilgen had the pipe organ in St. Patrick's cathedral in New York and so everybody thought that if St. Patrick's put one in, its got to be a good organ. It really wasn't the Cadillac of organs, uh, and also organs that were built in the Twenties of which this one had very much a theatre sound....
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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