Friends of Lutheran Archives

Speaker: Heidi McLeod

Thursday 22 September at 7:30pm

139 Archer St, North Adelaide SA 5006, or on LIVE-STREAM at: shorturl.at/tyzUX

This is the story of the early years of Pastor Walter W. Fritsch (Wilf) who served as Pastor at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Adelaide, for 29 years, and his companion Pastor John Doehler who served as Pastor at Christ Church Lutheran, Murray Bridge, for 34 years. Both men also contributed to the ministries of the wider Lutheran Church in South Australia, and beyond, in deeply significant ways. They remained life-long friends.

In 1914, whilst studying for the ministry in Neuendettelsau, Germany, WW1 broke out leaving Walter (Wilf) Fritsch, John Doehler and three other young Australians stranded as enemy aliens. They were eventually interned at Ruhleben Internment Camp for British Subjects, for over 2 years, before making their way to the USA to resume their theological studies.

Inspired by booklets written by both my maternal grandparents, together with my grandfather’s World War 1 diary and letters from Ruhleben Internment Camp, near Berlin, I began the task of putting his story together. After over 4 years of researching and writing, and 2 years seeking a publisher, this has now culminated in the book, “WILF: A true story of hardship, hope and heart.”

My talk will include the origin of the story as I  the gathered material, including the importance of the collections at Lutheran Archives. The structuring and sequencing of the book is also of some interest, as well as its narrative approach which results in a story that reads like a novel. An outline of the story itself includes excerpts from Australia, Germany, England and the USA before concluding back in Australia with the marriage of Walter Wilfred Fritsch to Bertha Mathilda Simpfendorfer, in February 1922.

To book a seat please phone or text Helen Schubert on 0447 740 711 by Wednesday 21 September. $4 donation for attendance would be appreciated.

Speaker: Rev. Rob Borgas

Thursday 27 October

FoLA AGM 7:00pm

Public Talk: Bush Preachers 7:30pm

139 Archer St, North Adelaide SA 5006

As we mark the centenary of the death of Carl Strehlow, Rob Borgas, formerly pastor at Finke River Mission, will present the story of Hermannsburg Mission, beginning with the early Arranta language work by Missionaries Kempe, Schwartz & Schulze from the Hermannsburg Mission Society. Under Superintendent GA Heidenreich, Missionary Strehlow and Teacher Heinrich (with their wives) established a functional Mission at Hermannsburg, learning the local Indigenous culture, and training leaders. The work of Missionary Albrecht and others aimed to build functional communities and to train Indigenous leaders, with the hope that the Mission would become Indigenous congregations and communities in the future. The final section will cover the work of the Finke River Mission today supporting Indigenous pastors, congregations and their communities.

To book a seat please phone or text Helen Schubert on 0447 740 711 by Wednesday 26 October. $4 donation for attendance would be appreciated.