The Bible Made Easy

On a shelf in my study is a book entitled The Bible Made Easy written by Mark Water. It is a small pamphlet with the sub-title “An easy-to-understand pocket reference guide.” There are certainly quite a few helpful bits of information presented, and I was interested as I picked it up and surveyed some of the topics. In fact, I read through the entire book in about thirty minutes. It is true to say that it reminded me of things I had learned previously as well as presenting a few things that I had either forgotten or never learned. But when I finished, while I had some facts to toss around, the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and the connections between God and humanity, were not the prominent theme or even overtly stated. It was, as I said, a book full of facts.

     

The St. John's congregation dates its origins to the 1742 arrival of Dr. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the father of the Lutheran Church in America. He stopped for two days in Charleston on his way to visit the Salzburger colony at Ebenezer, Georgia. He returned a month later and spent three weeks waiting for a ship to Philadelphia during which time he held services, taught catechism to the children of the German residents, and held services with communion on Sundays.

Rev. Dr. John Bachman (1790-1874) brought a golden era to St. John's in the nineteenth century, but it ended abruptly when Charleston and St. John's were devastated by the War Between the States.

A brief period of racial enlightenment largely disappeared after the Civil War, but had made an important mark in American Christian history while it lasted. Three of the nation's most important early African-American leaders came from St. John's, and the first group of Lutherans to send an American missionary to Africa also took place within the congregation.





Figures in St. John's History

Edward Traill Horn (1876 - 1897)

Edward Traill HornReverend Edward Traill Horn was the Pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church from 1876 through 1897.

Rev. Dr. Horn's foresight and energetic ministry led St. John's through the difficult reconstruction years and prepared her to enter the new era of the

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History Corner

Why Lutheran Churches Have Red Front Doors

Recently there was a question about the red front doors on the Lutheran churches. I found an article in the History Room that had been published in The State newspaper on November 6, 1983, that discussed this question. I am reprinting the article as it appeared in the newspaper.

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Sunday Worship

8:30 a.m. Service with Holy Communion
9:45 a.m. Sunday Church School
11:00 a.m. Service with Holy Communion


Nursery available in Parish Hall during all services. Doodle Bags are available in the back of the church to keep little hands busy: they include coloring books, crayons, books, and stickers!

 
St. John's Lutheran Church, Charleston, SC