I’d like to comment about the February issue of The Lutheran Witness and about rural ministries. I went to a one-room school with eight grades, and I’m probably telling my age, so I’ll tell you it was a small farming community at Lutherville, Ark.
I’m not advocating going back to this type of education, but I believe the Lutheran church is in decline because it is not implementing what Dr. Terry Tieman and Rev. Todd Jones proposed in revitalizing and changing the service to being more missional while keeping it traditional, especially for the southern and rural areas.
Dick Knoernschild
Lamar, Ark.
Hooray for Mrs. Bartels! (See p. 9 in February Lutheran Witness.) I was involved in Lutheran schools for quite some time. I started out by “helping out” for one year, which ended up being nine! Then it was back to college to finish my education, having been a music major for two years and then married. Upon graduation, I returned to my school and taught first and second grade.
After 10 years, I moved to Pennsylvania to be near my grandchildren. (I am now 93.) I was in a part of the state where there were no LCMS churches. After retirement, I joined the Foster Grandparent Program so I could continue helping children. I miss the religion, closeness, and singing that we enjoyed in our LCMS system.
May the Lord provide us with enough dedicated people so that Lutheran schools might stay alive. I was a product of one, and I am always grateful for the hymns and Bible verses learned.
How we need that in today’s world! God bless our schools!
Mrs. Myrtha Witkop
Selinsgrove, Pa.
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