Lutheran churches to celebrate anniversary

St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 282 West Cumberland Street, Camden, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the sanctuary on Sunday. A service of worship with communion will be held at 8:30 a.m. using the rubrics and lessons for a church dedication and anniversary, which will be followed by a celebratory brunch at 10 a.m.

Joining in the festivities will be the neighboring congregation of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Delphi. The two congregations are presently served by the same pastor and have shared in an informal yolking of their ministries in that manner since 2000.

Persons from the church council, building and finance committees responsible for construction of the sanctuary will be recognized. Those who first participated in the rites of the church in this sanctuary; baptism, confirmation, marriage and burial, as well as those who most recently did so have been invited to participate as well in the spirit of a homecoming event.

Established in 1846, St. Peter's has been a part of Camden's downtown for 161 years, and at its present location since 1873. In 1966 the historic multistoried wood sanctuary was razed and construction began on the present contemporary brick structure. Windows and light fixtures from the previous sanctuary were incorporated into the present architecture and the church bell from its steeple received a place of honor and resumed calling people to worship in 1992.

St. Peter's is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which is comprised of over 11,000 congregations with 4.9 million members. The Lutheran Church began as a reformation movement within the Roman Catholic Church of the 1500s, receiving its name from one of the principle leaders of that movement, Martin Luther. It is liturgical in its worship, employing a variety of styles from the traditional Catholic Mass to contemporary orders inspired by it.