About Us
The Augustana Heritage Association was organized on the campus of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in June of the year 2000 at the second of what have been seven biennial Gatherings. Gathering VIII is planned for June 21-24, 2012 on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.
The purpose of the Augustana Heritage Association is to define, promote and perpetuate the heritage and legacy of the Augustana Lutheran Church (1860-1962) which merged with the American Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC), the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church (Suomi Synod) and the United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) in 1962 to form the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). In 1986 the LCA - Canada Section and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada merged to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). In 1988 the remaining portion of the LCA merged with the American Lutheran Church (ALC) and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The fulfillment of the purpose of the Augustana Heritage Association is made possible through its many volunteers and members. Membership is $35 per person or $50 per family for each biennium. Members receive a semi-annual newsletter, assist in planning and facilitating the Biennial Gatherings, and receive advance notice of the publication of new books and other publications of interest to those of Augustana background.
To become a member of the Augustana Heritage Association or to renew a membership, please send a check for $35 per person or $50 per family to the AHA Office at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, 1100 East 55th Street, Chicago, IL 60615. Memberships are concurrent with the Biennial Gatherings, 2008-2010, etc. Memberships for congregations, institutions and agencies are $100. Additional gifts enable the association to fulfill its purpose and are always welcome. For further information, contact the Executive Director of the Association, the Rev. Dr. David E. Baker, 11932 Lake Wildwood Drive, Penn Valley, CA 95946 or the Office Manager, Ms. Ruth Ann Deppe, at the Chicago address above.
Augustana Heritage Association Membership Form
Membership in the Augustana Heritage Association is open to all who have an interest in preserving and promoting the heritage and legacy of the Augustana Lutheran Church.
Since its organization in 2000, the purpose of the Augustana Heritage Association has been carried out in a variety of ways:
- Subsequent Biennial Gatherings at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas in 2002 and 2008; at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota in 2004; at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York in 2006; and at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in 2010.
- The semi-annual publication of the Augustana Heritage Newsletter, edited for many years by Arvid & Nancy Anderson and currently edited by Ronald Englund.
- The publication in 1999 of The Augustana Heritage: Recollections, Perspectives and Prospects, presentations from the 1998 AHA Chautauqua Gathering, edited by Arland Hultgren and Vance Eckstrom.
- The publication in 2000, with a revised edition in 2002, of Songs of Two Homelands: Hymns and Liturgy of the Augustana Lutheran Tradition edited by Ronald Englund, Glenn Stone and John Swanson.
- The publication in 2002 of The Heritage of Augustana: Presentations at Rock Island and Lindsborg, edited by Hartland Gifford and Arland Hultgren
- The production in 2002 of the CD, Bright Gems for His Crown: 44 Hymns from the Augustana Lutheran Church, by Jack Swanson, Organist, and Amy James, Soprano; and in 2004 of the CD, Nearer, Still Nearer: Liturgy and Music from the 2004 Gathering at Gustavus Adolphus College.
- The publication in 2004 of The Heritage of Augustana: Essays on the Life and Legacy of the Augustana Lutheran Church, edited by Hartland Gifford and Arland Hultgren.
- The publication in 2007 of The Augustana Lutheran Church in Print: A Selective Union List with Annotations of Serial Publications Issued by the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church and its Agencies and Associates, 1855-1962, with Selected Serial Publications after 1962, by Virginia Follstad.
- The publication in 2008 of a new history of the Augustana Lutheran Church, The Augustana Story: Shaping Lutheran Identity in North America, by Maria Erling and Mark Granquist, the first book since the early 1960s to chronicle the history of the Augustana Lutheran Church.
- The development, under the guidance of Elisabeth Wittman and David Lindberg of the Augustana Heritage Association Archives at the Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
- An Oral History Project chaired by Dr. John Benson of Moorhead, Minnesota.
- An Historic Churches Project by Dr. Bruce Johnston of Chicago.
A.H.A. Officers and Others
Officers and Members of the Board of Directors of the Augustana Heritage Association for the 2010-2012 Biennium are:
- President - The Rev. Donald Sjoberg
- Vice-President - The Rev. Harold ("Hal") Nilsson
- Secretary - Ms. Ann Kohler
- Treasurer - The Rev. P. Gerald Leaf
- Board of Directors - The Rev. J. Roger Anderson, Mr. Loran Bohman, The Rev. Herbert Chilstrom, Mr. Terry Denley, Ms. Marilyn Jackson, The Rev. Ted Johns, Ms. Helene Leaf, Mr. John Norton, The Rev. Curtis Olson, Ms. Dorothy Palmquist, and The Rev. Dale Skogman
- Advisors to the Board - The Rev. Paul Cornell, The Rev. Arland Hultgren, and Ms. Kathryn Segerhammar Swanson
- Executive Director - The Rev. David Baker
- Newsletter Editor - The Rev. Ronald Englund
- Office Manager - Ms. Ruth Ann Deppe
For additional information, please contact the Augustana Heritage Association at the following address:
Augustana Heritage Association
Lutheran School of Theology
1100 East Fifty-Fifth Street
Chicago, IL 60615
Telephone: 773-256-0757
Toll Free: 800-635-1116 Ext 757
Fax: 773-256-0782
E-mail: [email protected]