Luther plaque
Our tour of St. Mark’s begins with the only item covered in this little booklet which is not a generally-recognized Christian symbol: the Luther plaque which hangs on the south sanctuary entrance wall in the narthex. The German rocket scientists and their families who were St. Marks’ original members share a certain kinship with this plaque, uprooted by war from their original homes, and transported to a foreign land to serve again.
The presentation engraving hanging with the plaque summarizes its history:
“Through the efforts of the late Mr. Robert Kirk Bell, Esquire, Huntsville Alabama the Federal Republic of Germany has presented unconditionally this original bronze plaque of Martin Luther to St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church as a token of appreciation for the spiritual ministrations to the German rocket scientists and engineers who located in Huntsville in 1950.
“After viewing the partial mutilation of the plaque by Russian invaders, Mr. Bell retrieved it from a monument in the Berlin Tiergarten. At the time, Mr. Bell was serving as legal counselor, General’s Staff, United States Army, Berlin.”
As we mark 500 years since Luther’s 95 theses sparked the reformation in Germany, spreading to the rest of Europe and beyond, let us review symbols of our faith we find at St. Mark’s. Most of these we share with Christians of all traditions, recalling our Heavenly Father, His Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit: one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The presentation engraving hanging with the plaque summarizes its history:
“Through the efforts of the late Mr. Robert Kirk Bell, Esquire, Huntsville Alabama the Federal Republic of Germany has presented unconditionally this original bronze plaque of Martin Luther to St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church as a token of appreciation for the spiritual ministrations to the German rocket scientists and engineers who located in Huntsville in 1950.
“After viewing the partial mutilation of the plaque by Russian invaders, Mr. Bell retrieved it from a monument in the Berlin Tiergarten. At the time, Mr. Bell was serving as legal counselor, General’s Staff, United States Army, Berlin.”
As we mark 500 years since Luther’s 95 theses sparked the reformation in Germany, spreading to the rest of Europe and beyond, let us review symbols of our faith we find at St. Mark’s. Most of these we share with Christians of all traditions, recalling our Heavenly Father, His Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit: one God, now and forever.
Amen.