For 25 years, the Wartburg Chapel has served the Wartburg community in its mission of caring for and supporting the entire campus with God’s grace and love. In 2019, the 25th anniversary of the Chapel will be commemorated with a sculptural representation of a Neuendettelsau “Lebenskreuz,” or "cross of life," inspired by the seven acts of mercy mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. The large, outdoor cross sculpture reaffirms the College’s commitment to instilling ministry and service into the hearts of all students, faculty, and staff. The cross will be an outward symbol of the college's mission and foundation.
Jean '67 and Vern Byl have generously offered to match donations made to the Chapel's 25th Anniversary campaign. Gifts made before Homecoming & Family Weekend (up to $5,000) will be matched dollar-for-dollar! If you make your gift today, your donation will be doubled! Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to impact Wartburg Chapel for the next 25 years!
Thanks to a generous gift from Mike and Marge McCoy, the College has begun the creation and installation process for the Lebenskreuz cross sculpture in time for Homecoming & Family Weekend. The timing is a blessing, as many members of the Wartburg community will be back for the dedication at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Your support of this project will help fund the final installation and design costs of the Lebenskreuz sculpture while creating opportunities for the next 25 years of ministry at Wartburg College! Gifts made before September 30th will be recognized in our dedication program!
“Mercy is a state of continuous transfer of divine love to the wretched.” – Wilhelm Löhe, “On Mercy”
Matthew 25:35-40, known as the Seven Acts of Mercy or the Parable of the Judgments, was an endless source of inspiration for Wartburg College’s founder, Wilhelm Löhe. In 1854, Löhe founded a social ministry enterprise in his hometown of Neuendettelsau in Bavaria, Germany, as a response to the Industrial Revolution’s legacy of deteriorating social conditions for disadvantaged populations. This move came just two short years after Löhe had directed Georg M. Grossman to establish a pastoral ministry training school for German immigrants in the United States – a school that would become Wartburg College. At the heart of Löhe’s new German ministerial venture was the Greek word diakonia – “service.” Diakonissenhaus, or “service house,” was envisioned as a vessel connecting Lutherans with hearts for service and ministry – especially poor or widowed women and girls – to mission areas in social justice, healthcare, and education for the disabled, disadvantaged and institutionally marginalized.
Löhe’s two legacy ministries, Wartburg College and Diakonissenhaus Neuendettelsau, grew independently until the late 20th century, when the College began cultivating relationships with German locations with close ties to its history – Wartburg Castle and Eisenach, Germany; Wittenberg, Germany; Marburg, Germany; and of course, Neuendettelsau. Musical tours, faculty and staff exchanges, and study abroad experiences have all explored the interwoven history of Löhe’s Diakonissenhaus Neuendettelsau (now known as Diakoneo) and Wartburg, ministry and mission, service and social justice. Wartburg visitors to Neuendettelsau were particularly taken with Diakoneo’s woodcrafting workshops, where people with disabilities are provided vocational training, job coaches, and work opportunities crafting handmade items, including “Lebenkreuz” — crosses depicting the Seven Acts of Mercy outlined in Matthew 25:35-40.
In October 1994, the Wartburg Chapel was constructed to celebrate the role of service and ministry in the church, and as a place to prepare Wartburg students for active roles as pastors and lay leaders within their future church and community homes. In 2019, with blessings from Diakoneo, the 25th anniversary of the Chapel’s construction is commemorated with a sculptural representation of a Neuendettelsau “Lebenskreuz.” The cross sculpture reaffirms the College’s commitment to instilling ministry and service into the hearts of all students, faculty, and staff, and reflects Löhe’s original vision of ministries of mercy guided by Matthew 25’s Seven Acts.
“God was at work in the Chapel offices upstairs, where I had a small desk with scribbled notepads of ideas for Bible studies and programs when I served as Campus Ministry Board president. God was at work in that same office, when I told one of the campus pastors that I was loving my position as board president so much that I wished I could do it forever. God was at work when she said to me, “Lisa, it's called being a pastor.” — Rev. Lisa Smith Fiegel ’99
“My first memory with the Wartburg Chapel was my first worship service as a junior in high school during Meistersinger Honor Band. I was talking to a student about wanting to come to Wartburg possibly, and he took the time to really speak with me about what life at Wartburg would look like. I still have my bulletin from this service, as he even wrote his email on it in case I ever had any questions or wanted to reach out. We're still friends today, and I have had many Meistersinger Honor Band Chapel Services since as part of the WCCB. It had been so moving to see the WCCB come together to host the service, from the message to the praise band and prelude music. I am so thankful that we have a place on campus to come and worship together, regardless of your denomination.” — Sofia Bouffard ’20
“My husband (Lucas Lenhart) and I were married in this church. Wartburg means a lot to us as a couple as that is where we met. The ceremony was beautiful, and Pastor Trachte was a really great part of our ceremony as well. I couldn't imagine having our wedding at a better place for us!” — Emily Kleiss Lenhart ’06
“My favorite memories of this beautiful building: being the first senior to share my Senior Chapel message, singing with the Wartburg Choir, playing the piano alone in the Chapel as a study break, Wednesday night Eucharist services. What a wonderful addition to the campus 25 years ago!” — Jen Christy Bye ’95
“September 11, 2001: So many people from all over campus flocked to the Chapel for worship and to find peace. People were scared and confused that day, but even when worship was over, many of us lingered, checked in with each other, sat, and cried together. The Chapel was an extra safe ‘home’ that day.” — Maggie Atkinson Gibney ’04
“Every time I come back to campus and step into the chapel, I have an overwhelming feeling of being back home.” — Amy Freeseman Yeager ‘98
Friday, Oct. 11
Saturday, Oct. 12
Sunday, Oct. 13