Mary Lou College needed a cathedral to teach their urchins how to conduct proper liturgical worship.
My father was the reason we became Lutheran in the first place. He was raised Roman Catholic and didn't want his children to grow up that way. So yes he did do some church shopping with my mother and fortunately God led them to the closest church in the neighborhood, which was a traditional Lutheran church in Milwaukee, a WELS church. This was back in 1982 or so. We have been Lutheran ever since. And since it was an older church in Milwaukee, the atmosphere lent itself to being a place of Lutheran worship. Some of the most meaningful and fondly remembered moments I ever had in worship was in that church. Strong Lutheran doctrine, used the entire service from The Lutheran Hymnal, sang Stille Nacht for Christmas. My brother and I went to the school that they had then and I can say now that we were given a great Lutheran foundation at a young age.
I look around now and see the modern churches with all of the whiz-bang tech and wonder why all of that superfluous flummery is really needed? All you need is an organ that works, a relatively good sound system in some instances, a good furnace (this is Wisconsin after all!), and dedicated servants of the Word that have been steeped in God's Word and Lutheran doctrine. As a staff minister intern I helped out at a small congregation. And all 15 or so members were blessed with a church, an organ, a fellowship hall in the basement, a church library, and a bathroom or two. That's it. Did they complain? Nope. The only worry was that the congregation didn't have a full time pastor at the time. Plus most of the membership were elderly. But they all pulled together and made that church work and has been a constant reminder that they didn't need anything more than what they had and they did just fine.
I remember when the MLC chapel was brought up time and time again when I was there. When there were missionaries that were out in the field holding services with a tarp and some folding chairs and managing to have substantial worship, what would a huge edifice do for a student body that usually skips chapel anyway? The auditorium was fine.
The organ worked, there were hymnals, there was seating, and there was even a sermon, which sometimes was well done. Other instances you wondered exactly how some of these guys managed to tie their shoelaces let alone write and present a sermon. But that gathering place was enough for a 30 minute worship, two times a day. And the room was a multi-tasker too. Now there's a huge monstrosity that towers over the campus that cost several bazillion dollars and it gets used as much for worship as the old auditorium did.
Well they certainly proved their point in having that building. Apparently these funding clowns never saw "The Bishop's Wife", a film that is sketchy in its doctrine to say the least, but it does handle the question of having a huge cathedral: you don't need it and there are better ways to spend offerings and donations.
Sorry for the rambling, but thank you again for the books and thank you again for your prayers and the message of comfort that the Scriptures give us concerning the fate of all those that have faith in Christ and follow His Word. Death is just the starting point for an eternal life in heaven with our Lord. Looking at it in those terms is quite comforting and strengthening at the same time.
They conduct popcorn and cola entertainment sessions,
dressed as if they were going to lube the car or change a tire.
