Fire breaks out at downtown Milwaukee church - TMJ4 Milwaukee, WI

Fire breaks out at downtown Milwaukee church - TMJ4 Milwaukee, WI:

 Trinity is the mother church of Lutheranism in Milwaukee, its congregation having been organized in 1847. Ceremonies on July 7, 1878, marked the laying of the cornerstone, and Trinity Lutheran was consecrated April 11, 1880. Cost of the church, including all furnishings, glass, and organ, was $43,500.

Trinity Church is a highly decorative and vigorous example of the Victorian Gothic style. The interior is notable for the broad spaciousness of its vaulted auditorium and for the extraordinarily fine craftsmanship of its wooden trim, fittings, and furnishings. Particularly remarkable are the sweeping staircase in the north tower, the organ casing, the lofty, canopied pulpit, the altarpiece, and the doors.

"Crews were called out to 1046 N. 9th Street, which is Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

• Chopper 4 Video: Spire Collapses During Downtown Church Fire"

'via Blog this'

----

Follow Up

"We did have one when they were remodeling this building right there -- it did go to a third alarm. I did talk to (the City of Milwaukee's Department of Neighborhood Services) who handled building inspection and spoke to the pastor of the church -- so the church is fully remodeled three or four years ago. Whenever you have a large wooden structure and fire, that's always a concern," said Smith.

Smith said it's too early to say where the fire started. He said the initial call was for a fire on the roof at 3:45 p.m.

Smith said firefighters weren't going inside "for safety and the fear of collapse."

"We're gonna fight this fire from the exterior before we even attempt to get in the building," said Smith.

There was no damage to any other buildings, and no other businesses had to be shut down, but fire personnel were stationed at some surrounding businesses out of precaution.

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated State Historic Site. The building was declared a Milwaukee landmark in 1967, a State Historical Landmark in 1979 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

A Great Hymn of Encouragement - And Not from Paul Gerhardt!

 This hymn is sometimes called the hymn Paul Gerhardt did NOT write, but could have written. So let's celebrate George Newmark.

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Neumark.htm

Georg Neumark (Hymn-Writer, Composer)

Born: March 16, 1621 - Langensalza, Thuringia, Germany Died: July 18, 1681 - Weimar, Germany

Georg Neumark was educated at the Gymnasiums in Schleusingen and Gotha. He received his certificate of dimission from the latter in September 1641. He left Gotha in the autumn of 1641, along with a number of merchants going to the Michaelmas Fair at Leipzig. He then joined a similar party going from Leipzig to Lübeck, planning to proceed to Königsberg and enroll at the university there. After passing through Magdeburg, they were attacked by bandits on the Gardelegen Heath, who robbed Neumark of all he had with him, except his prayer book and a little money sewed up in his clothes. Georg Neumark returned to Magdeburg, but could not find a job there, nor in Lüneburg, Winsen, or Hamburg, to which in succession the friends he made passed him on. In the beginning of December he went to Kiel, where he found a friend in Nicolaus Becker, a fellow Thuringian and then chief pastor at Kiel. Day after day passed without an opening, till about the end of the month the tutor in the family of judge Stephan Henning fell into disgrace and fled from Kiel. On Becker’s recommendation, Neumark got the job, and this sudden end of his anxieties was the occasion of the writing of his hymn Wer nur den lieb­en Gott lässt walten. Georg Neumark passed the time happily in the Henning home until he had saved enough to proceed to Königsberg, where he enrolled June 21, 1643, as a law student. He remained five years, also studying poetry under Dach and maintaining himself as a family tutor. During this time (in 1646) he again lost all his belongings, this time by fire. In 1648 he left Königsberg, was for a short time in Warsaw, and spent 1649-1650 at Thorn. He was then in Danzig, and September 1651 in Hamburg. By the end of 1651 he had returned to Thuringia, and was noticed by Duke Wilhelm II of Sachse-Weimar, the president of the Fruitbearing Society, the principal German literary organization in the 17th Century. The Duke, apparently in 1652, appointed Neumark as court poet, librarian, and registrar of the administration at Weimar; and finally secretary of the Ducal Archives. In September 1653 Neumark was admitted as a member of the Fruitbearing Society, of which he became secretary in 1656. In 1679, he also became a member of the Pegnitz Order. In 1681, he went blind, but was permitted to keep his posts until he died.

"If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee"
by Georg Neumark, 1621-1681
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

1. If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God's unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that naught can move.

2. What can these anxious cares avail thee,
These never-ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O'er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

3. Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whate'er thy Father's pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

4. God knows full well when times of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

5. Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And sets a bound to everything.

6. All are alike before the Highest;
'Tis easy to our God, we know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.

7. Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word, though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

Hymn #518
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 55:22
Author: Georg Neumark, 1640
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
Titled: "Wer nur den lieben Gott laesst walten"
Composer: Georg Neumark, 1640
Tune: "Wer nur den lieben Gott"

***

GJ - This is a great hymn for those going through a time of trial. The anniversary of the Reformation gave me plenty of reasons to be completely disgusted. The attitude of 100% of the Lutherans was - "Let's get this over with so we can ignore Luther with impunity."

An ELCA pastor teaching the deluded souls at a Jeske conference was a good example of this. She said, "I am already tired of the anniversary."

WELS/ELS cannot give up their position against Luther, because we all know - from these two sects only - that Sig Becker and JP Meyer were far superior to Luther in their theological insights from the Bible or wherever they found their theses.

Matt the Fatt's LCMS has stolen a march on the competition by publishing a catechism that gloriously explains - as Mrs. Matt did to me - that there is an Objective and a Subjective Justification - yes, everywhere but the Bible, Luther, and the Confessions. Thus the Oblates of Walther Immaculate have sealed the fate of their dying sect.

What troubles me is -

• Everyone has access to the English version of Luther's Bible - the King James Version, plus various KJV updates.
• The Book of Concord teaches Justification by Faith and commends Luther's Galatians Lectures.
• Various theologians have repudiated OJ/SJ.
• All the clergy have access to a wealth of theological and Scriptural books but show no inclination to deal with the issues.

The True Church by Emanuel Greenwald - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry – "Faithful to the Reformation"

The True Church by Emanuel Greenwald - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry – "Faithful to the Reformation":

PDF

Kindle

Early Kindles

EPUB (Apple, Kobo)

"About Emanuel Greenwald
“Emanuel Greenwald was born near Frederick, Maryland, Jan. 13, 1811, and was, like the prophet Samuel of old, dedicated by his pious parents to the holy office from his earliest infancy. His theological studies were pursued under the private supervision of Rev. David F. Schaeffer, who similarly prepared no less than fourteen other young men, in his own parsonage, for the work of the ministry.

“Dr. Greenwald’s first parish was New Philadelphia, Ohio, and all the adjoining country within a radius of fifteen miles in every direction. At one time he supplied fourteen preaching points on Sundays and week-days. In 1842 he was elected as the first editor of the Lutheran Standard, and from 1848 to 1850 he was the president of the English District Synod of Ohio.

“The years 1851 to 1854 were spent in the city of Columbus, during which time he held many responsible positions on important boards, committees, etc. In September, 1854, he accepted a call to the pastorate of Christ Church, Easton, Penn., which he faithfully served for twelve years. His fourth and last parish was Holy Trinity Church of Lancaster, Penn., in which he labored from May, 1867, up to his death in December, 1885. He began preaching every Thursday evening at a mission point in the northern part of the city, which soon developed into Grace Church, and afterwards started another mission in the western section which was the nucleus of Christ Church. An assistant being necessary for the increasing field, Rev. Charles S. Albert served in this capacity, then Rev. David H. Geissinger, then Rev. John Rumple, then Rev. C. Elvin Haupt, then Rev. Ezra K. Reed, then Rev. Charles L. Fry. Long after his own generation will his memory continue to be revered as an ideal pastor and a man of pre-eminent saintliness. C. L. F.1

Download the E-book

PDF

Kindle

Early Kindles

EPUB (Apple, Kobo)"



'via Blog this'

If thou but suffer God to guide thee | Comfort for Christians

George Neumark - inspired a Bach chorale.

If thou but suffer God to guide thee | Comfort for Christians:




"Lyrics Permalink
“If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee”
by Georg Neumark, 1621-1681
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that naught can move.

Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whate’er thy Father’s pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word, though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

2. What can these anxious cares avail thee,
These never-ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O’er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

4. God knows full well when times of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

5. Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And sets a bound to everything.

6. All are alike before the Highest;
‘Tis easy to our God, we know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.


Hymn #518 in The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 55:22
Author: Georg Neumark, 1640
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863, alt.
Titled: “Wer nur den lieben Gott laesst walten”
Composer: Georg Neumark, 1640
Tune: “Wer nur den lieben Gott”"

'via Blog this'

Tis a Good Thing I Watered Key Flowers Yesterday. The Storm Is Coming - Has Arrived

 The upside-down Nuthatch was designed to make feeding from the bark that much easier. Likewise, squirrels are engineered to max their speed and ability in trees and designed with split image eye lenses to judge distance to my bird feeders. From Norma A. Boeckler

I used to depend on Mr. Gardener's weather reports, because Weather.com and Accuweather (sic) seldom agreed. Worst of all the weather sites overreport the next rain, which means we often see the storm sail on from Oklahoma to Eastern Arkansas.

When Mr. Gardener got on his riding mower and grimly cut down the growth of his lawn, as if the storm was about to break, I knew the rain was coming.

Yesterday I began by watering the enormous Cat Mint mound that started last year and decided 2018 was its leap year. The combination of mint roots and clay soil meant I wanted some soft soil to move most of it to the Butterfly Garden (the sunniest area) and to share with others. Ranger Bob has two cats and I told him how one comes over just to rub herself against the Cat Mint. Our dentist's mother also wants Cat Mint. Do not worry - I could start a business from that one mound and I have more besides.

I decided to soak most of the rose garden, just in case the "maybe rain" forecast turned out to be another fantasy. As Ishmael wondered in Moby Dick, "Did you ever feel like the whole world was a practical joke and you were the butt end of it?"

I heard thunder and rain last night, and the rain continues. The radar suggests that rain will continue today a bit, a prelude to rain tomorrow.

Ranger Bob, in spite of his work in landscaping, hates rainy days. However, I love to see a long, slow rain. Watering and then seeing the water bill can make anyone appreciate free rainwater expertly applied, packed with usable nitrogen compounds, lacking chlorine - God's best liquid fertilizer, guaranteed not to burn. However, flooding may occur.

Some organic gardening book probably calculates the fertilizer laid down by one rainstorm over several states. The amount of water itself is impossible to imagine.

Rain is like news, good and bad - I cannot control the rain, only what I do about it. Every plant serves to channel rain downward, which is very good, so that also means storing the water in its tissue. Every creature is mostly water and also stores the rain. A good rainstorm is captured by the growth of plants, bacteria, protozoa, mold, earthworms, and all soil creatures. The plants also build channels for the water to penetrate more deeply and be stored.

Some say "Boo hiss" when they hear about clay soil, but God made clay soil to hold a lot of water and to exchange mineral ions easily. When I am ankle deep in super-saturated clay mud and possibly falling over, I am not so keen on clay. Nevertheless, clay plus organic matter is the best foundation for most crops.

This is where I have to put in a good word for the God-created and wind-sown weeds - and the weeds squirrels work hard to plant and manage. Weeds are Guardians of the Soil (a classic work that will crush your bias against weeds). Weeds build the soil and hold it in place. They often have taproots that send rain water deep into the soil. Squirrels manage most of mine, by planting nuts where they will be watered most - under a rose bush. So cute, not. But I counter their trickery by cutting deep-rooted weeds at the soil level, a landscaper's trick. It uses no toxins, keeps the roots at work, and prevents the little trees from becoming a nut plantation.

 That is my Lowe's feeder, but not my photo.

Pleasant Surprises
Ranger Bob had too much storage on his property, so he asked, "Do you want a storage shed?" I always thought that would be great for gardening tools and convenience. Soon we were carrying it over from his place, and he was painting it white, black, and silver. He loves to paint.

When I spotted a roll-top desk, never used, in his barn, he offered to bring it over on his truck. Three of us could barely manage it, and it barely fit. He likes to work on cars and fix things, but hates paperwork. I help him with taxes and dealing with various bureaucrazies.

Someone was watching our service and a prayer was answered, so he wrong a long letter about it. There are so many consequences of broadcasting the Word - one never knows.

From Norma A. Boeckler