As part of the WELS 175th anniversary celebrations, be sure to save the date for a special anniversary dinner celebrating the founding of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
Agenda:
- 4:00 p.m. Open House at the WELS Museum
- 5:00 p.m. Social Hour
- 6:00 p.m. Dinner
- 7:00 p.m. Program
- 8:00 p.m. Afterglow
The WELS Historical Institute cordially invites you to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod at a dinner at Salem Lutheran Church and School. The original constitution for the WELS was adopted on May 26, 1850. That adoption took place at the first synod convention, which was held in a small log cabin church at Salem Lutheran Church in Granville. We invite you back to birthplace of the Wisconsin Synod on May 28th to celebrate God’s grace to our church body. The WELS Museum will be open beginning at 4:00 p.m. Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Church with a program to follow. WELS President Mark Schroeder and former WELS President Karl Gurgel will begin the program with their greetings. Professor Joel Otto will give a special presentation on the history of the WELS.
Tickets are now available for $50 per person. Attendance is limited to 200 people. Please register by May 12, 2025.
Professor Otto chairs the WELS 175th anniversary committee (2025). Since 2011, he has served at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, where he teaches church history and education and is the dean of students. Previously he served congregations in Michigan, California, and Wisconsin. He is also the chairman of the WELS Historical Institute and serves on the Commission on Inter-Church Relations. He has previously served on the Commission on Worship, the Commission on Lutheran Schools, the WELS Hymnal Project, and as a writer for Forward in Christ. He is also the co-author of, Christ Through Us: A Pictorial History of the Wisconsin Synod, 1850-2025.