Keeping the Faith - Alone in a sea of non-Lutherans, three members of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans discover new ways to reinforce their foundation of faith.

By Ingrid Skjong
Illustrations by Joe Ciardiello

In 1999, when Derrick Wright and his family discovered St. Paul Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, they felt at home. In fact, the church became a headquarters of sorts for Wright, his wife, Cindy, a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans representative, and their three children. “Family, friends, work and school—just about everything has some connection to our church,” he says.

So it was somewhat unsettling when Wright, who works for a private company, was sent to Baghdad for a year in August 2006. For a man of strong faith and unwavering church loyalty, leaving family, friends and a community of faith behind proved challenging initially. “When I first arrived, I had no idea whether there were any types of church services being held nearby,” he explains. “I brought one of my wife’s Bibles—a small one that just contains the Gospels, Psalms and Proverbs—so that I could at least spend time studying.”

For many Lutherans thrown out of their normal worship routine—because they’re in another country or another state—the transition can be difficult. Yet even though the landscape might change, the desire to hold on to their Lutheran heritage remains.

Finding Home Base

Despite Wright’s unfamiliar surroundings, he soon realized he didn’t have to worship alone. Catholic, Protestant and Jewish services were held regularly in locations inside what is called the International Zone in Baghdad. But Wright’s work schedule, which takes him to different parts of Baghdad, made it difficult to attend the Protestant gatherings. So he began attending a Tuesday night Bible study group at a nearby chapel housed in a trailer in the International Zone. Although the discussions aren’t Lutheran-specific (he has yet to run into another Lutheran on the base), Wright has learned that there is commonality.

“It has been great spending time in study and fellowship with other Christians,” he says. “The military chaplain who holds the Bible study comes from a Baptist background, and while his approach is certainly different from what I am accustomed to, the message is similar.”

A Simpler Approach

Thrivent Financial member Paul Krieg, who comes from a solid Lutheran background, knows all about being a lone Lutheran living in a foreign land. In 1965, after his sophomore year in college, Krieg volunteered for 10 months at Casa Cares—a children’s home in Florence, Italy. He returned in 1968 and spent four more years at Casa Cares until meeting his wife, Antoinette, who had grown up in the tradition of the Reformed Church of Switzerland.

The couple moved to the U.S. in 1973 and spent much of the next 12 years working at a New Orleans-based residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children run by Lutheran Social Services of the South. During that time, Krieg and his family were members of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Then, in 1985, the Kriegs made the decision to move back to Italy with their two children.

During the years the Kriegs were gone, Casa Cares had closed its doors and the property had been donated to a small, reformed church of Italy called the Waldensian Church. When the Waldensians heard the Kriegs were returning, they invited the family to take over Casa Cares and develop a meeting center/guesthouse. The Kriegs agreed.

In the time he’s lived in Europe, Krieg, now a member of the Waldensian congregation in Florence, admits that his worship practices have changed. “During these years, in contrast to the Lutheran worship I had known, we have simple, rather informal worship on Sundays,” says Krieg. “As foreigners working with a national church, we believe we need to plug into what it has to offer and to make our contribution there.” Still, Krieg strives to maintain his Lutheran connections and enjoys working with the closest Lutheran church, which primarily serves the German-speaking community. One of the highlights of working with this particular church, Krieg notes, “For the past two years, Casa Cares has hosted the annual national women’s meeting of the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Italy.”

Meaningful Miles

Of course, it doesn’t take an international address to be a lone Lutheran. Thrivent Financial member the Rev. Roger Sterle—pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Vernal, Utah, and Trinity Lutheran Church, a congregation 64 miles away in Rangely, Colorado—found himself in Mormon country when he took the position in 1994. For Sterle, a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, faith has been an integral part of his life since he was young. But even though Lutheranism isn’t as prevalent in Utah—the next closest Lutheran congregation is about 200 miles from Vernal—his approach hasn’t changed.

“I don’t really consider myself in a different world,” says Sterle, who makes the 64-mile journey between the congregations he serves twice a week. “Sure, there is a prominent religious culture in Utah, which, in some instances, governs just about everything in business, in schools, in politics and in lawmaking. Yet in areas where another denomination is in the majority, the same would hold true.”

New Perspectives

Preserving the presence of Lutheran faith becomes a priority for those who find themselves a lone representative. But, as in Wright’s case, being thrown into a brand-new, richly cultural land has expanded his horizons—although he’s quick to point out that his location might not be the ideal. “While I strongly believe that real growth comes from operating outside of your comfort zone, I don’t necessarily recommend heading to the nearest war zone in order to do that,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be that extreme. However, this separation from my family—along with my immersion in a new environment and culture— has certainly helped me to develop a real appreciation for the blessings that God has bestowed upon my life.”

When Wright wakes up at 4 a.m. to call his family, he hears calls to prayer broadcast over the loudspeakers on nearby mosques, and he sees firsthand how religion drives the culture. “I have learned a lot about the Arab culture and the Islamic religion since I have been here,” he says. “I have a great deal of respect for the people who are trying desperately to practice their religion the way that it was originally intended.”

Krieg, who is a member of his church council in Italy and taught the congregation’s confirmation class for about 10 years, also has learned to appreciate the new approaches that surround him. And while the Waldensian service and the austere setting of the church are far different from what he experienced in his Lutheran upbringing in Wisconsin, he explains, “I can understand it.” He’s also found new ways to surround himself in a community of faith through the church’s membership in the Ecumenical Association of Academies and Laity Centers in Europe and the groups from surrounding churches that he hosts throughout the year at Casa Cares.

Despite the differences Krieg and his counterparts have experienced, whether in a European setting, a war zone or a unique setting closer to home, one thing remains the same—you can take a Lutheran out of a Lutheran setting, but the foundation still remains. “Over the past 40 years I have had to deal mostly alone with my Lutheran identity,” says Krieg. “I have come to cherish my Lutheran background and training as the rich and solid foundation of my faith experience.”

A regular contributor to Thrivent magazine, Ingrid Skjong is a freelance writer from New York, New York.

Stay Connected

The Rev. Jeffrey McPike, a chaplain at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, a Level 1 trauma hospital, often comes face-to-face with patients removed from their communities of faith. “Some of my patients have been just passing through [the region] and end up in a terrible traffic accident on the interstate,” says McPike. “Their families come, and the patient and family together are isolated and cut off from their support system.”

Whether a patient in a strange hospital or a Lutheran in a far-flung land, McPike offers this advice for nurturing, sharing and firming your faith when you find yourself a world apart from your Lutheran roots.

• Have a Bible on hand, but also read from a Lutheran hymnbook. “The hymnbook is a connection with the worship life of any congregation,” says McPike.
• Have a regular devotional schedule to keep you grounded and always in the Word.
• If you can find a Lutheran congregation, connect with it. If not, he says, “Seek out those who share in the Christian faith.”

—Sarah Asp