Lutheran Campus Ministry Records (DeKalb)

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-222

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

These records offer excellent coverage of the history the Lutheran Campus Ministry from its beginnings in the mid-1950’s until the opening of the new facility in 1975. There are additional meeting minutes, reports and articles from 1995 and 1996, and articles from 2005 to 2008. Also contained here are photographs from the mid-1950's thru 1975, plus additional photographs from 1990 and 2005. The LCM staff will be adding to this collection as their records become inactive.

Dates

created: 1955-1996

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

The Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northern began informally in the early 1950’s when a small group organized by local pastors and some faculty began to meet twice a month in NISTC buildings. In 1956 local congregations employed a graduate assistant to work with this group of Lutheran students and a year later First Lutheran Church of DeKalb purchased a private residence on Normal Road for use by the group. First Lutheran also called an ordained pastor who was to work in the congregation one-third time and to develop campus ministry two-thirds time. In the efforts to secure the property and staff First worked closely with and received support from the Lutheran Church in America’s campus ministries administrators. After remodelling the garage of Luther House for a chapel, regular formal worship services began. In 1959 LCM purchased the property just to the south on the northwest corner of Lucinda and Normal for $45,000 and it is on that property that the present facility was built and opened in 1975. For the first several years, LCM shared the facility with Judson Fellowship until Baptist Campus Ministry completed its own new structure further north on Normal Road.

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