Pastor Sönke Schmidt-Lange
(2003 - 2013)
(2003 - 2013)
Pastor Schmidt-Lange was born on July 12, 1939 in Munich, Germany. His childhood years were spent in Munich, Graz/Austria, in the German cities of Bielefeld, Hannover, and Osnabrück. As a student he was a leader in church related youth work.
From 1959 to 1965 he studied theology at the German universities of Bethel/Bielefeld, Tübingen, Marburg, and Göttingen, taking final exams in Hannover. As pastor intern he spent close to one year with German Lutheran congregations in Bournemouth and London, England, and two more years in extensive training and education at several stations througout Hannover Lutheran Church. Ordained in May 1968, after his Second Theological Exam, he served as associate pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Leer, Germany.
Having received a World Council of Churches fellowship and Fulbright grant, he left Leer in the summer of 1969 for post-graduate studies at Perkins School of Theology at Southeastern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. There he met his wife Anne Augspurger, originally from Kansas City, Missouri. The couple married in Springfield, Missouri in 1970. During the summer of that year, he worked as youth minister in rural Missouri.
While Anne was earning her graduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois, Pastor Schmidt-Lange served as interim pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church (ALC) in Urbana, Illinois, and as assistant to both Lutheran campus chaplains (LCA and LC-MS) at the University of Illinois. He also worked as a lecturer, free lance contributor to radio and television stations, and carpenter.
In 1971 Pastor Schmidt-Lange returned to Germany where he served for almost ten years as pastor in Bovenden, a suburb of Göttingen in the state of Lower Saxony. During part of this time Anne taught in the English department of the University of Göttingen. In 1981 Pastor Schmidt-Lange received a call for six years to the newly-founded German Dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church (Eastern Synod (ELCIC) in Toronto, Ontario/Canada under the auspices of the Overseas Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (EKD).
Through the EKD Pastor Schmidt-Lange was called in 1987 to the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul in New York City. His term there was extended several times and came to an end in 2002. During his work over twenty years in North America Pastor Schmidt-Lange came to know the former pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rev. Dr. John T. Schweitzer, and several members of Immanuel Lutheran Church through the German Evangelical Lutheran Conference in North America (DELKINA).
Anne Schmidt-Lange is a professional freelance translator of books, old records and documents as well as a historian of Mennonite and Amish immigrant families and their succeeding generations. The Schmidt-Langes have three grown children who live in Lancaster, PA, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia area.
The Installation of Pastor Schmidt-Lange
The installation service of the new pastor of the Immanuel Lutheran Church was held on November 16, 2003 at the Immanuel Church. The occasion was celebrated with pervasive rejoicing by Immanuel congregation members and others. Immanuel Church received a most qualified pastor after a long interval of vacancy. The sermon was delivered by Rev. Janet Corpus. Assistant to the Bishop, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod ELCA.
A special music program was offered. Participating were the Immanuel choirs, the confirmands and the Sunday school children. Besides voice soloists there were piano and violin instrumentalists. Hymns in English and in German were also sung by the congregation. The Holy Communion was consecrated and was followed by a hymn of thanksgiving to end the installation service.
Pastor Schmidt-Lange retired on November 1, 2013.
From 1959 to 1965 he studied theology at the German universities of Bethel/Bielefeld, Tübingen, Marburg, and Göttingen, taking final exams in Hannover. As pastor intern he spent close to one year with German Lutheran congregations in Bournemouth and London, England, and two more years in extensive training and education at several stations througout Hannover Lutheran Church. Ordained in May 1968, after his Second Theological Exam, he served as associate pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Leer, Germany.
Having received a World Council of Churches fellowship and Fulbright grant, he left Leer in the summer of 1969 for post-graduate studies at Perkins School of Theology at Southeastern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. There he met his wife Anne Augspurger, originally from Kansas City, Missouri. The couple married in Springfield, Missouri in 1970. During the summer of that year, he worked as youth minister in rural Missouri.
While Anne was earning her graduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana, Illinois, Pastor Schmidt-Lange served as interim pastor of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church (ALC) in Urbana, Illinois, and as assistant to both Lutheran campus chaplains (LCA and LC-MS) at the University of Illinois. He also worked as a lecturer, free lance contributor to radio and television stations, and carpenter.
In 1971 Pastor Schmidt-Lange returned to Germany where he served for almost ten years as pastor in Bovenden, a suburb of Göttingen in the state of Lower Saxony. During part of this time Anne taught in the English department of the University of Göttingen. In 1981 Pastor Schmidt-Lange received a call for six years to the newly-founded German Dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church (Eastern Synod (ELCIC) in Toronto, Ontario/Canada under the auspices of the Overseas Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (EKD).
Through the EKD Pastor Schmidt-Lange was called in 1987 to the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul in New York City. His term there was extended several times and came to an end in 2002. During his work over twenty years in North America Pastor Schmidt-Lange came to know the former pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Rev. Dr. John T. Schweitzer, and several members of Immanuel Lutheran Church through the German Evangelical Lutheran Conference in North America (DELKINA).
Anne Schmidt-Lange is a professional freelance translator of books, old records and documents as well as a historian of Mennonite and Amish immigrant families and their succeeding generations. The Schmidt-Langes have three grown children who live in Lancaster, PA, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia area.
The Installation of Pastor Schmidt-Lange
The installation service of the new pastor of the Immanuel Lutheran Church was held on November 16, 2003 at the Immanuel Church. The occasion was celebrated with pervasive rejoicing by Immanuel congregation members and others. Immanuel Church received a most qualified pastor after a long interval of vacancy. The sermon was delivered by Rev. Janet Corpus. Assistant to the Bishop, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod ELCA.
A special music program was offered. Participating were the Immanuel choirs, the confirmands and the Sunday school children. Besides voice soloists there were piano and violin instrumentalists. Hymns in English and in German were also sung by the congregation. The Holy Communion was consecrated and was followed by a hymn of thanksgiving to end the installation service.
Pastor Schmidt-Lange retired on November 1, 2013.