By Barbara-Anne G. Taylor, AiM, St. Peter, Bethlehem, and synod secretary

Heritage.

It’s a word that often connotes "old, dusty, and boring." Certainly it is not a word to capture the imagination of a ten-year-old boy. And yet that’s exactly what has happened at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Pa.

The congregation is 143 years old and has a rich heritage, now captured in its “Heritage Room” — a room that is a lovely combination of library, meeting room, and archival storage. It’s a special treat for Sunday church school classes to spend time in the room learning about the congregation’s past:

• St. Peter’s underground gymnasium was dug out by hand at the time of World War II by members of the congregation seeking a safe place for neighborhood youth to play basketball.
• Sunday church school classes and worship services were once conducted in German.
• For over 40 years, the members of St. Peter’s have hosted visitors from all over the world on two weekends in May as they attend the Bach Festival at Lehigh University, dropping in at the congregation’s Social Room for meals and a place to relax between sessions.
• And so much more!!

The idea of preserving that amazing congregational heritage fascinates Richard Robert Hawk III. He is 10 years old and in the fifth grade at Saucon Valley Elementary School in Hellertown. He plays soccer, and at St. Peter’s he is a member of the Junior Choir, a Gift Bearer, an acolyte, and a member of the LYO.

Richard also loves to study, to learn, and to work on the computer. He has chosen to put those gifts to use by joining St. Peter’s Heritage Committee as its youngest member. The other committee members range in age from 30 to 80. Richard attends committee meetings, helps to file papers, helps to sort and store photographs, and helps with the heritage displays that change throughout the year.

He recently helped design a “quiz” of questions about St. Peter’s past and present sports teams, based on information from the Heritage Room. The quiz was distributed to members on “Sports Sunday,” a day when the recreation ministries of the congregation were highlighted. The Heritage Room was open after each worship service, and sports photographs and memorabilia were on display. Each person who visited the room and returned the quiz sheet with the correct answers received a St. Peter’s magnet and mug as keepsakes. It was a great time for young and old alike to share the stories of sports at St. Peter’s!

Richard’s work on the committee is very-much appreciated by the other committee members. His contributions to preserving the history of the congregation are important to all of the members of St. Peter’s. Richard’s ministry reminds us of the Communion of Saints, our connection, through Jesus Christ, with all the faithful of every time and every place. Thanks be to God!