W Yankee Doodle Background Lutheran Church Has National Membership

lt\ .lucob S« haad J/. . TAI’K MAY The spiritual heer|< of an unusual hetiTijRHrt'Ous ningrogatuui that >tn*lcbf\ from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans are lieing served •here by one of ( apc'Muy County s newest churches and its etiuflienl pastor Barely lhr«H* years old as an official con gregation. ?he CajH 1 May l.utheran Church is an*anoinaly in which attendance goes down at Christmas, skyrockets on the Fourth of July and is just average during the winter The congregation is unique in that it includes retired local residents, 12 of them octogenarians, members of the United States Coast Guard which has it training center just half mile from the church, and vacationists from as far west as California. many of whom make (‘ape May their summon homes and join the church Till-: TIK THAT binds the parishioners throughout the year is the handiwork of 4:t year.old Kev Ronald Nelson The pastor edits a newsletter that is not the or 'dmafy church periodical With a circulation of close to 400. the publication not only provides local/church and national Lutheran news, hut it offers recipes for such palatable delicanhs as Swedish hut t«r cake, cherry dream squares and zuc cmni crescent pie Tile newsletter has become a big hit. especially with the summer • people wfio return to their native states m the winter I pen receiving one edition in the middle of I tie snow season, an ■•adopted" parishioner wrote Rev Nelson "It is bitterly”cold heft*, but as I think of your congregation, warm memories flood my mind not only foe sunny summer days at the shore but fo/- the warmth and love of caring fellowship Another summer rosidenf from a disfan' state wpotc We feel that we are a part of your congregation every time we receive your monthly newsletter Because of the unique composition of his congregation.- Rev ,Nelson has drawn up uniMial service schedules The Christmas Kve service, for in stance' is held at 't p ni At that it only draw's about r»o worshipiiers. far tielow the wnwiifter average The reason for the low alXendance is that many jiarislnoners leave ('apt* May just before Christmas some to escape the winter cold in Florida and others to. spend lime with the * children in other areas \ "If wV had a service at II pm. I don't think anybody' would be here." Pastor Nelson said frankly lade at /light it can

get very.cold and windy on Christmas Kve in Cape May TIIF. STORY IS different, however, at Faster That s when people start returning 4o the seashore As a result, the church set an'all time high attendance of 177 on one Faster as Rev Nelson increased his services to two Unlike most churches in other regions wihich hold only one service in the summer. Pastor Nelson doubles his morning worships and conversely in the winter, after the summer crowd has left, only one service is held on Sunday In keeping-with the tradition of the histqnc city in which it lives, the young Cape May Lutheran Church has a Yankee Doodle Dandy background Its first service was held on July 4. 1976, on the Bicentennial celebration of the lion. Then a summer intern, the Rev ij biefenderfer. now pastor of St Marl Lutheran Church of Bethlehem P^ delivered the sermon He was follow! the autumn of '76 by Dr Ralph Holmin. now pastor of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Dover Township, and then by another intern. Bruce T Ewen. currently pastor nf the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Wcnonah Rev Nelson was assigned to Cape May on SeptemlKT I. 197H by the Division for Missions in North America of the Ldlheran Church in America It is the third new church at which he has served JThe firs! was the A|k»stles Lutheran /'hurch of Tarnersville. where he was/the initial pastor, and the second thw-Fflith Lutheran Church of Hiflsborough where he was ihe second pastor Cape May Lutheran is situated in two buildings formerly occupied by the Na<jprene Church arid the United States i oast Guard The small sanctuary, only by Mi feet, seats about 123 parishioners After that the overflow is accommodated m an adjacent building which consists of a classroom, two offices and a kitchen When Rev Diefenderfer arrived at what was to become a modernized church building back in 1973. the sight he beheld was enough to discourage any divinity stu dent Dust was "a couple of inches thick " Ghostly cobwebs clung to every corner and right in the middle of w hat is now the sane tuary was a dirty, old bathtub SIM F TIIKN with financial help from the LCA and the physical help of church members, the buildings have undergone an anurtfuig Iransbmmation A recent addi Mum nas beeria paved 40 car parking lot Early this yeat Ihe church assumed a $t:tt JKKi mortgage of which $15,000 already has-been paid off.

Rev Nelson, a graduate of Upsala College and Augustana Seminary, now the Lutheran School of Theology, believes the Cape May Lutheran (’hurch has a uni queness that other churches in this 124 year old historic city do not have "Most churches in Cape may have members who have been long-time residents of this beautiful city." he said "But «>yr membership is reflective of the new growth in Cape May Most of our members are transplants, recent resident s coming from other areas of the state and nation " Cape May has enjoyed a renaissance in , the past 10 years, having been declared a National Historic landmark City as a result of a reawakening of "its historical consciousness and curiosity Visitors have come from all over the world and many have stayed to offer their help PASTOR NELSON, who also preaches at the Coast Guard base several times a year, is ideally suited for the role of church organizer. He greets his parishioners at the door as they Come to church, as well as when they leave He spends many hours dsiting parishioners and potential ibers in this growing city that although m New Jersey is situated below the/Mason Dixon line. And he has a sense M{/numot that often effectively makes his lints in the Sunday sermon Typical of his humor is the newsletter story that he tells about a pastor - not himself - who made a home visitation When the minister rapped on the door and received no' response, he left his calling card. writing on it: •‘Revelation 3:20 Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door.

I Phntn* by !*•'<« Wald) THE REV RONALD NELSON, pastor of the Cape may Lutheran Church, has served three new churches in New Jersey. I will come in to him.'" The following Sunday, as parishioners filed out of the church, the woman who did not answer his call left him his card with "Genesis 3:10" written on it Later, in the quiet of his study the clergyman researched the Biblical passage It read: "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."

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