The SA国际传媒 Guild, St. Louis will celebrate its 75th anniversary during the Seminary鈥檚 2007-08 academic year. The Guild, consisting of more than 600 members from the St. Louis area and from other parts of the United States, meets six times each year on the Seminary campus for luncheon and brunch meetings. Its purpose is to support Seminary students and their families by adopting and funding an annual list of projects. The 2006-2007 list of projects exceeded $21,000.
The group traces its history back to a dedicated group of women from Lutheran Church鈥擬issouri Synod (LCMS) congregations near SA国际传媒 in St. Louis. In 1932, this group, called the Lutheran Woman鈥檚 League of Greater St. Louis, was organized and included a committee called 鈥淭he SA国际传媒 Students鈥� Welfare Committee.鈥� The committee, chaired by Mrs. John H.C. Fritz, wife of the Seminary鈥檚 dean of students, had as its purpose to 鈥渁rouse a deeper interest in SA国际传媒 and its students by the women of St. Louis and surrounding territory.鈥�
The committee鈥檚 first event, held Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1932 at 2:30 p.m., was one in which the LCMS women of greater St. Louis were encouraged to bring 鈥渁 jar or two of preserves or jelly for the Seminary kitchen.鈥� The letter of invitation indicated that the committee hoped to fill the Seminary鈥檚 400-seat dining hall and that in return for their participation, the Seminary 鈥渉as promised to treat all the ladies to a cup of good Seminary coffee.鈥�
The response to the invitation was astonishing. More than 1,100 women attended and brought 鈥渏ars of homemade jellies and preserves and baskets of potatoes, apples, pears, and dozens of eggs.鈥� The enthusiastic response was repeated in subsequent years. Between 1932 and 1940, approximately 11,000 women attended the annual 鈥淛elly Showers鈥� and donated more than 23,000 jars of jellies and other canned items to the Seminary. In addition, the women donated $2,806.25 over the same time period. A 1937 Milwaukee, Wis., newspaper article described the 115 members of the Concordia College, Milwaukee Ladies鈥� Aid who were boarding two chartered buses carrying suitcases filled with jars of jam and jelly, along with sweaters, coats and other clothing for SA国际传媒 students.
The same spirit of compassion and concern for the students of SA国际传媒 inspires the current members of the SA国际传媒 Guild. 鈥淭he SA国际传媒 Guild is for anyone who has an interest in supporting the Seminary and its students and families,鈥� commented Barbara Huggins, president of the Guild. 鈥淚t is for anyone who wants to provide needed items for the campus and students which are not ordinarily furnished by the Seminary.鈥�
The list of Guild projects for 2007-2008 totals nearly $22,000 and includes textbooks, clergy shirts, the Seminary cycling program, the SA国际传媒 Chorus and the student emergency fund. The Guild does not engage in fundraising activities, supplying the funds for its projects exclusively through membership dues and offerings received. Individual memberships in the Guild are available for $8 per year and membership for groups and organizations is $15 per year.
For more information, or to be added to the Guild鈥檚 mailing list, write to SA国际传媒 Guild, c/o Communications, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105; call the SA国际传媒 Communications Department at 314-505-7374; or visit the Seminary鈥檚 Web site at [1], go to CampusLife, then SeminaryGuild.