Two former Emanuel leaders sponsor new ordinands in August 2001 Service

The Rev. Carl Werner, top row, left; and the Rev. Louisa Groce, bottom row, right

On August 5, 2001, five recent graduates of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia were ordained during a festive worship service at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Reading, PA.

Serving as sponsors were two former Emanuel leaders. The Rev. Carl A. Werner guided Emanuel through the difficult times in the late 1950s and early 1960 when the neighborhood was demolished to make way for the Southwark Plaza public housing project. And the Rev. Louisa Groce served Emanuel as Associate-in-Ministry in the early to mid 1990s before leaving to study full-time at the Seminary. In 1999, Groce became the oldest candidate ever to be ordained in the denomination's history. For additional information, see the Seminary's website.