{The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Bri's Greatest Hits #3: The Walther League

As Bri Gerzevske prepared to leave The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge after nearly four years as a cohost, she took a little stroll down memory lane, revisiting and recording new intros for five of her all-time favorite episodes.

It’s Bri’s Greatest Hits — #3. The Walther League

In this December 2021 episode, Sarah explores the rise and fall of the Walther League, spotlighting the many people and organizations—Walter A. Maier, the We Raise Foundation, and the National Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Association among them—who trace their roots back to this energetic (if occasionally unorthodox) association of Lutheran young people.

From its earliest beginnings in 1893 till its final meeting in 1968, the Walther League was a major force and rite of passage in Lutheran life. This juggernaut youth organization—named for LCMS founding President C.F.W. Walther—brought young adults together for worship, education, service, recreation and fellowship. It also forged new generations of Lutheran leaders and served as the unofficial “marriage bureau” of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, bringing untold numbers of marriage-minded young people together in holy matrimony.

To learn more, check out Jon Pahl’s book Hopes and Dreams of All: The International Walther League and Lutheran Youth in American Culture, 1893-1993.

Connect with the Lutheran Ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and on Instagram @lutheranladieslounge. Follow Sarah (@hymnnerd), Rachel (@rachbomberger), and Erin (@erinaltered) on Instagram!

The Lutheran Ladies Lounge is the podcast produced by KFUO Radio and hosted by Sarah Gulseth, Erin Alter, and Rachel Bomberger. Created for Lutheran ladies to have a place to escape to with inviting conversations, laughter, and fellowship with Lutheran sisters, we invite all of you Lutheran ladies to join Sarah, Erin, and Rachel on the sofa in the Lutheran Ladies Lounge to sit, rest your feet, and stay a while. If you’re a Lutheran lady, join us in our Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge.

Sarah Gulseth

A proud Michigan native and fan of anything with the Mitten State on it, Digital Media Manager Sarah Gulseth is also a lover of historical war movies and anything with the label PBS Masterpiece. An avid bicyclist and women’s biking advocate, she rides her bike to work year-round and has the massive bike clothing and accessory collection to prove it. If it’s the weekend, she and her husband Luther are probably out riding bikes, or finding the next awesome coffee shop to frequent, or rehearsing for the next choir concert. You may also find her down a new rabbit hole on Google, researching the latest random fact she found on social media, while eating an unhealthy amount of apples (Macintosh from Michigan, of course) and raw almond butter.