MISSOURI SYNOD CELEBRATES 150 YEARS

The Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau launched 150 red, white and blue balloons Sunday to start a three-year celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

The Missouri Synod, which currently includes more than 6,000 churches and 2.5 million members, was founded April 26, 1847. Cape Girardeau's Trinity Lutheran Church, on North Frederick Street, was founded in 1854, Trinity Rev. David Dissen said.

Over the next three years, the churches within the Missouri Synod, which includes Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Gordonville, will celebrate the anniversary with a variety of special events. Dissen said Missouri Synod President A.L. Barry has specified that all the individual churches should celebrate in their own unique fashion.

"We've been urged to celebrate in our own ways so the celebration will be a spontaneous, individual kind of thing," Dissen said. Presently, future projects by Trinity Lutheran are under consideration by a special group formed for this purpose.

Sunday's balloon release was a symbolic gesture, Dissen said. The balloon's colors, red, for the blood of Christ, white to symbolize the purity of the world in God's sight, and blue to symbolize faith, were chosen to represent the Christian flag. Each of the balloons had a Bible verse, John 3:16, and the name of the church in it.

The celebration, which was conducted just after the morning service, was witnessed by more than 200 people.