Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, rural Corning, will be having another 140th anniversary Service of Praise and Thanksgiving Sunday when former Bishop Lowell 0.

Monday, October 18, 1999

Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, rural Corning, will be having another 140th anniversary Service of Praise and Thanksgiving Sunday when former Bishop Lowell 0. Erdahl, will be preaching at the 9 a.m. service.

Erdahl is bishop of the St. Paul Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Erdahl has had an illustrious career as parish pastor; seminary professor; counselor; bishop; and, scholar and author.

Born in rural Faribault County near Frost, he is a graduate of Blue Earth High School; St. Olaf College; Luther Seminary, St. Paul; and, a graduate degree from Union Seminary, New York City in Homiletics (the art of preaching).

Following serving his first parish at Farmington, Minn., Erdahl taught Homiletics at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. After teaching at the seminary for five years, he accepted the call to be senior pastor of the University Lutheran Church of Hope, Minneapolis.

In 1983, he was elected Bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota District of The American Lutheran Church (the District was one of the largest in terms of members in the Upper Midwest as it included the Twin City metropolitan area in addition to all of southeastern Minnesota).

When the newly merged Evangelical Lutheran Church in America came into being in 1988, Erdahl had been elected to be the Bishop of the St. Paul Synod. Bishop Erdahl had served two four year terms when he retired at the end of 1996. Upon his retirement he was named Bishop Emeritus of that Synod.

When Erdahl was a student at St. Olaf College he was on a champion debate team and was elected Student Body president his senior year. His alma mater honored him with a distinguished alumni award years ago. His wife, Carol, is also a St. Olaf alumnus, and presently is co-owner of The Red Balloon Bookstore on Grand Avenue in St. Paul which specializes in children’s books. The Erdahls are the parents of two daughters and a son.

Erdahl is the author of 10 books and is working on his eleventh.

Following a 11:30 a.m. congregational potluck dinner, oral or written greetings from former pastors will be shared