When the Glade Creek Lutheran Church of Botetourt County formed its own church in Antebellum Virginia, the small group united under the following resolution: “We the undersigned members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church being desirous that the doctrine of Christ as held and taught by the immortal Luther be taught among us and our children to the welfare of our souls, and being desirous of having the Word of Life statedly preached to us and the holy Sacrament administered.” During this time period in Virginia, one historian of Lutheran history has argued concerning the early attempts at uniting under a singular synod called the Special Conference, “Had these forty-eight congregations been cared for more adequately, the story of the Lutheran…show more content… Mark’s Lutheran Church stated, “The story of this church is one of continued hard luck and straitened circumstances.” Despite so much hypothetical talk, Roanoke’s Lutherans actually have quite a remarkable legacy in both the history of Magic City and in Southern Lutheranism. While Roanoke’s Lutherans may not have grown in number as other denominations in the city, such as Baptists, Methodists, or Presbyterians, they occupy a critical part of the soul of Magic City. Combining social institutions with local church resources, orphans were cared for, young people, both male and female, were educated, and perhaps most influential of all, outsiders, including Northerners, were enticed to join in on the prospects of the Magic City boomtown, thanks to the Lutheran, business savvy social…show more content… Originally, the Lutheran minister, Rev. S. McClanahan, started this work by simply taking in a few orphaned children into his home, with the assistance of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church of Roanoke. According to The Roanoke Daily Times, “The children have been trained in industry, neatness and piety.” Over time, the orphanage evolved and expanded its capabilities. For example, the aforementioned newspaper report noted, “One of the conditions of admission has hitherto required that the children ‘should be healthy, sound in body and mind, and free from all physical deformity.’ In accordance with what seemed to be a general wish of the church, this regulation was modified, so that the home is now ‘open to infirm children when their reception will not necessitate the employment of additional help in the way of nurses.’” Evidently, the orphanage also succeeded in not only providing social aid to parentless children, but also in spiritual care, as many children were baptized into the Lutheran church. The Roanoke Times spoke amicably of the orphanage’s successes, “This is a silent commentary on the noble work done by these humane institutions.” Roanoke’s Lutherans offered some of the most progressive plans out of all of Roanoke’s religious denominations, most notably through higher education and orphan care,
