“Pastor, Is Matt Harrison Good for Lutheran Schools?” by Pr. Rossow

Yesterday the Principal who serves our day school asked me that question. It’s a good question. Matt Harrison is supportive of Lutheran schools. I responded with three points.

First I told her that Matt Harrison is supportive of historic, traditional Lutheranism and that the Lutheran day school is one of the best ways to inculcate that historic Lutheran culture. In that first broad sense Matt Harrison is good for Lutheran schools.

Secondly, I told her that I knew personally that Matt Harrison worked hard to support the Lutheran day school when he was a pastor in inner city Ft. Wayne.

Thirdly, I told her that she did not need to take my word for it because I just read a blog post the other day from a woman who taught with him in Ft. Wayne and she speaks glowingly about his support for Lutheran schools.

The blogger who goes by the name “Ewe” on her Day by Day blog shares her personal experience as a teacher and working side by side with Matt Harrison as her pastor. Here are a few quotes from her blogpost:

Rev. Harrison was my pastor from 1996-2000 and his oldest son was in my first grade class at Zion Lutheran Academy, Fort Wayne. When you are a teacher at a dayschool, you see the pastor in all kinds of settings, maybe even more than the the other members of the congregation. He was truly concerned about our Academy not only surviving in inner city Fort Wayne, but also that it would succeed beyond expectations. He (along with our headmaster) made daily chapel a priority-how many Lutheran schools do you know that have chapel daily?

The students learned about the church year, hymns and liturgy and much more in this daily chapel.

Rev. Harrison could have easily given responsibility for the teachers and Academy to our headmaster. But Rev. Harrison found time in his busy schedule to often participate in faculty meetings and do other things at the school.
Rev. Harrison started a group at my request for singles older than college. We had Bible study, played volleyball, and had treats at this.

He is good for Lutheran schools because he has a track record of support. More importantly Matt Harrison is good for Lutheran schools because he supports traditional Lutheran culture. We pray that delegates next week in Houston will cast their votes for a man who supports one of our most important institutions, the Lutheran day school.

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