The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge from KFUO Radio

This week the Lutheran Ladies celebrate two years of podcasting with an “All Hands on Deck” walk back through great moments in Lutheran lady history.

Bri gets things started with a tribute to Phyllis Wallace, whose long running Woman to Woman show pioneered radio programming by and for Lutheran women in the 1990s and beyond. Erin follows with a short history of the Crock Pot—an essential piece of equipment for Lutheran potlucks everywhere. Sarah and Rachel look back even further, celebrating two women who notably broke ground in LCMS medical missions (Louise Ellerman) and Lutheran hymnody (Lina Sandell), respectively.

Click to learn more about topics from the show:

• Woman to Woman
• The Crock Pot
• Louise Ellermann
• Lina Sandell

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

Enjoy an encore presentation of The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge’s “One Year Anniversary Shoebox Extravaganza!” as Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel prepare to celebrate two years of podcasting next week.

In their one-year anniversary “all hands on deck” episode—which originally dropped on September 18, 2020—the Lutheran Ladies wanted to know: if you could put one small item in a shoebox that exemplifies the character and lived experience of Lutheran women, what would it be?

Tossing the metaphorical shoebox around their virtual studio, Sarah, Erin, Bri, and Rachel each answer the question in turn, suggesting a simple, mundane object that is, for them, truly emblematic of “church lady life.”

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

In her latest “Hymn Sing with Sarah” episode, Sarah leads Erin, Bri, and Rachel in a wide-ranging, occasionally rhapsodic discussion of “modern” (AKA post-Enlightenment) Communion hymns.

Beginning at 1715 and continuing through the present, this Hymn Sing episode covers the stories behind Eucharistic hymns including “Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray,” “Eat This Bread,” “O Gracious Lord, I Firmly Am Believing,” and more.

Special attention is paid to fan-favorite “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing,” Omer Westendorf’s beloved contribution to the groundbreaking post-Vatican-II hymnal People’s Mass Book.

To learn more about these and other hymns in Lutheran Service Book, check out CPH’s two-volume set Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns.

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

Just in time for the 2021-2022 academic year, Bri’s asking a “Big Question” for back-to-school season: Does Lutheran education make you a Lutheran?

Every Lutheran’s educational journey is different—and in this open and honest conversation, the Lutheran Ladies share their own Lutheran school stories as well as those of their listeners online.

From pre-K through university, Lutheran schools provide academically excellent, spiritually formative education to Lutherans and non-Lutherans alike. But are they worth it? (Spoiler alert: yes.)

Click to learn more about LCMS K-12 education and the Concordia University System, or to find a Lutheran school near you.

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

Join us this week in the Ladies’ Lounge for an all-hands-on-deck 100th Episode Extravaganza!

Rachel gets the party started with a five-question “Trivia Challenge” covering the past, present, and future of restroom ladies’ lounges. She’s followed by Erin, who reveals her “Recipe Card” for a hospitable and well-equipped ladies’ lounge, and Sarah, who offers a pandemic-perfect “Hymn Sing” list of one-stanza hymns for proper handwashing, with demos sung by mission and ministry children. Closing out the festivities is Bri, who belts out a “Wild Card” smorgasbord of favorite moments from the show’s first 100 episodes in a hand-clapping, thigh-slapping musical tribute.

Links referenced include:

• "The Rise and Fall of the Women’s Restroom Lounge" (Bloomberg City Lab)
• "Ladies Rest Room" (Wikipedia)
• Homemade Poopourri Recipe (Happy Money Saver)

Many thanks to our one-stanza-hymn singers:

• "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow" (LSB 805. Text and tune public domain.): The kids from the Donuts and Devos Podcast
• "Kyrie! God, Father in Heav’n Above" (LSB 942. Text © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used with permission. Tune public domain.): Elanor Bomberger
• "Our Father Who Art in Heaven — I" (LSB 957. Text and tune public domain.): The Krey Family, serving in the Dominican Republic
• "God Word Is Our Great Heritage" (LSB 582. Text and tune public domain.): Sarah Gulseth
• "On My Heart Imprint Your Image" (LSB 422. Text and tune public domain.): The Ladies' Lounge hosts, plus the Krey Family, serving in the Dominican Republic
• "Create in Me" (LSB 956. Text and tune public domain.): The kids from the Donuts and Devos Podcast

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

In this Erin’s Recipe Card adventure, Erin’s tackling a classic German-American side dish culled from a vintage Lutheran lady cookbook: The Heritage of Cooking: A Collection of Recipes from East Perry County, Missouri.

Beginning with a ordinary, unpretentious ingredients—baked potatoes, day-old bread, flour, butter, salt—Erin whips up a fluffy, satisfying batch of Kartoffel Kloesse. These simple potato dumplings (stuffed with a homemade crouton and boiled in minutes on the stove) pair beautifully with roast chicken, beef rouladen, and other old-fashioned Lutheran Sunday dinners.

Potato Dumplings

2 lbs. unsalted potatoes (cooked the day before and riced)

Mix thoroughly with

4 eggs (well beaten)

2 tbsp. salt (scant)

2 tbsp. onion (finely minced)

2 tbsp. parsley (finely minced)

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. marjoram

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. flour

Mold potato mixture firmly into small balls with croutons as center. (4 clices of bread, diced and toasted in butter provide enough croutons.) Molded dumplings are dropped into boiling salt water and cooked for 3 minutes. They are done when they rise to the surface. (Serves 6.)

~ Mrs. George C. Fiehler

Potatoes cooling in front of the air conditioning vent

Egg and nutmeg mixture.

Fried croutons.

Finished Dumplings.

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

From small-town Midwest girl to ground-breaking medical doctor, from pioneering homesteader to Lutheran pastor’s wife, Dr. Bessie (Efner) Rehwinkel’s life was anything but humdrum. In this history- and drama-packed episode, Sarah tells her story.

To learn more about Bessie Rehwinkel, check out the following resources:

• Bessie Rehwinkel (CPH Heroes of Faith series) by A. Trevor Sutton
• Dr. Bessie by Alfred Rehwinkel

To listen to other “Story Time with Sarah” episodes—featuring faithful women throughout history—visit the KFUO Radio online archive.

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

In this episode, Rachel leads Sarah, Erin, and Bri in a recap discussion of the latest Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club selection: John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley: In Search of America.

How does Steinbeck's account of America square with our own experiences? Have Steinbeck's observations about societal issues proven true, and have we really learned anything since the 1960s? Is Steinbeck accurate in his description of what makes a man, or did he miss the mark? What can we, as Lutheran ladies, learn from Steinbeck's open, honest, and hospitable manner with strangers?

At the end of the episode, in honor of the next Book Club happening in Reformation October, Rachel presents three choices for the next book club pick in a list titled "Modern Lutheran Classics that Rachel Should Have Read But Somehow Hasn't Yet (Sorry)":

• Hammer of God by Bo Giertz
• The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.
• Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today by John Kleinig

Which book will the Lutheran Ladies read next? Visit the Lutheran Ladies Lounge Facebook group to vote in the poll!

Click to see a complete list of Lutheran Ladies’ Book Club picks and runners up, or to revisit past online book club events in the Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook group.

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

In this final episode of Hymnapalooza 2021, Bri debuts a brand new set of Radio Theatre sketches starring everyone’s favorite “overly eager, irreverent, and sometimes accidentally heretical worship leader, Trent.”

“He’s very on fire for the Lord, bless his little heart, even though he misses the mark 98% of the time (if not more),” explains Bri, adding, “Fortunately for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, we have checks and balances in place, thanks to our friends at LCMS Doctrinal Review.”

Will any of Trent’s unorthodox original hymn compositions pass doctrinal review? Listen and find out, as you laugh, cry, and cringe your way into a deeper appreciation for an essential (if often under-the-radar) aspect of the LCMS publishing process.

Enjoy more Hymnapalooza content in our previous episodes on Doxology-composer Louis Bourgeois, “11 things you didn’t know were in the ,” and “hymntastic recipes”—and click to enter our fabulous #hymnnerd giveaway now!

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

How does an enthusiastic foodie celebrate #Hymnapalooza? With a hymn-inspired four-course menu, of course!

Join recipe maven Erin as she shares her ideas for a feast of hymn-tastic proportions — from savory roast lamb (inspired by LSB 633 and 550) to home-baked bread (LSB 629), from veggies and sides (LSB 561 and 892) to milk-and-honey desserts (LSB 672).

Recipes and recipe books mentioned in this episode include:

• The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert
• Seven-hour garlic crowned lamb (free website registration required to view)
• Milk and honey pie

Enjoy more Hymnapalooza content our previous episodes on Doxology-composer Louis Bourgeois and “things you didn’t know were in the hymnal,” and click to enter our fabulous #hymnnerd giveaway now!

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