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Giving
Our Future is Your History
"Growing up, I always valued the vast array of photo albums that my grandmother had all over her home. There were picture from generations past and present. These photos were archived well and each were glimpses into stories of the past and reminders for the future. Through these picture albums, I was invited to travel to worlds past and generations who have joined the cloud of witnesses. Faces that became names. Names that became stories. Stories that became a living archive within me. When my grandmother died, those albums were archived and handed to another generation to care for.
The James R. Crumley Jr. Archives, has been preserving a treasured history for southern Lutherans for over thirty years. In doing so, keeping alive 400 years of rich Lutheran history. Through these archives, we have all been invited into the treasure trove of stories, ministry, life, and legacy of the great cloud of witnesses. As the archives seeks to strengthen its future and continue its important work of telling the old story of Jesus and his love; they need each of us to join in this work. I strongly encourage you to join me in this commitment and ensure that generations to come will benefit from stories that become living archives with us."
+The Rev. Dr. Kevin L. Strickland
Bishop, ELCA Southeastern Synod
Who We Are
For more than three decades, the James R. Crumley Jr. Archives, located on the campus of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, has preserved and safeguarded over 400 years of Lutheran history in the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. It is a place where rich stories of faith and community come alive. With a capable and expanding staff, the Archives provides comprehensive research tools and evolving technologies to assist researchers and other users. We collect, organize, and classify material to preserve the stories of synods and congregations in this region and work to share that history in ways that inform the present and the future.
What We Envision
With the anticipated expansion of the archival collection, we envision becoming a regional cultural center through which southern Lutheran history becomes a vibrant resource for linking the past, the present, and the future for generations to come. To encourage understanding, engagement, interpretation, and appreciation of the past and its connections to contemporary life and ministry, the Archives will utilize original documentary films, workshops, and communal gatherings on site and online, with the goal of ensuring that long ago memories are accessible. Our mission remains the same: namely, preserving an unfolding Lutheran history so future generations can learn, reflect, and grow.
What We Need
In view of the relocation of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary to Hickory, NC in January 2025, we need to find a suitable location in the Midlands of South Carolina that will offer a central location and adequate space for the future and make possible the type of events and opportunities we envision for the Archives. Through your significant financial support, we can enter an exciting new chapter for the Archives. Our need is pressing and urgent. We humbly seek your generosity as we endeavor to establish a new, permanent home for the Archives.
Our future is your history.