One of my recent joys was to finish the biography of Deaconess Clara Elsa Flora Strehlow (1895-1985).
My first acquaintance with Clara was sometime during
the early months of 1979, when we were both involved in campaigning for a
deaconess training program within The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Clara had a calm voice and seldom
spoke, but when she did have something to say, everyone listened. We regarded her as a mentor who gave
sage advice gleaned from a life of genuine diaconal service in the Lord’s name.
Her experience was broad. She cared for orphans, organized Sunday Schools, worked at a home for the deaf, make countless home visits in the community, and starting in 1958, served as the first housemother of Deaconess Hall at Valparaiso University.
Here was a woman who had seen it all in the
Church. When we met she had been a
deaconess for 52 years – a founding member of the Lutheran Deaconess Conference
of the Synodical Conference at the beginning of her career – and a founding member of
Concordia Deaconess Conference – Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the twilight of her career.
Sources for this biography include pieces
written by Clara herself; her family’s oral history; the memories of her
friends; and other articles and common domain historical documents. Some great photos add a fun dimension to the text. If you are looking for an easy and inspirational read - about how one dedicated deaconess lived her life in service to the Lord in her neighbors - this could be the book for you! It's available from Lutheran Legacy Publishing, at http://www.lutheranlegacy.org/index.php/publications/20-the-life-and-words-of-deaconess-clara-strehlow
