From the mission field: 50 years of ‘Chevanurch’

LCMS missionaries Richard Henningfield and the Rev. Edward Bertram (third and fourth from left) look over plans for Concordia Middle School with several Taiwan nationals in Min Hsiung, Taiwan, in 1965. Bertram, now 89, still annually gathers for a reunion with former missionaries to Taiwan. Henningfield was called to glory in 2020. (Photo courtesy of Diane Grimm)

For 50 years, a group of former Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) missionaries to Taiwan, along with their families, has gathered annually to reflect on and reminisce about their missionary service. They missed gathering in person only one year — 2020 — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coming from around the United States, the group enjoys a time of worship and spiritual renewal, family updates, fun activities and Chinese cuisine. In 2024, they celebrated their 50th stateside reunion June 20–23 at Luther Village in Arlington Heights, Ill.

The group, called “Chevanurch” (a shortening of “China Evangelical Lutheran Church”), comprises about 70 people from 19 families who served in Taiwan from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s. They continue to support mission work in Taiwan. This year, their reunion offering was designated for Christian outreach to students at Concordia Middle School in Min Hsiung, Taiwan. A special memorial was also made in honor of the 18 Chevanurch missionaries and family members who have fallen asleep in Christ.

Diane Grimm, whose father served as business manager for the China Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1963 to 1971, has long taken part in the Chevanurch reunions. Having spent a significant portion of her childhood in Taiwan, she values the reunions because of the relationships that were formed when she was a child. “These were families I grew up with,” Grimm said, “who became my extended family. We always called the adults ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ and still do! Just like with any family, we are ‘often apart, never separated.’”

Shirley Zimmer, another Chevanurch member, agrees. “Most of these people were aunts and uncles to our young children from the time we arrived,” Zimmer said. “They mentored us, accompanied us shopping, acquainted us with our new environment, and lent us bedding and other household goods until our own shipment arrived several months later. They were our only family for our Taiwan years. We cherished them and their warm acceptance.”

Posted Aug. 12, 2024