Rev. Dr. Kirk Bridgers to speak on 500 years of the reformation

The Georgia Salzburger Society is honored to welcome Rev. Dr. Kirk Bridgers as our featured speaker for the Heritage Day Program on Labor Day, September 4, 2017. A graduate of Newberry College and the Southern Seminary, Rev. Bridgers is a direct descendant of Georgia Salzburgers, Matthias Seckinger and Casper Waldhauer. He is a valued member of the Georgia Salzburger Society and Past President of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of GSS.

Rev. Bridgers’ presentation will review the political, social, and theological climate of Germany and Austria at the point of Luther’s posting of The 95 Theses upon the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, October 31, 1517. Rev. Bridgers will present interesting facts and details of events leading to the tensions between the evangelical communities and Rome and the ultimate Divisions resulting in the 1731 Edict of Expulsion…….20,000,000 Salzburgers being forced from their Homeland.

Rev. Bridgers will summarize the basic teaching of Martin Luther and the consequent changes in Europe, the expulsion, the Halle and the Franke Foundation connections, and the founding of Ebenezer as a Colonial village in the 13th Colony of America. Our ancestors therefore have an established place in the Birth of Civilization in America. Rev. Dr. Bridgers will proudly connect the impact of the Reformation on our Salzburger ancestry and explain the relevance it has to Salzburger history and our modern day society.

This is an opportunity for you to honor and celebrate your heritage by attending the Heritage Day events at Ebenezer on September 4, 2017. We hope to see you there.