A total of 500 trees are being planted as part of a celebration of the 500-year anniversary of the posting of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses on the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on Oct. 31, 1517.
One of the trees in Wittenberg, Germany, was planted with Wittenberg Associate Professor of Languages Tim Bennett and 12 university students in attendance earlier this month. The plaque placed next to the new tree at Wittenberg says it was planted “in witness to the communion within the Lutheran World Federation as a sign of the fellowship and reconciled diversity among the Christian Churches.”
Bennett said trees are being planted because the global legacy of the Reformation that resulted from the 95 Theses is a “continual search for truth, guided by tradition.” “It is not a monument of stone, but rather a living monument,” he added. Matevia Endowed University Pastor Andy Tune led a brief liturgy during the ceremony that he patterned after a German service.
He said that the tree, which blossomed during the Lenten season in Weaver Chapel, represents hope and the anticipation of positive outcomes. In addition to planting the tree on its Springfield, Ohio, campus, Wittenberg has provided financial support for the planting of two trees in Germany.
