SAXONBURG — A group from Saxonburg will travel across the world to grow in their faith.

St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church will host a spiritual heritage trip to Germany for 11 days in June.

The trip is being arranged in partnership with another Lutheran congregation in Goettingen, Germany.

“We will worship in the church and build spiritual friendships and understand what it means to be a Christian in Germany,” said the Rev. Roger Keller, pastor at St. Luke's.

Karl and Renate Lehrke of Goettingen also own a home in Saxonburg and are members of the Saxonburg church.

For more than 25 years, the couple helped arrange a student exchange program between their school in Germany and Knoch High School.

As retired teachers, the couple stopped planning the exchange between schools and looked at their churches.

“They are kind of getting settled into retirement and felt this would be a nice thing to do between their congregation in Goettingen and St. Luke's,” said Keller.

Those coming from America will stay in the homes of the Lutheran congregation members while in Germany.

The trip is open to anyone looking to learn more about Germany, Martin Luther, Berlin and Muhlhausen, the sister city of Saxonburg.

“We will be spending three days at least going to the Wartburg Castle and Wittenberg and Luther's hometown,” Keller said.

Originally, the church spoke to the Lehrkes about sending its youth to Germany as a mission trip to help celebration preparations for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017.

“In conversations with the Lehrkes, we put together a trip where we will really be more about fellowship than about service,” Keller said.

The trip is now planned for people ages 13 and older and will have opportunities for those who are “high pace” and “low pace” travelers.

“The purpose is to grow in fellowship and learn about our Christian heritage as Lutherans,” Keller said.

To prepare for the trip, St. Luke's is offering weekly German language classes.

Ellen Dodge of Adams Township, who is the church organist, is teaching the class since she studied German in college.

She has been able to visit the country twice.

“I went a long time ago with my parents and then I went there myself and rented a car and drove out into the country where I did not hear a word of English for 48 hours,” Dodge said.

The class will learn more than German language.

“What I want to do is not just teach German words and language, but intersperse this with a history of Germany,” Dodge said.

The class will not be speaking fluent German by June, but those in attendance will be able to have an “ear” for the language according to Keller.

Congregation member and native German speaker Erika Schuelke of Saxonburg is also helping the class with their pronunciation.

Keller explained it was ironic the church was hosting a German language class.

“This church was founded in 1869 because St. Luke's in Hannahstown wanted to worship only in German and this congregation wanted to worship in English,” Keller said.

“... It was called in its inception, St. Luke's English Lutheran Church.”

The classes have closed for the holiday season, but will start again in January for anyone interested in learning German, not just those going on the trip.

Those interested in the class or trip can contact the church until the end of January at 724-352-2333.