Martin Luther's Book on the Street

"So there's a guy on the street..."

Well, actually, one day I rented a bike in Louisville, and on my way back to the hotel I ran into him. Specifically, I rode "by" him: it was a statue of Martin Luther. Now usually, I'm enchanted by statues of any sort, and even more taken by statues of individuals carrying or holding books. But think about this: Martin Luther carrying a book!? Well, this was sort of the "great book" statue to some extent, for a librarian working at a Lutheran seminary! I pulled over and took a few snapshots of the statue for all of you to see today. The statue stands in front of the First Lutheran Church of Louisville, which is located at 417 E. Broadway. The Church is an ELCA church, whose present (interim) pastor is the Rev. Judy Brennan. It was founded in 1872, originally with 14 members.

The Luther statue dates from 1960, when an educational unit was added to the church. It is one of only ten Luther statues in the United States and was sculpted by Frederick Soetebier of Germany. For a more full history of the church and other related information, see the following URL: http://www.thewelcomeplace.com/ and then go to the "interesting history" link.

It's surprising where some bike rides will take you--or even what sort of things you will find!
But I'm convinced that there are books around every corner, whether real or bronze, like this one. Just keep looking!