100-year-old postcard returns to the church

“Once in a while, something out of the ordinary shows up in our lives. I was at an antique shop some years ago and found these two circa 1918 and 1936 postcards of your beautiful church,” the letter began.

“Enlarged, they will make a nice display and create good conversation. At any rate, I hope they make your day.”

The writer, who identified himself as 97-year-old Lowell Joerg, lives in an assisted living facility in Stockton, CA. He’s been collecting old postcards for over 30 years, and mailing them back to their “homes” has become a unique and joyful hobby.

Last year, a letter addressed to First Presbyterian Church, to the attention of “Pastor,” arrived. Inside was a short note from Joerg and two postcards—one more than 100 years old. The postcards, once casually mailed, now offer a window into the past.

According to a USPS article, Joerg’s hobby began in the 1980s, while he was living in Minnesota with his wife. He started collecting postcards depicting “beautiful buildings,” and over time, his hobby evolved into a passion for sharing these historical artifacts with the institutions and communities they represent.

Now a widower, Joerg continues this labor of love, sending postcards to churches, schools, museums, and other organizations across the nation.

Joerg admitted that “maybe two out of 10 reply” to his letters. But in this case, the church was happy to respond, sending a note of thanks and a gift sure to delight any history buff—a copy of “200 Years in the Heart of Charlotte,” the church’s bicentennial history book.

At First Presbyterian Church, where the past is deeply woven into our sense of identity and calling, receiving Joerg’s gift was a reminder of the threads that connect generations across time and place. In returning these postcards to their home, Joerg offered a glimpse into our past, or, as he so perfectly put it: “a redistribution of happiness.”