REV. ERNST GERHART SCHMIDT

SCHMIDT

REV. ERNST GERHART SCHMIDT, son of the late Ernst and Margarete, founding minister of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and champion of the elderly, died January 15, 2016 at Luther Woods Nursing Home, Hatboro, PA. He was 84. "Ernie" Schmidt was born in Chicago, Il at the start of the Depression, and came with his brother Richard (who preceded him in death in 2012) to Philadelphia when his father, a well-known German Lutheran pastor, was assigned to Philadelphia's Tabor Lutheran Church. Ernie graduated from Olney High School in 1949, attended Wittenburg College in Springfield, Ohio, and graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1956.
A respected colleague of the likes of Reverends Robert Schuller and Norman Vincent Peale, Schmidt conducted his first service for newly-formed Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church, made up of a crowd of just a handful, in the Huntingdon Valley Fire Hall in 1956, just five months out of the seminary. By 1974, through a ministry approach that focused on the joy of Christianity, his membership had risen to nearly 3,000, meeting at the 12-acre church campus on Huntingdon Pike at Welsh Road in Lower Moreland. At his retirement, Gloria Dei had more than 4,000 members, representing more than 1,800 families and offered programs from pre-school education, to counseling, to youth ministry.
In 1977, Ernie began a television ministry with a series of programs called "Make it Happen" that were shown on Channel 29 and syndicated to several other stations. He also hosted a weekly radio ministry on WFLN-FM. In 1978, he was featured in The Inquirer Magazine as "one of the most successful churchmen in America." In 1994 the Poor Richard's Club honored him with the Great American Award. In 1999, The Record voted him as one of "Our Top 100 People of the Century."
His success on the pulpit was attributed to personal charisma and an ability to create sermons that were relatable to all who listened. Ernie is well known for his affable manner and informal style of preaching. His messages were short on guilt and judgment, and long on acceptance. "We try to get people in a very complex society to believe in their own value." More than anything else, Schmidt's message was success-oriented. "Success is a compliment to yourself and to God, but it is not predicated on financial reward," he said. "Success may be to be a good father or mother, or just to believe in what you are and who you are."
Remembered as a towering figure with a booming voice, ready smile, quick wit and untiring determination, Ernie balanced his dedication to the spiritual needs of his flock with an intense desire to provide housing for the elderly, a concept in the 1970s that undoubtedly made him not only an advocate, but a full-fledged pioneer.
Early in his career, Schmidt had met an elderly couple living in what he described as squalor. Horrified at their plight, Schmidt vowed to do all he could to ensure senior citizens – who he liked to refer to as the "chronologically gifted" – would not have to live out the remainder of their days alone. He wanted to give them a safe community in which to thrive.
Fulfilling that promise, under his leadership, Gloria Dei became one of the first churches in the nation to found and build communities for senior citizens. Ernie served as Founder and CEO of Gloria Dei Communities Corporation, a non-profit that manages Gloria Dei Towers, Gloria Dei Manor and Manor Court, Gloria Dei Estates, Gloria Dei Plaza, Gloria Dei Farms and Luther Park, an assisted living facility.
Throughout his pastoral career, Ernie preached to hundreds of thousands of parishioners, whether at Gloria Dei, the Tabernacle in Ocean City, or various places of worship throughout the country. He performed thousands of weddings and funerals and counseled thousands more through his unique style.
Alongside his loving wife of 50 years, the late Jane Oliver, Ernie was an active participant in the lives of his three children, Lynn McLaughlin, Mark and Julie Kanto, and his seven grandchildren. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and traveled worldwide over the years with his family and friends.
Reverend Schmidt is survived by daughters Lynn McLaughlin and Julie Kanto (William); son Mark (Maribeth); honorary son Steven Benson, and seven grandchildren, Carryn McLaughlin, Kyle McLaughlin, Erica Schmidt, Lindsey Schmidt, Jack Schmidt, Connor Kanto and Hailey Kanto.
One of Ernie's most famous quotes, and the motto for his life was 'The Opportunity Seekers Creed'
Life is for living!
If it gets comfortable,
I will not coast.
If it becomes empty or dark,
I will strike
A new match of opportunity
And with God's help,
Move forward
In its light….
Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging/ Emergency Fund, 642 North Broad St., Phila., PA 19130.