Each year, Concordia Historical Institute, the official department of archives and history of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, grants awards. From their website:

The CHI Awards Program started in 1974. Each year the Concordia Historical Institute awards committee members evaluate recent American Lutheran historical publications, authors and contributors. The committee grants awards on behalf of CHI to individuals, congregations, agencies and boards. CHI recognizes the significant contributions to literature and research in the field of Lutheran archives and history in North America.

A couple of weeks ago, Warren shared that Lynn Degenhardt would be receiving an award for “SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS IN ADVANCING THE HISTORY OF LUTHERANISM IN NORTH AMERICA“ which reads as follows:

Commendation: To Lynn Degenhardt for his extraordinary contributions to preserving German-American heritage through his work on the German Family Tree project, a massive compilation of Perry County and Cape Girardeau County Lutheran Church records, Perry County federal census records, and Perry County marriage records. He has ensured that these records are not only preserved, but also accessible to the public, bringing history to life and fostering deeper connections to ancestral roots. His work has created a lasting legacy and will continue to serve future generations.

If you missed it, you can read Warren’s blog post that includes more about Lynn and his accomplishment here: https://lutheranmuseum.com/2025/10/21/grand-guru-of-the-german-family-tree.

The awards banquet was last night. Here are pictures from the event:

Everyone at the Lutheran Heritage Center & Museum has long known how incredible Lynn Degenhardt is and how much he has contributed—not only to our museum, but to Lutheranism as a whole. It was a wonderful evening seeing him recognized by the wider church for his remarkable work and dedication.

Thank you, Lynn, from all of us!