Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Rev. Bill Wrede shares his firsthand experiences serving as a Lutheran chaplain in New York City during one of America’s darkest moments.

At the time of the attacks, Rev. Wrede served as Mission Field Developer for the Deaf in New York City, ministering at the Mill Neck School for the Deaf on Long Island, St. Mark Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Harlem, and St. Matthew Lutheran Church of the Deaf in Queens. In the hours during and following the attacks on the World Trade Center, he responded to Lower Manhattan, where he spent the day praying with survivors, firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers. He continued serving as a chaplain at Ground Zero in the months that followed, ministering to first responders, recovery crews, and families as they faced unimaginable grief and loss.

Drawing from the personal journal he kept during those months, Rev. Wrede’s presentation offers a moving account of faith lived out amid tragedy. More than a historical recounting of September 11, his presentation proclaims the enduring presence of God’s grace in times of suffering, the resilience of those who served, and hope found even in overwhelming darkness.

Rev. Wrede is a graduate of Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He currently serves congregations in western New York as a Transitional Interim Ministry pastor.

Whether you remember exactly where you were on September 11, 2001, or are part of a younger generation seeking to understand its lasting impact, this evening promises a compelling testimony of courage, compassion, and hope.

The presentation will be held at St. Andrew Lutheran Church on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public.