2003 Synod Assembly

First Plenary - New England Synod Bishop's Assistant Speaks of Church Tragedy

Added 1:30 p.m., Friday, May 2, 2003

The New England Synod bishop, scheduled to speak at the 16th annual Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly, cancelled her trip after poisoned coffee killed one synod member there and injured 15 others.

Bishop Margaret Payne leads the New England Synod, the Southeastern Minnesota Synod's sister synod. She cancelled her assembly appearance after the poisoning was reported April 27.

The Rev. Dr. Ted Asta, an assistant to the bishop of New England Synod, spoke in her place Friday at the first plenary.

Asta said members of Gustof Adolph Church in New Sweden, Maine, had gathered for a coffee hour April 27 to precede a church council meeting

"All the sudden, people became ill," he said. "They were taken to local hospitals and transferred to trauma centers."

Somehow, Asta said, arsenic was mixed into the coffee. As a result, one 78-year-old man has died. Fifteen people were hospitalized, five of whom were initially listed in critical condition.

Asta said most who were hospitalized have since been released, but two people remain in comas in critical condition.

"Police have determined it was not an accident and are treating it as a homicide," he said. "It is very difficult for all of us."

Asta said Bishop Payne has stayed with the families of those who remain hospitalized. Payne plans to celebrate the Eucharist with the small community on Sunday.

"She wanted to make sure that I let you know how much we appreciate your thoughts and prayers," Asta said. "We ask for your continued prayer for the families of all who are involved."

The Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church is in New Sweden, a small town in northern Maine with a population of about 650. The church, which has no permanent pastor, was organized in August 1871 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The church's mailing address is:

Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church
48 Capitol Hill Road
New Sweden, ME 04762