Rev. Harland A. Swiggum

MIDDLETON-Reverend Harland Swiggum, age 92, passed away after a sudden illness on Sunday, May 17, 2015. He was surrounded by family as he passed from this life to the next. Harley was born on Feb.15, 1923, in Klevenville, Wis., to Joseph and Belinda (Jordee) Swiggum. He was the youngest of four children, attended Mount Horeb schools from elementary to high school and was the first in his family to graduate from high school.  The trajectory of Harley's life from rural Wisconsin to the wider world was truly exceptional. His keen intelligence and natural curiosity propelled him to wander the country after high school. In the early 1940s, he traveled to the east coast and southeastern part of the U.S. He was a Tradesman Welder in the state of Pennsylvania and found work in parts of Florida and elsewhere in the southeast. During this time, Harley encountered people who were in need of friendship, food, and shelter. He himself lived with the homeless and was sustained by soup kitchens of the Salvation Army. These experiences made a huge impact on his philosophy of life and his life's work and ministry, which were to unfold in the future.  Toward the end of WWII, Harley joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed on the island of Saipan for about eight months. While there, he began reading one of the only books available at the time: the military issued Gideon Bible. Harley's understanding of the religion that he had rebelled against in his teenage years was transformed as he encountered Christ for the first time. A vision began to form that would later develop into something that reached hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.  Harley took advantage of the GI Bill after WWII and attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, graduating in three years with majors in English and History. He went on to attend Luther Theological Seminary in Minnesota. It was there he began to envision a program that would help laity deepen their understanding of the Bible. He had a chance to test this when he became intern with Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison in 1955. By 1957 he had accepted the call as associate pastor at Bethel and the first group of 28 students completed the first of a two-year intensive and disciplined study of Old and New Testament concepts and themes, dubbed "The Bethel Bible Series".  It was launched with generous support of the Bethel community and its senior pastor Dr. Morris Wee who helped establish the foundation for this new and innovative program.  To serve as permanent home for the program, "The Adult Christian Education Foundation" was established in 1959. Harley was now released from duty as associate pastor and became the executive director of the program and its primary teacher as well. The Bethel Bible Series quickly went on to grow by leaps and bounds. The program crossed the denominational barrier and became the adult Bible study curriculum in 47 Christian denominations. National clinics were held predominantly in the Madison area, at both Lowell Hall downtown and the beautiful Yahara Center in Waunakee completed in 1976, hosting pastors and lay people from all parts of the U.S. and numerous foreign countries. Additionally, foreign language versions of the program were established and headed by director-pastors in Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa, Russia, Thailand, China, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Finland, England, Haiti, Indonesia and Hong Kong. To date, nearly 7,000 congregations in the United States have adopted The Bethel Series, over 92,000 teachers have been trained, and over 1,000,000 lay people have participated at the congregational level, with these numbers much higher if totaled globally. Clergy and lay people often talk about Harley's pedagogy having long-lasting and deep impact on their lives. He was a great orator, an engaging storyteller, and had the ability to make content come alive. In 1973, he received a Doctor in Divinity honorary degree from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. for his life's work and the impact it had on so many people.  It was in St. Paul during seminary in the early 1950s where he also met Devona Hansen, an attractive surgical nurse working at Fairview Hospital. Harley and Devona married in October of 1955 and over the next seven years had four children: two daughters, Karla and Tami; and two sons, Jeffrey and Douglas. Life with dad often involved periods of long absence as he was traveling the world teaching and fundraising. Nevertheless, Harley still managed to bring fun and meaningful experiences into the lives of his children while home. These included family vacations at their lake cabin in northern Wisconsin, a family trip to Japan, and more recently, a celebration of Harley and Devona's 50th wedding anniversary in Jackson, Wyo. in 2005. All of these experiences involved beautiful natural surroundings and extended family time. For Harley, family and the care we give each other were of the highest value. In his final hours on this earth, he could not communicate to us in words but we know as we gathered around him that he sensed our presence and felt comfort and peace. We will miss his infinitely compassionate heart, his endearing sense of humor, his wise counsel, and most of all, his ability to remind us what is right, what is kind, and what is true. Harley is survived by his wife Devona of Madison, Wis.; children, Karla Swiggum of Jackson, Wyo.; Tami Swiggum of St Paul, Minn.; Jeffrey Swiggum of Tokyo, Japan and Douglas (Suelyn) Swiggum of Madison, Wis.; grandson, Joseph and fiancé Sarah Halls of Morgantown, W.V.; and numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and extended family.  Harley was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Sylvan and Quinten; and sister, Evangeline.  Services will be held at BETHEL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 312 Wisconsin Ave., Madison, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, 2015, with visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com