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After nearly 13 years at Christ the King, Pastor Paul will be retire in January of 2013. He wanted to lead the congregation through their capital campaign this fall. That will conclude in November. December is a terrible time to retire so he selected January 6 as a last Sunday.
He appreciates the graciousness with which congregation members have received the news expressing sorrow that he is leaving, but rejoicing with him that he is able to do this while he is young enough and healthy enough to enjoy it. It is Pastor Paul’s hope and desire that the congregation will move forward with the process of appointing a Mission Exploration Team to compose the required Ministry Site Profile. This document outlines where Christ the King has been, is now and wants to be in the future. If you have an interest in serving on such a team please volunteer with President Todd Stachon.
Please join us in thanking Pastor Paul for his years of service to God, the Lutheran Church and Christ the King.
I grew up on a farm near Kenmare, North Dakota. My parents were deeply committed Christians. Mom was a church organist for over 50 years. Dad was always involved on the church council or other committees. They were very generous stewards of their time, talent and financial resources.
They were wonderful examples for me, my sister, and my brother. The year before I was to be confirmed a young pastor was called to serve our church. He was fun and energetic and we became friends. We went fishing and golfing together. It was then that I realized that a pastor could be a real life person and not a holy stuffed-shirt!
Looking at my gifts and having a desire to serve God, I began thinking about the ministry and enrolled at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. I took Latin and Greek in preparation for seminary. My call to the ministry wasn’t a dramatic event, but rather a gradual, growing discernment that this is what God would have me do. I graduated from Luther Seminary in 1973 after meeting my wife Esther during an internship in Long Beach, California.
My first call was to be a co-pastor at All Saints in Cottage Grove, MN. Our son, Jeff, was born and baptized there. After five years, I accepted a call to a mission congregation in Jordan, MN where I stayed for 13 years. I then served as Senior Pastor at St. Timothy in St Paul for seven years. I was excited to receive the call to serve as Senior Pastor here at Christ the King in June of 1999. It has been a joy and a privilege to be a part of this dynamic community of faith.
I enjoy golf, downhill skiing, travel and reading.
When we think of love we don’t usually think of it as something that can be commanded. We think of feeling all warm and gooey inside. We think of our heart racing and our palms getting moist with nervousness when we see the one we love. We think of feeling like we are walking on air. We think of the words of the Bonnie Raitt song, I can't make you love me if you don’t. We think those things because we often confuse love and infatuation. We often focus on romantic love instead of the kind of love Jesus is talking about.
