The Concordia Story: A Fifty-Year History of Concordia Lutheran Church 1951-2001

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other. To answer this need the zone care program was instituted under the leadership of Pastor Ebs in the early 1980’s. Under this program, the congregation was broken into geographic zones, with approximately twelve families in each zone. One couple was selected in each zone as “zone captains.” Their responsibility was to stay in touch with the other zone members and to host at least one annual event which all could attend. ✦ Above, left: Concordia Youth attend the 1989 LCMS Youth Gathering, posing in front of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Above, right: Mrs. Verna Brown was named “Woman of the Year” at the 1986 LWML Mother-Daughter Banquet. The Mother-Daughter Banquet has become the highlight of the year for LWML. Right: Zone Captains met periodically at dinner meetings to plan and share successes of the zone care program. 38 ✦ THE CONCORDIA STORY
✦ Left: Concordia operated a bus ministry in the early 1980’s that brought dozens of kids to Concordia for Sunday School. Below: Groundbreaking for the Ministry Building took place on October 21, 1984. Turning the spades, from left to right, are Dr. Merkens, Dan Banks, Wayne Hake, and Victor Leitko. Although some zones were more active than others, Ebs believes the program helped bring the congregation closer together. “There were lifelong relationships established through the zone program,” Ebs said. “Some people needed this formal structure to allow themselves to become caregivers to others. There are just dozens of stories of how the zone care program led to help and healing for Concordia members.” Along with the zone program, Concordia set up a whole series of generation-specific groups to promote activities and fellowship among members. These groups were given catchy names like “Motivators” and “Celebrators.” They held dinners and events for members who fit into that group’s age category. These groups continued to function throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s, with the “Motivators” group, aged 50 and above, still active today. In the mid-1980’s Merkens and the congregational leadership began planning for a major building to meet a number of needs at the church. The lack of office space was an obvious need, but there was also a shortage of meeting space and adequate nursery facilities. Added to this was Merkens’ desire to expand the health ministry to offer members counseling and wellness services. All these needs were incorporated into a fourstory high rise structure named the Ministry Building. Included in the new building was a chapel where the smaller funerals and weddings could be conducted. The chapel also served as an overflow for the packed services in the sanc- Chapter III ✦ 39
Page 1 and 2: THE CONCORDIA STORY A Fifty-Year Hi
Page 3 and 4: THE CONCORDIA STORY A Fifty-Year Hi
Page 5 and 6: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first came to Co
Page 7 and 8: gregations across the U.S. and in m
Page 9 and 10: ✦ Left: The original chapel serve
Page 11 and 12: Rast that this aggressive, young pa
Page 13 and 14: that would express God’s love thr
Page 15 and 16: Address Record, which gave us the n
Page 17 and 18: School led to action. A companion b
Page 19 and 20: they kept in mind Merkens’ commen
Page 21 and 22: was sent gratis by CPH to every pas
Page 23 and 24: We tried to get everything done in
Page 25 and 26: Perhaps the innovation in which Mer
Page 27 and 28: format was to be a series of semina
Page 29 and 30: other congregations, all of which h
Page 31 and 32: ✦ Left: “They come to play and
Page 33 and 34: prospective members, and over one h
Page 35 and 36: ✦ Above: At Easter Sunday service
Page 37 and 38: ice.’ So they came that week and
Page 39: The year 1982 marked the publicatio
Page 43 and 44: The day was planned so the dedicati
Page 45 and 46: springs forward to daylight-savings
Page 47 and 48: eally selling short the good people
Page 49 and 50: Still the period beginning in Janua
Page 51 and 52: ✦ Left: The sanctuary as it looke
Page 53 and 54: has up here on 281,” Thompson sai
Page 55 and 56: experience as a lay pastor had dram
Page 57 and 58: tract for the purchase, but also au
Page 59 and 60: ✦ Left: Carl Steiger, right, serv
Page 61 and 62: gage. And it was not the kind of pr
Page 63 and 64: ✦ Left: San Antonio Mayor Howard
Page 65 and 66: two full-time pastors and two part-
Page 67 and 68: ✦ Left: Concordia’s Men’s Min
Page 69 and 70: Seminar speakers, like Paul Maier,
Page 71 and 72: Concordia who live in the area and
Page 73 and 74: Prior to the arrival of the Prieto
Page 75 and 76: ✦ Far left: Concordians Mike Manu
Page 77 and 78: ✦ Above: Concordia’s administra
Page 79 and 80: P ASTORS W HO H AVE S ERVED C ONCOR
Page 81 and 82: ✦ Above: Adult Bible Class is hel
Page 83: Sunday School, 1952. Vacation Bible

The Concordia Story: A Fifty-Year History of Concordia Lutheran Church 1951-2001

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