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

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✦ Above: The Ministry Building rises above the 13-acre Concordia campus at 1826 Basse Road. Below, left: The Barracks Building was moved off Concordia’s campus in June 1984, after serving for 28 years as a classroom and nursery. Below, right: The Ministry Building became an imposing part of the landscape on Basse Road. tuary. Sunday and Wednesday evening services were also held in the chapel. The Ministry Building also included an expanded bookstore that was open on Sundays, a data processing center, a complete nursery wing, and an office to house a professional psychological counselor. Most of the pastoral office space was incorporated into the building, along with a large meeting space, divided by sliding partitions. Of course, the entire Ministry Building was wired for television and computer use, and access to the various floors was by two elevators, including one large enough to transport coffins to the chapel for funeral services. Topping the building was a large metal cross, which could be seen from cars passing on Interstate Highway 10, which was several miles away. The dedication day for the Ministry Building, November 3, 1985, was one of the most impressive, if not one of the most unusual, in the history of Concordia. In attendance at the dedication were numerous San Antonio dignitaries, including Mayor Henry Cisneros and County Judge Tom Vickers. 40 ✦ THE CONCORDIA STORY
The day was planned so the dedication took place at both morning services, in order that all members could participate. Just prior to the start of the 11 a.m. service, Merkens went up to the altar to retrieve a book. As he turned to leave the altar area, tragedy struck. Merkens fell to the floor and was unable to stand. The pastor had torn the patella ligaments in both knees. Merkens recalls, “Some of the people thought: ‘Isn’t this a wonderful object lesson he’s giving us. We need a wellness center. We need a health ministry.’ Of course television was grinding away, filming the whole thing. I just couldn’t get up. Finally a man by the name of Tuchenhagen, one of the ushers, came over and asked, ‘Are you all right?’ “Four elders carried me back into the office. Talk about the providence of God, in that service was Dr. (Phillip) Craven, who I believe is one of the best orthopedic surgeons in San Antonio. He immediately came back to the office and examined my knees. He said for me to stand up. I put my weight on my right leg and I went right down. Then I tried the left and the same thing happened. He said to me, ‘I’ll see you at two o’clock this afternoon.’ I asked ‘For what purpose?’ He said, ‘Well, I’m doing surgery.’ I said, ‘What if I don’t come?’ He said, ‘You won’t ever walk again.’ So I said ‘I’ll be there.’” Merkens was placed in a wheelchair and wheeled out before the congregation just as the 11 a.m. service was to start. He conducted the dedication service and preached from the wheelchair, despite the pain of his torn ligaments. The next six weeks, Merkens recalled, “were the most difficult of my life.” The energetic pastor was confined to lying flat on his back in bed, following the surgery. But this circumstance hardly deterred Merkens from conducting the day to day business of Concordia. “Barbara would bring the meals and the mail and all the papers I needed to review or sign,” Merkens said. “She was just a saint. “The secretaries would come out and bring me anything I needed from church. Of course I had a telephone, so I could stay in touch with everybody and keep everything rolling.” Merkens only missed one Sunday service. For weeks he arrived on Sunday mornings in an ambulance and preached from a wheelchair, and eventually on crutches. Just 10 days after his surgery he held a seminar for military chaplains in a local hotel. The experience, Merkens said, “taught us all patience, and it also reminded me how wonderful the Lord is in his healing power.” The year 1985 also marked the beginning of a highly visible statement of members’ faith through the Walk of Faith. This was a series of scripture verses carved into granite and placed into the sidewalks at the church. These were contributed by various Concordia families, often in memory of loved ones. ✦ Left: San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and County Judge Tom Vickers (behind left) were part of the celebration of dedication of Concordia’s Ministry Building, November 3, 1983. Below: One of the many scripture verses carved in granite and embedded in Concordia’s sidewalks which became the “Walk of Faith.” Chapter III ✦ 41
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 and 40: The year 1982 marked the publicatio
Page 41: ✦ Left: Concordia operated a bus
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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