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

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✦ Top: David Brockhoff poses with Dr. Merkens during the time he served as a vicar at Concordia. Brockhoff was one of 25 vicars trained at Concordia. seen that before: a pastor’s wife greeting. We introduced ourselves and spent some time visiting. We were both extremely impressed.” Gorder recalls of that first meeting with Thompson, “We came back from that meeting feeling pretty good about him.” Gorder said Thompson also “really fit” the qualities we were looking for. Among these were professional experience in a large congregation, a strong administrative background, knowledge of finance, and a strong pulpit ministry. He was the only candidate with a business degree in addition to theological training, and he was on a preaching schedule which kept him in the pulpit three out of four weeks. Both leaders noted that Thompson also fit the need for someone experienced with construction and capital fund drives. Thompson had led several expansions of Trinity in Utica. Ironically, Thompson was the last nominee accepted by the call committee on the final day nominations were accepted. “Dennis Kasper sent in a fax nominating Dr. Thompson,” recalled Seale. “He had just heard about him and wanted to nominate him. He called me from out of town and asked how he could get a nomination in. So I had him fax it.” Gorder said Thompson “was not even on our radar screens” until nominated by Kasper. “He probably should have been, but he wasn’t.” The committee began discussing the finalists, Thompson, Norb Oesch and Wray Offermann, in order that a recommendation could be made to the Concordia voters assembly. “After a lot of discussion someone finally asked, ‘Does anyone here think that Bill Thompson is not the right man for the job?’ No one responded. So we prayed and the decision was made,” said Gorder. The committee presented all three finalists to the voters on March 13, 1994, with a recommendation that Thompson be called. Thompson’s call was overwhelmingly approved by the voters. Thompson accepted the call within two weeks and the future direction of the largest church in the Missouri Synod was in place. Above: Rev. David Ebs took on the challenge of serving as interim senior pastor after Dr. Merkens’ departure. He oversaw the transition period and served as pastoral advisor to the call committee during the spring of 1994. He was to play the same role for the call committee constituted in 2001. Right: Statistical data published by the Missouri Synod clearly places Concordia at the top of the list of the Synod’s largest congregations. 48 ✦ THE CONCORDIA STORY
✦ Left: The sanctuary as it looked the last week of Dr. Merkens’ pastorate, December 1993. Below: Barbara Merkens is credited by many members as being the ultimate faithful helper and partner in Concordia’s ministry. A talented artist, Barbara designed many of the printed pieces produced by Concordia over the years. Her design talent is evident in the furnishings and fixtures which adorned the Basse Road campus. Here she is honored by Concordia women. At right is Bobbye Wagner, an organizer of the event. “From the point he accepted the call, he ended up running both churches,” Gorder said, “on site at Trinity and Concordia by long distance.” Thompson’s installation on June 5, 1994 and his introduction to Concordia caused the congregation to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Gorder’s recollection of the installation was to think: “This is going to be very good.” His sentiments are shared by many other members who experienced the changing of the guard. Looking back on the whole period, Gorder said he had never before felt the Spirit of God working in such a powerful way. “We were grossly inadequate to do what we did in that brief period of time,” Gorder said. “We could never have made it without the Holy Spirit guiding every move. “Concordia could have easily split up during that process, but that didn’t happen. Dr. Merkens knew, and he told us, that Concordia would stick together. He was right. We didn’t lose membership during the interim. Contributions didn’t dip. The way we handled the transition was a great testament to God’s grace and the strong group of Christian people who make up Concordia.” Chapter III ✦ 49
Page 1 and 2: THE CONCORDIA STORY A Fifty-Year Hi
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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 and 42: ✦ Left: Concordia operated a bus
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: Still the period beginning in Janua
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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