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

has up here on 281,” Thompson said. “I believe
Concordia needed a broader offering of programs
and styles to bring it in line with growing
churches of today.”
In addition to changes in worship style,
Thompson also brought visible structural
changes to the old sanctuary. The entire altar
stage was renovated, giving it a more open feel.
Gone were the brick partitions topped by artificial
plants. The new riser was carpeted in light
beige and was fully a half a foot higher than the
previous stage floor level.
“Some older members just couldn’t get over
the painting and decorating,” Thompson said.
“They told me, ‘We put our lives into this and
you’re coming in and changing it.’ What they
didn’t see, because they were so close to it, was
the old, aging carpet and the worn furniture.”
At one of the weekly open forums held during
Adult Bible Class, a member asked the diminutive
pastor: “Are you ever going to grow taller?”
“That’s what it was like following Guido
Merkens,” jokes Thompson.
“I thought we’d have more of the ‘Dr.
Merkens always did it this way’ complaints,”
Thompson said. “But it was less than I anticipated.
Of course, the strength of Merkens’ personality
and his longevity magnified this effect.”
Despite some dissatisfaction with the directions
Thompson was taking, and the departure of some
long-time members, Thompson recalls feeling very
supported during his early months at Concordia.
✦
Left: Service projects have long been a
tradition at Concordia School. Here
students display a quilt which they made
to donate to Lutheran World Relief. This
photo is from the early 1990’s.
Below: The first graduation of an 8th
grade class at Concordia Lutheran
School took place in May 1995.
Chapter IV ✦ 51