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

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✦ Above: Pastor Thompson sported a western hat and duds while delivering his message at Fiesta Texas, November 10, 1996. Below: Pat and Pastor Thompson greet Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck during festivities at Fiesta Texas culminating the Share His Love campaign. ‘Don’t you think we should have a Lutheran High School?’ and the third was “Don’t you think we should move Concordia?’ All of those came to pass and were a big part of what took place over the next four years.” Serious discussions about purchasing a new location for Concordia began shortly thereafter. Thompson recalls: “Some time during the summer of 1994 David Seale came to me and said, ‘I’ve got a piece of property that I’ve got a handshake on.’” He was aware that Seale had been authorized by the Church Council to keep his eyes open for potential sites for the church to purchase. Seale, a commercial broker and developer, had begun thinking about sites for the church as early as 1990, when Dr. Merkens was considering opening Concordia North. “In 1993 I saw a great opportunity on a great piece of property coming on the market,” Seale said. “This was the Rogers Ranch property that was located north and partially south of Loop 1604, near where the Huebner Road overpass was to be built. The entire tract of 700 acres was owned by the Rogers Trust for the Arts.” Seale and his partners attempted to buy the tract for development, reserving a corner for Concordia, but the group was unsuccessful. The eventual purchaser, however, needed a follow-up contract in order to secure his financing. Seale began negotiations with the purchaser in early 1994 on the 50 acres at the north west corner of 1604 and the soon to be built Huebner Road. “So we had the call committee going on at the same time I was trying to buy a piece of property, and we hadn’t gotten a pastor yet,” Seale said. “It was kind of funny how God made all these things kind of dovetail together. God placed me in the middle of all of this activity, and it was spectacular to see the way that God moved things. “I really strung out the negotiations because, first of all, we needed to get a new senior pastor on board, and, second, we needed to make sure that his vision and our vision were the same.” On December 6, 1994 Concordia’s church council elected to put the process of moving into motion by approving a non-binding letter of agreement to purchase the property on Loop 1604. This approval was really a green flag for Seale to continue the ongoing negotiations with the group offering the property for sale. It took nearly another year, until November 5, 1995, before the purchase agreement was finalized and accepted by the congregation. “One problem was that the market was coming back and the group we were negotiating with was having second thoughts about the sale,” Seale said. “In fact, nothing could have made those people close the deal except for God’s guidance and the airtight agreement we had.” On November 5 the voters of Concordia, in the largest voters’ assembly ever held by the congregation, elected to purchase the land and to build a new Concordia campus. At this meeting the voters not only approved the formal con- 54 ✦ THE CONCORDIA STORY
tract for the purchase, but also authorized borrowing funds to close the deal. Gorder, who presided at the meeting in the packed gymnasium, recalls it as a “very emotional meeting.” “There were a few who were very opposed to moving, but after everyone had had their say, the assembly voted nearly unanimously for the move.” The contract called for Concordia to purchase 47.5 acres, including all utilities, extension of roads and all platting for a price of $1,900,000. By the time the congregation approved the final documents in late 1995, Seale said, Concordia was receiving offers for the property of more than twice that amount. “We could have sold it and paid off our mortgage on the Basse Road property,” said Seale, “but I didn’t think that was our vision, and the congregation was committed to the move.” The formal closing took place on May 16, 1996 and plans began to take shape for a new Concordia. One of the challenges was determining what to do with the Basse Road property. Seale said that several prospective purchasers, including the San Antonio Housing Authority, expressed an interest in the 13-acre tract. SAHA would have knocked down all the buildings and built a multi-family housing project. “But the consensus among the Concordia leadership was that we truly wanted the old campus to continue to be a place of worship and ministry,” noted Seale. Thompson began discussions with the Lutheran High School Association, which was planning to open a new Lutheran High School in San Antonio. In the end, the Association agreed to take over the Basse Road property in return for assuming the mortgage. “We didn’t make a penny off the deal,” said Seale. “It was really a remarkable thing. We were able to help Lutheran High get started, and we handed off the old mortgage. The high school could never have done what they have done if we had asked for more money. That’s where the Lord led us.” ✦ Above: Groundbreaking for Concordia’s new campus attracted numerous Concordians who viewed their new church grounds for the first time, July 20, 1997. Below: The Praise Team leads the congregation in song during the Fiesta Texas celebration. Chapter IV ✦ 55
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THE CONCORDIA STORY A Fifty-Year Hi
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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 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 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: experience as a lay pastor had dram
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
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The Concordia Story: A Fifty-Year History of Concordia Lutheran Church 1951-2001

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