Biographical Information Distributed as Part of the
Pastor's Bill 30th Anniversary Celebrations!
Click on picture to enlarge.
Biographic Information for Tribute Service
Biographic Information for Tribute Service
Pastor Bill Metting
Those who have heard Pastor
Bill’s sermons and Sunday School lessons know that he frequently uses examples
from his own personal experiences to bring the teachings of the scriptures to
life. His is a life filled with
practical and educational experiences as well as spiritual inspiration. His 30
years of ministry reflect those influences.
He was born in Fredricksburg, Texas,
on June 9, 1947, and lived there until the age of one when his parents moved to
Kerrville. His dad, Frank, was a heating and air conditioning specialist
for the Kerrville State Hospital. His
mother worked for the Kerrville Telephone company. With younger brother Mark, he grew up in the beautiful hill
country of Texas.
He frequently visited his
grandfather’s farm where he learned the values of working long, hot days under
strenuous and demanding conditions. It
was here in this magnificent outdoor setting that he discovered his love of
hunting, a passion he continues to pursue to this day.
He attended Kerrville’s Tivy High
School where he was a starter on the Antler’s football team, and a member of
the Tivy High School Band. He
played trumpet and developed a love of music which continues to influence and
support his ministry, especially his children’s sermons which often include a
musical message.
He graduated from high school in
1965, and that fall enrolled in Texas Lutheran College in Seguin, as a chemistry
major. He was a member of the
Bulldog’s tennis team and active in many on- and off-campus activities,
including working as a salesman at a Seguin appliance store.
Then his life changed forever. It was during a leadership training program at Kerrville’s Camp Chrysalis that he was moved by the Holy Spirit to enter the ministry. To support his long, educational journey into understanding God’s spiritual inspiration and guidance, he continued to work at some very earthly and physically demanding jobs. Those jobs ranged from working on offshore Gulf Coast oil drilling rigs…to bartending.
He graduated from Texas Lutheran in
January of 1970, and enrolled immediately in the Austin Presbyterian Seminary.
In June, 1970, he transferred to the Wartburg Theological Seminary in
Dubuque, Iowa. While a student
there, he supported his studies by working as a member of the campus maintenance
crew. He completed his internship
at Saint Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
He graduated in 1973, and on July
8th of that year was ordained into the ministry at his boyhood home
congregation, Zion Lutheran Church in Kerrville.
The presiding minister was Reverend Bill Lange under whom Pastor Bill had
interned while a student at TLC. Rev.
Lange was, and still is, the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Seguin, and he
has been Pastor Bill’s mentor and role model since his decision to enter the
ministry.
As a very special part of the
ordination ceremonies, Pastor Bill’s beloved Aunt Ruth participated in the
laying on of hands. Unfortunately,
she passed away just last year and is able to join us only in spirit for this
special 30th Anniversary celebration.
Immediately after ordination, Pastor
Bill moved to Walhburg, Texas to serve Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church for seven
years, until he accepted a call to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in The Colony,
Texas, in June of 1980. The next
four years turned out to be very eventful for him.
While serving the Good Shepherd
congregation, he started Faith Lutheran Church in Flower Mound.
It was indicative of the energy and commitment he has always brought to
the ministry.
But on January 6, 1982, he was to
face a personal challenge that continues to impact his life to this day.
While stopped at a traffic light on Highway 121, he was hit from behind
by a speeding drunk driver. Pastor
Bill suffered five broken ribs. Three of them penetrated his right lung, and the
other two lacerated his liver. He
underwent emergency surgery, and was in intensive care for seven days.
During that time he received four pints of blood.
Unfortunately, one of them was infected with Hepatitis C. But
the disease was not detected until it became active fifteen years later.
It was also during his time at Good
Shepherd that he met Linda, appropriately enough, in church.
Romance ensued, and Linda recalls fondly that he proposed during their
lunch break in the parking lot of the Farmer’s Branch Jack In The Box.
They were married October 19, 1984, and moved that same month to
Crawford, Texas, to serve for the next 14 years at Saint Paul Lutheran Church.
Daughter Jenny was six, and son Josh
was four when Pastor Bill and his “instant family” went to Crawford.
Sixteen months later they were joined by baby brother Jonathan.
All were (and continue to be) excellent students and active in
extracurricular activities.
The entire family adjusted (almost)
to living in the near-rural environment that defined life in Crawford.
Pastor Bill became an EMT for the Crawford Ambulance Service which
introduced an interesting dynamic in a community that typically never locks its
doors. Linda reports that
unexpected visitors appeared at the parsonage door at any time of the day or
night. And they did not always
bother to knock. So, the family
learned to be prepared for surprises at all hours.
One evening while they were eating,
a young man burst through the kitchen door carrying a baby who had stopped
breathing. The man had run two
blocks to the Mettings for help. Pastor
Bill was able to restore the baby’s breathing and took her by ambulance to the
hospital. She recovered completely.
One Sunday morning when Pastor Bill
had already walked across the driveway to the church, a nearly naked man ran
into Linda’s kitchen screaming that his grandfather was having a heart attack.
She immediately called 911. And
she called her husband back from church. Again,
Pastor Bill was able to stabilize the grandfather, and he recovered from the
heart attack. Linda has almost
recovered from the shock of the experience as well.
Not surprisingly, the citizens of
Crawford came to view Pastor Bill as both a spiritual leader as well as the
unofficial town doctor. One
afternoon, a teenage member of the congregation appeared at the Metting’s door
with his hand completely ripped open. He
simply wanted Pastor Bill to “Stitch him up.”
On another occasion, an elderly lady
struggled to their door choking on a piece of bread.
Pastor Bill expertly performed the Heimlich maneuver on the woman,
dislodged the bread, and sent her gratefully on her way.
Religious “emergencies”
accompanied the medical ones. One
evening a bride and groom appeared at the door and explained that their minister
had failed to show up to perform the wedding ceremony.
They begged Pastor Bill to step in.
He did. They are still
married. And they became lifelong
friends of the Mettings.
In December, 1998, they graciously
accepted our call to New Life In Christ Lutheran Church.
We are most grateful for the inspiration and energy Pastor Bill, Linda,
and the children have brought to our congregation and to our community.
Last fall, they were shocked to
learn that the Hepatitis C, which he had received from the blood transfusion
after the car wreck, had become active. Fortunately,
a treatment is now available for this formerly untreatable disease.
It is, however, a brutal and exhausting six-month regimen, which produces
fever, sever fatigue, hair loss, and several other flu-like symptoms.
We are delighted to report that,
despite the side effects, the treatment is working.
Had Pastor Bill not asked us to pray for the success of the treatment,
most of us would probably not even have known he is ill.
His energy and enthusiasm for the ministry have remained a powerful and
guiding inspiration for us, and an undiminished example for all.
He will complete the program in mid-August, and our prayers for its
continued success go with him.
Certainly, his work has continued
uninterrupted. In his 30 years of
ministry, Pastor Bill has performed 168 baptisms including all ages from infants
to people in their 70s. He has
performed 56 marriages, including that impromptu ceremony for the young couple
in Crawford. The brides and grooms
have ranged from teenagers to a gentleman in his 80s getting married for the
first time. Pastor Bill has
confirmed 167, and presided over 93 funerals.
These impressive numbers are but a
small indication of the thousands who have been touched by his ministry, by his
strength, and by his inspiration. We
who celebrate this special day with him are joined in spirit by all those whose
lives and faith he has nurtured.
We thank all of you who have joined
us on this special day to celebrate his 30 years of ordained ministry.
We pray for God’s continued blessing and guidance on the service of
this gifted and motivated man. We
thank him and his family for their commitment, for their examples, and for their
powerful witness among us.
Press Release
---------------
For Immediate Release For More Information
July 7, 2003 972 296 2035
Rev. Bill Metting To Be Honored For 30 Years Of Ministry
Duncanville, TX
– July 7 – New Life In Christ Lutheran Church in Duncanville will honor its
pastor, Reverend Bill Metting and his family for his 30 years of ordained
ministry this Sunday, July 13 with a luncheon at the church.
Located at 311 South Cockrell Hill Road, New Life in Christ is the fifth
church served by Pastor Bill, as he is affectionately called by the
congregation. He and his family
moved to the Duncanville church in 1998.
Pastor Bill is a native of the Hill Country. Born in Fredericksburg, he grew up in Kerrville. He graduated from Texas Lutheran University in 1970 and studied briefly at Austin Presbyterian Seminary before entering Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. While there he completed an internship at Saint Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
He graduated from Wartburg and was ordained into the
ministry in July, 1973, at his boyhood home congregation, Zion Lutheran Church
in Kerrville. He immediately
accepted a call to Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Walhburg where he served
for seven years.
In 1980, he moved to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in The
Colony. While there, he also
started Faith Lutheran Church in Flower Mound.
In 1984, he accepted a call from Saint Paul Lutheran Church
in Crawford where he served for 14 years. While
there he was also a volunteer EMT for the Crawford Ambulance Service.
He and his family moved to Duncanville and the New Life in
Christ congregation four years ago. He
met and married Linda Thomas while serving at The Colony’s Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church. She teaches
Spanish at Duncanville High School.
A daughter, Jenny, works for Trinity Consultants.
She is married to James Pecht. They
live in Dallas. Son Josh lives in
Grand Prairie and works at Carmax in Fort Worth.
And son Jonathan is a senior at Duncanville High School.
To support his preparation for the ministry, Pastor Bill
worked at a wide variety of more earthly jobs including grounds maintenance,
offshore oil drilling crews, appliance sales, and bartending.
He often uses these real-world experiences in his sermons to relate the
lessons of the scriptures to everyday living.
During his 30-year ministry, Pastor Bill has performed 168
baptisms, 56 marriages, 167 confirmations, and 93 funerals.
He has touched the lives of thousands with his witness and ministry.
The 30th anniversary luncheon will be at New Life Lutheran Church at 11 a.m. this Sunday. The congregation invites the entire community to help them honor Pastor Bill and his family on this landmark occasion.
#####