Pastor Bill's 30th Anniversary of Ordination Celebration!
Sunday July 13, 2003
As we honor Pastor Bill and his family on this 30th
anniversary of his ordained ministry, it is appropriate that we reflect on the
life of this remarkable servant of our Lord.
He was born in Fredricksburg and grew up in
Kerrville. His youth was filled with the joy of living in the beauty of
the Hill Country and summertime visits to his grandfather’s farm.
His extracurricular activities at Kerrville’s Tivy High School included
being a starter on the Antler’s football team as well as playing trumpet in
the high school band.
While a chemistry major at Texas Lutheran College,
he participated in a leadership training program at Camp Chrysalis.
It was there that he was moved by the Holy Spirit to enter the ministry.
After graduating from Texas Lutheran, he studied briefly at Austin
Presbyterian Seminary before enrolling in Wartburg Theological Seminary in
Dubuque, Iowa. While there, he
interned at Saint Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
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.
He was ordained at his boyhood home church, Zion
Lutheran in Kerrville on July 8, 1973. He
immediately accepted a call from Saint Peter’s Lutheran in Walhburg where he
served for seven years.
In 1980, he moved to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
in The Colony. While there he
started Faith Lutheran in Flower Mound. Also
while there, he met Linda appropriately enough, in church.
They were married in 1984 and moved to Crawford to
serve Saint Paul Lutheran for the next 14 years.
During this time, Pastor Bill completed emergency medical training and
became an EMT for the Crawford Ambulance Service.
In 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.
In his 30 years of ministry, he has performed 168
baptisms including all ages from infants to people in their 70s.
He has performed 56 marriages. The
brides and grooms have ranged from teenagers to a gentleman in his 80s getting
married for the first time. He has
confirmed 167 and presided over 93 funerals.