I was ordained on September 21, 1986, at Luther Memorial Church in Madison, WI, after receiving a call to serve as the first Associate Pastor for Advent Lutheran. Cindy and I moved to Arlington, TX with our one year old son, Andrew, a few weeks later, in

early October.

It was a time of growth for Advent, which included a large Sanctuary and Classroom addition that would come shortly after my installation. It was a time when people who chartered and formed Advent were joined by a contingent from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church where it gained a group of more seasoned Lutherans, while people

who were moving into the area were joining regularly, giving it a great intergenerational population.

While at Advent building relationships with people was what I most remember. Names and scenarios with people I encountered in those early years remain vivid and treasured. Working with many faithful individuals as we engaged with growing pains,

developing the youth group and taking them to camps and gatherings, reforming the confirmation ministry, working with some excellent and creative people who took the

lead with the Children’s ministry, and developing small groups were some of the things I most remember. Of course the building additions were exciting. Being involved with some of the design and architectural pieces including the living water baptismal font and

stained glass windows were fun and creative. I also remember helping develop the Stephen’s Ministry program. I still treasure a prayer blanket knitted and given me, some book ends with the stones and designs from the windows, and the Stephen’s Ministry

picture that was commissioned as beloved mementos from my time with Advent.

Of course we also remember raising Andrew and having Zachary, our second son, born in Arlington. We still think about the shower the Church provided Cindy me with warmth. While there, Cindy developed in her career as a Speech Pathologist at South

Arlington Hospital.

After the deaths of Cindy’s grandparents, we made the difficult decision that we wanted to have our children know their grandparents like we were able to know our grandparent. Being close to family was very important for us and if God was going to

allow this, it was the path we would follow. Unexpectedly, it was not a call for me, but an opportunity for Cindy to be involved in health research that called us away. It was with a heavy heart that we left our beloved friends, our first home and of course this

church that welcome and loved us so much in 1991.

Since then I have served as chaplain at Lutheran General Hospital, been the first staff chaplains at Rainbow Hospice and the DuPage Convalescent Center, a 500+ bed county run skilled nursing facility. I have also been an on call chaplain for the Naperville Police Department, a local hospital and for the last ten years, I have moved back into the role as a hospice chaplain—a rewarding, meaningful time to engage with people of deep faith as well as those who have distanced themselves completely from a religious

belief system. It is a sacred time to spend with people as they reflect upon their lives and prepare for their deaths.

I have also served as Lead pastor for Christ Lutheran Church in Clarendon Hills for eleven years, and to have served, often concurrently with some of my chaplain work, as

interim Pastor for about five congregations, as well as to serve churches as a supply pastor. I had also found great meaning in working on our synod’s anti-racism team.

Cindy is now completing an accomplished career as a Speech-Language Pathologist. She has worked as a research assistant, director of the Speech Language Department at a large rehabilitation hospital, as well as serving at some large and well-renowned

Hospitals in the Chicago area, including Loyola and Rush. She has been published and has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Northern Illinois University, Rush University and is presently an adjunct professor for Lewis University.

Our children are grown now. Andrew is a talented set designer who has developed and built amazing things. He presently tours with the Stomp Show. He lives in Chicago and is passionate about justice issues. Zachary is married to Britta, who is also a Speech

Pathologist. Zachary is a physician and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine, and works at a couple hospitals in the west suburbs under the Northwestern Hospital umbrella. They are parents to our three year old granddaughter, Lillian, and live in the western suburbs. Elisa, our daughter, is a professional dancer

and Pilates instructor in Madison, Wisconsin. She just got married last year to her wife,

Syd, who is a Madison police officer. We are so proud of all our children because the believe and act in ways that uplift justice, healing and art.

We loved our time in Arlington and with Advent,--this church we truly felt was ours. We often think of the people and our time there with great fondness and love. However, we are also overjoyed that our children know their 21 cousins and their aunts and uncles

and God Parents well. They knew and felt loved and guided by their four grandparents.

Cindy and I have been blessed to also be with our families and celebrate many times with them. We were also blessed to be with all four of our parents as they aged, had the honor to be with all four of our parents at their times of death as well.

God has been good to us. We are so grateful for the gift God gave us in calling us to Advent Lutheran, and for the faithful tutelage and nurturing we received at that time in our lives. We hope that God would consider us faithful servants, who were able to serve

out the ministries to which we had been called more faithfully because of the time we spent with God’s people at Advent.