The Planted Seed    1964 – 1971

The seed that had germinated for many months within the hearts of the core group of Calvary was now ready to be planted and begin sinking some roots in North Dallas.  Calvary reached the first of many milestones when it held its first worship service on February 2, 1964, at 11:00 a.m. at Crane Funeral Home Chapel on Northwest Highway with 32 in attendance.  Mr. Jerry Crane, owner of the funeral home, permitted use of the chapel rent-free.

Pastor Neumann was installed by Pastor Frey three days later, on February 5, in an 8:00 p.m. service in the Cox Chapel of Highland Park Methodist Church on the Southern Methodist University campus.  Pastor Diehl delivered the sermon based on Hebrews 5:1-4 entitled, “God’s Selection of a Pastor.”

The seed once planted in North Dallas began to spread throughout the North Texas area.  Other seeds were planted in the busy year of 1964.  On May 3, Pastor Neumann held services for the first time for a number of Lutherans in the Hillsboro area.   A few months later, on July 26, summer vicar, Myrl Wagenknecht, conducted the first service in the south Dallas suburb of Duncanville.

In July of 1964 Calvary took steps toward rooting itself more permanently in North Dallas when it  purchased land, upon the recommendation of the Mission Board, at the southwest corner of Fisher Road and Trammel Drive.  In that same year the seed of Calvary showed it’s first growth in Christ when Nancy Baker, daughter of Chet and Jenny Baker, became the first infant baptized in the new mission.  Chet also served as Calvary’s first Sunday School Superintendent and as its first delegate to the Synodical Conference.  The congregation finished 1964 with 24 souls and an average attendance of 20.

Calvary’s roots grew even deeper in 1965.  Three significant events announced to the Lake Highlands neighborhood that Calvary was here to stay.  First, in February the church purchased the parsonage at 9422 Clearhurst.  Then, in August Calvary officially incorporated.  Finally, in September the Fisher Road property was sold back to the original owners and the 3½ acre site at the northeast corner of Church and Audelia Roads was purchased.  However, Calvary’s most significant expansion came in terms of new souls won for Christ, with Jay and Linda Dunlap the very first adult confirmands. 

By 1966 Calvary was serving a growing number of people and owned land on which it hoped to make a more lasting home in North Dallas.  It was time for the seed to sprout into the physical plant of a church building.  Calvary began building its new church with the help of a $50,000 loan from the WELS.  Of this loan, $15,000 was designated for land, and $35,000 for the building, with $40,000 of the loan interest free.  Even while Calvary focused on the home needs of a church building, it still wanted to look beyond its borders and committed $2.30 per communicant member to mission work as a thank offering for the loan.

Building plans moved forward throughout the year.  Carl Doepel and Stan Moore served on the building committee that supervised the construction of the facility.  At an August 14 Voters’ Meeting it was announced that members would each donate for the organ and a pew.  Work officially began on August 16 and a ground breaking service was held on September 4. 

The purpose for which God planted Calvary in North Dallas was vividly impressed on this small group of believers when on June 7 the Lord called Jay Dunlap home to his eternal rest.  By the working of God’s grace in Word and Sacrament, this single branch of Jesus, the vine, was grafted eternally into Christ.  Even with this earthly loss, the mission grew to 46 souls by the end of 1966.

Construction proceeded quickly and was ready for dedication on January 8, 1967.  Pastor Frey, President of the Arizona/California District of the WELS, preached the 10:15 a.m. sermon entitled “Building the Walls of Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 4:16,17). Pastor Oscar J. Naumann, President of the WELS, preached at the 4 p.m. service under the theme “Grant Us Grace, Lord, to Continue Faithfully in Thy Word” (John 8:31,32).

With its sanctuary now completed, Calvary began to celebrate a number of “firsts” in ministry.  March 24 marked the first Good Friday service, followed by the first Easter service at 10:15 a.m. on March 26.  In June, Dale Burgdorf became the first youth confirmand at Calvary.  Vacation Bible School began with an average attendance of 44.  The new sanctuary also provided Calvary members their first opportunity to express their joy in Christ by providing altar bouquets, which, in 1967, cost $3.80 from Northlake Flower shop. 

The year ended, however, with significant change.  In December Pastor Neumann accepted a call to serve another congregation.  Under Pastor Neumann’s faithful shepherding, Calvary had grown to 63 souls with an average Sunday attendance of 41.

The still freshly planted seed of Calvary was not left for long without a shepherd to tend it.  In April of 1968, Pastor Walter Diehl, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tempe, Arizona – and, as chairman of the Arizona/California mission board, instrumental in founding Calvary six years earlier – accepted the call to begin serving the congregation.  Under his guiding hand and with the Lord’s blessing that year, Calvary’s membership grew rapidly to 108 souls.  During that year the first weddings were performed at Calvary, four in all.  Also, Calvary Young People’s Society formally organized on September 29, 1968.

By the end of the year, the carefully planted and nurtured seed of Calvary reached a milestone of maturity, attaining “self supporting” status as a congregation.

Throughout its history, Calvary has not been content to grow in only one place.  The “mission spirit” evident already in 1964 with the sprouting of congregations in Hillsboro and Duncanville, continued to branch out in 1969 as Calvary served to anchor the exploratory mission in Fort Worth.  At home, the Lord again blessed Calvary with tremendous growth, claiming 184 souls and an average attendance of 99.  By 1970, the church had grown to 208 souls and worshipped an average of 125.

Desiring to sink its roots even further into God’s Word, the women of Calvary formally organized Calvary Ladies Bible Study on March 5, 1970.  In November of the next year the Ladies Bible Study offered to the congregation a cookbook and a selection of religious Christmas cards.

By 1971 the planted seed of Calvary Lutheran Church was ready to begin sprouting with additional facilities and new ministries.  The “planted seed” was ready to become the “growing seed.”  In response to needed space for fellowship and in anticipation of a day school, Calvary embarked on a building project.  The $55,000 project added a fellowship area that could be divided into 3 partitioned classrooms, a kitchen, two restrooms, an office, a library, six storage closets and a cloakroom.  Rod Lange chaired the building committee that included Gary Brechter, Blaine Raymond, Steven Boese, Richard Burgdorf, Randolph Currier, and T.C. Burgdorf.  The new 4030 square foot building was dedicated on April 25, 1971.  In the service, Pastor Vilas Glaeske, of Christ the Lord Lutheran Church in Houston, preached on Matthew 21:10-16, both the Junior choir (directed by Mrs. Ruth Hahn) and Senior choir (directed by Mrs. Eileen Stangeland) sang, and Dale Burgdorf accompanied with trumpet.  

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