The Growing Seed     1990 – 2004

    The Growing Seed   (Part 1)   

Calvary could already see the sprouting seed growing in 1990.  Two children of Calvary entered full-time kingdom work in July of that year, Pastor Joel Gaertner as pastor at Boone County, Kentucky and Miss Sarah Lassila at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Interest in missions sparked Calvary to invite Pastor Mark Cares from Nampa, Idaho (an outreach to the Mormons) to preach at its Mission Festival. 

Work on a two-pastor ministry started two years earlier began to take shape with two open meetings of the congregation in September.  At a special meeting of the congregation on November 18, 1990, it was decided to call a second pastor to help "strengthen the stakes and lengthen the cords in our Kingdom work.”  A previous Voters’ meeting had established a 2/3 majority vote necessary for the calling of a second pastor.  The quorum of voters present would require 31 “yes” votes.  The motion was approved with 35 votes. 

Calvary opened the year 1991 with a call meeting on January 20 for the purpose of calling Calvary’s second pastor.  From the list of six candidates, Pastor Burger was called.  Not long after extending the first call for a second pastor, Pastor Gaertner received a call to serve the WELS mission in Weslaco, Texas.  Pastor Gaertner accepted that call, leaving Calvary to call both a Senior Pastor and an Associate.  The congregation held its first call meeting to call a Senior Pastor on April 7, and called Pastor John Mahnke.  At the same meeting it was announced that Pastor Gaertner would preach his farewell sermon on May 26, 1991.

With its pastoral staff in flux, Calvary held a special meeting on May 6 for the purpose of calling a Senior Pastor, calling a vacancy Pastor, and calling an Associate Pastor from the Seminary (Pastor Burger had returned Calvary’s first Associate’s call).  At that meeting Pastor William Gabb was called as the Senior Pastor.  Only two weeks later, Candidate John Vieths was assigned from the Seminary as the Associate Pastor.  Candidate Vieths would graduate on May 31 and arrive in Dallas in July. 

In the meantime, 16 more gentlemen over the next two years would receive the divine call to serve as Senior Pastor:  Forrest Bivens-June 1991, Dennis Kliest-August 1991, Greg Otterstatter-September 1991, Mark Wessel-November 1991, Curtis Franzmann-December 1991, Pastor Pope-January 1992, Paul Kelm-February 1992,  Alan Eckert-April 1992, Peter Kruschel-May 1992, Alan Schroeter-August 1992,  Larry Zahn-September 1992, Samuel Clemons, October 1992, James Pope-December 1992, Vilas Glaeske-February 1993, Ted Lambert-April 1993, Paul Janke April 1993. Finally, in spring of 1993, Calvary decided to extend the Senior Pastor position to Pastor Vieths and to call again a Seminary candidate to serve as the Associate Pastor.

While Calvary awaited the arrival of Candidate Vieths, Pastor Norman Berg served as vacancy Pastor.  Pastor Vieths and his wife Robin arrived on July 3, and was ordained and installed on July 18, 1991.  Pastor Larry Cross from Rochester, Minnesota, Pastor Vieth’s home church, performed the ordination rite.

In the fall of 1991, the Ladies Bible Study hosted its first annual Craft Workshop.

 Just as the called staff seemed to settle down, Principal Robert Favorite received and accepted a call to St. Peter Lutheran Church in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  After calling Mr. Mark Eisenmann and Mr. Kurt Rosenbaum, Mr. Jim Henrickson, from Zion, Torrance, California, accepted the call as principal of the school and was installed in July.  During the school year, Calvary school sponsored its first “Read-In” with a dinner, book fair, literature readings and movies.

1992 was also another busy year for sons of the congregation active in ministry.  Donald Patterson, son of Calvary members Bill and Jerry Patterson, received his first call into the ministry to Holy Word Lutheran Church in Austin Texas, while Scott Bertram, son of members David and Nita Bertram was called to serve as evangelist at Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas.

Calvary elders became more active in supporting the pastor in his spiritual work by assisting with distribution of the Lord’s supper.  They also set a goal of visiting every member at least once in the next two years.  In addition, the elders approved placing the New International Version of the Holy Bible in the pews.

The Ladies Bible Study met in a members home, a move so popular they decided to alternate monthly meetings between church and a member’s home.  

For four years the seed of a two-pastor ministry had been growing in the hearts of Calvary members.  Two years earlier the process began with the calling of the first Senior Pastor.  Still, Calvary had not received acceptance of this call.  Nonetheless Calvary wanted to continue to grow.  To better nurture its members, the Stewardship Committee introduced a Shepherding Program which “divided [the congregation] into groups of four or five families, [with] a leader responsible for communicating with the other families and showing spiritual concern for them.”  The Evangelism Committee invited Pastor Paul Prange from Austin to talk to the youth group about evangelism, after which they canvassed the neighborhoods around the church.  Pastor Eugene Ahlswede, Mission Counselor, served as guest preacher and Bible class instructor in July, at which time he informed the congregation of Mission Board plans to start a mission in the Northeast Dallas suburbs of Garland/Rowlett/Sachse.  In the school, Mrs. Linda Hengst was called to head up a new preschool program slated to begin the next school year.

After 18 calls for a Senior Pastor, in April Calvary decided to call a candidate from the Seminary as the Associate Pastor, effectively moving Pastor Vieths into the Senior Pastor role.  On May 18, 1993, Calvary was informed that Candidate John Koelpin was assigned to serve as the Associate Pastor in Calvary’s two-pastor ministry.  In anticipation of the arrival of an additional pastor, the voters approved the purchase of another parsonage.  Shortly before the Koelpins arrived in July, the search committee received approval to purchase the home at 4318 Jenny Lane, Garland, Texas.  On August 15, 1993, Candidate Koelpin was ordained and installed by his associate Pastor John Vieths.  Pastor Koelpin’s father Professor Arnold Koelpin served as guest preacher for the festival service.

Plans long laid for ministry with two pastors began to take form.  In a series of “chapel talks” each committee of the congregation outlined how it would use the new ministry at Calvary.  Pastors Vieths and Koelpin were asked to produce a vision for the ministry of Calvary and a Long Range Planning Committee began to meet to develop a strategy for education and outreach in the congregation.  In September, for the first time, two adult Bible classes were offered on Sunday morning.

On the Synodical stage, news came from the convention of Synod in August that our WELS prep schools would be combined in Watertown, Wisconsin and the colleges would amalgamate on the New Ulm, Minnesota campus.  The convention also approved the new/revised Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal.  Calvary members received their first glimpse of this new worship resource at a Hymnal Introduction Workshop held at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Duncanville in October.  In that same month, Calvary had the privilege of hosting a Pastor/Teacher/Delegate Conference together with a special Service of Thanksgiving commemorating ten years of God’s grace to the South Central District.

For the first time the Children’s Christmas service was held at the beginning of the school Christmas break, prior to Christmas Eve.  In its place, Calvary held its first Christmas Eve candlelight service of Lesson and Carols.  Both services were well received.

Even as the number of called staff grew in 1993, the years 1993-1995 saw Calvary give back to the ministry in a significant way.  Seeds for full-time ministry first planted years earlier came to fruition with six children of the congregation entering kingdom work (one pastor and five teachers).  Susan Linn (Our Redeemer, Madison, Wisconsin) and Amy Jungemann (St. Peter, Balaton, Minnesota) graduated in 1993.  Alex Ring (pastor ELS, Tacoma, Washington), David Rust (St. Paul, Menomonie, Wisconsin) and Cathy Schmeling (St. John, Libertyville, Illinois) graduated in 1994.  And Jill Gaertner (Bethlehem, Hortonville, Wisconsin) graduated in 1995.

On January 23, 1994 the congregation began its formal introduction to Christian Worship with short “spots” at the beginning of the service to help the members become familiar with the new hymnal.  After four weeks of introduction, the congregation began formal use of Christian Worship on February 20th.  Initially only the “Common Service” liturgy was used.  However, by August the elders approved adding the new communion service setting “Service of Word and Sacrament.” 

In the spring of 1994 a Lutherans for Life group was given approval to formally organize under the auspices of the Board of Education.  Other Board of Education business heralded the coming of the “information highway.”  One computer was placed into each classroom for teacher use and the classrooms were linked together on a common network.  Some information, however, was still gleaned the old-fashioned way when a handful of the 55 Calvary students took a trip north to visit Synodical schools.  Lutheran Girl Pioneers sponsored a Father/Daughter Banquet in the spring, while the Boy Pioneers, long inactive, made plans to be a viable organization.  The Board of Education also planned and promoted a new VBS format, offering classes in the evening for both children and adults called Family Bible School.

Calvary ended the year with baptized souls reaching the 400 mark for the first time.  Average Sunday attendance for the year was 221.

As the seed of Calvary grew internally, the congregation struggled with the usual difficulties that come with functioning as a larger church.  In order to address some of the disconnectedness of a larger congregation, Calvary’s Stewardship Committee began taking Polaroid pictures of the members to be posted on a bulletin board.  This Committee also encouraged the regular use of church-provided name tags on Sunday morning, kicked off with Name Tag Sunday on February 28, 1995.  The Board of Elders approved the position of church secretary and outlined a list of duties.  Mrs. Sandy Gross, who had worked for many years as the school secretary, volunteered for the church secretary position.  Mrs. Lilly Merkilinger, Mrs. Donna Ihms, and Mrs. Marilyn Linn offered to supply the school secretarial help.  The Elders also recommended the purchase and use of a common cup in addition to individual cups during the Lord’s Supper.  The Maintenance Committee implemented the “Calvary Facility Adoption Plan” which asked members to adopt a portion of the grounds for a year.

The challenges that come with growth were made softer for Calvary, when, on April 7, 1995 Calvary commissioned seven active families to begin a new congregation, Divine Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Rowlett, Texas.  The first service at Divine Peace was held the following week, Palm Sunday, with Pastor Daniel Voigt shepherding the new church.

In the fall of the year Calvary sponsored its first Fall Festival for the children of the congregation.  It also hosted its first Friendship Sunday to which Calvary members invited non-members to come and hear the Good News of the Savior, Jesus.

As the new year began in 1996, Calvary’s leadership met to make plans for the upcoming year, presented with the twin challenges of “daughtering” the new mission in Northeast Dallas County while at the same time fulfilling the needs of a growing school enrollment brought on by renewed interest in the school from our sister churches north and east of Calvary.  Enrollment in the school had grown by 18 students in just two years. 

In the spiritual life of the congregation, the elders recommended celebrating the Lord’s Supper during Ash Wednesday worship.  They also encouraged the pastors to launch a spiritual growth program in which every communicant member visited with one of the pastors for a “Spiritual Check-up.”  These meetings proved beneficial both for Calvary’s shepherds and the sheep. 

The enrollment blessings that began in 1996 continued in 1997 with a beginning enrollment of 80 students.  Previous congregational meetings had failed to resolve the issue of staffing to meet the needs of a ballooning enrollment.  Prior to the start of school, three individuals (Mrs. Carole Ihms, Mrs. Linda Hengst, and Mr. Leo Frese) came forward unsolicited and volunteered their time and abilities to help ease the teaching challenges caused by growth in the school.  Because these volunteers would be directly involved in sharing means of grace on behalf of the congregation and be responsible for preparing their own lesson plans and teaching, it was felt only proper that the congregation call them to such positions.   Mr. Frese was called to teach two subjects in the upper grade classroom to allow Principal Henrickson time for administrative duties.  Carole Ihms and Linda Hengst were called to team teach first and second grade.  In order to accommodate this new class, the Voters approved the remodeling of the old church library/youth room for use as a classroom.  The addition of these volunteer teachers also marked the creating of new grade divisions, with Helen Jungemann teaching Kindergarten, Carole Ihms and Linda Hengst in grades 1 & 2, Jan Fritz in grades 3 & 4, Dawn Aswege in grades 5 & 6, and Jim Henrickson and Leo Frese in grades 7 thru 9.

1997 also marked the 25th anniversary of Calvary Lutheran School.  Planning for the anniversary culminated with invitations to former students, families, and former teachers of Calvary Lutheran School to join in a weekend of activities.  On Saturday, June 14, Calvary hosted a fellowship picnic at Breckenridge Park in Richardson, followed on Sunday afternoon with a special worship service, an open house and a potluck dinner with program.  In recognition of the 25th anniversary, a special gift to the school from various individuals was offered in thanks for God’s blessings.  These gifts allowed the purchase of new school desks.

In addition to the staffing changes and the anniversary, the Board of Education also recommended the discontinuance of the “computer fund,” instead rolling technology fees and the computer budget into a standard portion of the school registration fees.  The technology committee completed a church and school Ethernet network.  Also under the Board of Education purview were the Pioneers which hosted their first fellowship campout at Eisenhower State Park as well as the very first Lutheran Girl Pioneer pinecar derby.

In a busy year of school activities, the other Boards were also busy at work.  The Elders passed a resolution to regularly place the baptismal font in the middle of the main aisle in front of the chancel steps as a way of reminding worshippers of their baptism each time they enter the sanctuary or come forward for the Lord’s Supper.  They also proposed using “Morning Praise” on the 5th Sunday of a month, and moving Calvary’s regular evening services from 7:30 to 7:00 p.m., a change that had noticeable results in Advent and Lenten attendance.  The Board of Stewardship presented a debt retirement program and the Evangelism Committee inaugurated “worknights” on the first and third Tuesday of each month.  On these “worknights” members meet to make visits, phone calls or address mailings.

In the year 1997, Calvary’s proposed budget was $391,404.00, while membership stood at 438 souls.

With nearly 35 years of growth as a congregation, 25 years of blessings from the school, and entering the fifth year of the two-pastor ministry, Pastor Koelpin offered these words to the congregation as the year came to a close, “From where Calvary began to where it is today, we can see that God has done great things at this congregation.  It is my prayer that this congregation continues to be a voice with the community which takes the Word of God seriously, which remains true to the confessions of the Church throughout the ages, which is willing to put into actions  what the Bible tells us in words.  It is my prayer that this congregation not settle for maintaining what it has but seeks to grow, getting out the message of Christ crucified here where we are and elsewhere in this metropolitan area.  It is my prayer that the vision of a two pastor ministry not become an excuse for complacency, but that more and more the members of Calvary are willing to do more – be that personal Bible study, be that regular worship, be that evangelizing, be that serving, be that giving, be that encouraging, or be that caring more for one another.  As your pastor, I commend all of you to the grace and mercy of our loving God, who took such great delight in us that he was willing to call us brothers, “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25).

Already in the late 1980’s the membership of Calvary began to lay plans for greater lay involvement in ministry through the increase of called staff.  1998 began as a year in which the called leadership of Calvary intended on deliberately encouraging such lay involvement.  Pastors Vieths and Koelpin taught a bi-monthly Bible class for lay leaders entitled Training Christians for Ministry (TCM) with emphasis on Old and New Testament.  The Stewardship Committee challenged the membership to involvement both financially and with their time and abilities through a series of luncheon meetings called “Are You Able?”  Evidence that God’s Stewardship message works came in July with the treasurer report showing a $3,926 surplus in our checking.  In an effort to keep the membership aware of opportunities to show love for fellow members the elders added “Keep Them in Your Prayers” and “Member Care” sections to the monthly newsletter.  The Evangelism Committee led a series of “focus group” meetings in which Calvary members were encouraged by one another to invite their unchurched friends and neighbors to a Calvary fellowship event to hear about Jesus.  This committee also received a $900.00 grant from Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation to assist in a program of mailing brochures to new homeowners in Lake Highlands.  These mailings were followed up with phone calls to inquire if homeowners had a church home. The school hosted a career week, in which members spoke in classrooms about their career and how their chosen skills affect their faith.  The voters also approved a Board of Education recommendation for an Educational Assistance fund to help defray costs for families whose children attend Calvary School.  Finally, a set of Tone Chimes was purchased and a newly formed “Chime Choir” played for the first time in the Children’s Christmas service.  In all these ways, Calvary’s leadership sought to fulfill the member’s desire for ministry.  The sprouting seed was growing within the lives of Calvary’s members.

Little could the staff anticipate, however, how God would present Calvary’s members with a host of unplanned opportunities for ministry in 1998.  In the summer of 1998, Pastor Voigt at Divine Peace accepted a call to teach in Washington and Pastor Koelpin was called to serve the vacancy.  Not a month later Atonement Lutheran Church in Plano also became vacant and Pastor Vieths was called to serve the vacancy.  With both vacant congregations desiring a continuation of Sunday morning worship, Pastor Vieths and Koelpin alternated leading worship at Calvary and the two sister congregations.  With Calvary’s pastors serving three congregations (and at one point four, with a vacancy at the ELS church in Richardson), Calvary’s lay leadership stepped up to the task.  Calvary’s average attendance reached its all-time high of 236 during 1998, even with the strain on its called leadership.

The unexpected opportunities for service, however, were just beginning.  Just as school began, an extensive water leak was discovered at the teacherage on Royalwood.  This would be a precursor of more major problems at the teacherage which would consume some of Calvary’s time in the years to come.  A few months later an inspection by the fire department advised that we build a separate building not attached to the school, to house any gas-powered equipment.   This project was designed and completed by Calvary member Tony Aragona.  It was intended as a shed play cabin and teaching deck for an expected cost of $4000.  Finally, the increase in membership meant there were no longer enough member mailboxes.  Member Paul Pruitt designed and built new church mailboxes to accommodate the larger membership and relocated them to the entrance near the parking lot.

Happily, the growth in numbers of Calvary’s seed, afforded Calvary the opportunity for some welcome changes in 1998.  After a year of volunteer labor in the school, the voters approved calling Linda Hengst as a full time paid teacher for grades 1 & 2.  Patti Henrickson was subsequently called to teach preschool in the 98-99 school year to fill the vacancy left by Mrs. Hengst.  With this more permanent arrangement, Kindergarten moved into the renovated library and the 1st & 2nd grade room moved to the left side room at the end of the school hallway.  Things changed on Sunday mornings, too.  The Sunday School procedure was altered with the children heading straight to their classes to begin the hour and joining the adults in the sanctuary for a closing.  In worship, the Elders introduced a new procedure for distribution of the Lord’s Supper.  Celebrants would stand in front of the first pews to receive the Supper instead of climbing the stairs into the chancel.  The elders also observed more frequent setting up of chairs to accommodate worshippers and began to study ways of increasing our worship space.  Tony Aragona,  architect and Calvary member,  was asked to present a plan to expand our church balcony with seating for 40 people. 

1998 was also the year Calvary stepped headlong into the “internet era.”  E-mail addresses were added to the Calvary directory and Calvary began hosting its own webpage. 

Already in late 1998, things began to return to normal for Calvary’s leadership.  Pastor John Hering, missionary to Japan, accepted the call to serve Divine Peace and arrived in November of 1998.  In early 1999, Pastor William Gabb accepted the call to serve Atonement Lutheran Church.  However, after many months of assisting other congregations, the Lord of the Church decided it was time for Calvary’s staff to reconsider its work at Calvary.  In the spring of the year, all the Calvary staff who were also recognized as “heads of household” received calls to serve elsewhere.  Pastor Vieths held a call to East Fork Lutheran High, Whiteriver, Arizona; Pastor Koelpin held calls to Risen Savior, Oostburg, Wisconsin and West Lutheran High, St. Paul, Minnesota;  Jim Henrickson held a call to Emmanuel Lutheran School, West St. Paul, Minnesota and in June to Shoreland Lutheran High School, Sommers, Wisconsin; Dawn Aswege held calls to and Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota and St. John’s, Two Rivers, Wisconsin; and Jan Fritz held a call to Siloah Lutheran School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  In each case the Holy Spirit led the workers to return their calls and remain in service at Calvary.

In the fall of the year, the earlier leak at the teacherage proved to be worse than at first anticipated.  Studies on the house revealed structural and environmental problems underneath the house that would prevent occupancy by the Henricksons.  Quick action by Calvary members secured a one-year lease on a different house and moved the Henricksons to their new location.  Meanwhile insurance companies evaluated the extent of damage and cost of repairs while the congregation prayerfully considered repairing or selling the home.  In the spring of the following year, the congregation would approve the sale of both the teacherage and the second parsonage together with the purchase of a new teacherage (9125 Church Rd.) and parsonage (9909 Vistadale Dr.).

With its staff situation a bit more settled, Calvary turned its attention toward fellowship and ministry among its members.  A Fellowship Committee planned a number of events meant to bring people of Calvary together, such as, a road rally, a chili dinner game night, and an Fall Festival.  In addition, the seeds of a fellowship and Bible study group among Young Adults were also sown.  Among the ladies of the congregation, the Ladies Bible study hosted a secret pal program and a Quilt Lock in.

Increased staff, volunteer help, and students helped the school branch out into new areas in 1999.  The use of a new math curriculum over the past few years was again introduced in the fall of the year at a “Math Night” hosted for parents to help them understand the new methods their children are using to solve math problems.  Since Calvary continued to hear pleas for expanding the school through 12th grade, the Board of Education authorized the formation of a committee to explore such a possibility.  The seeds of elementary education so long treasured at Calvary wanted to grow into further ministry to high school students.  With more and more parents unable to pick up their children at the 3:30 p.m. closing time, the Board of Education explored and implemented an After School Care program.  In the spring of the year, Dr. Kay Aragona led a five-day art history tour to London for girls in grades 5-9.  During the school year 1999, the Board of Education became increasingly aware of the difficulties of transferring the credits of our graduates to other schools since Calvary was not formally accredited by any outside agency.  The voters gave the Board of Education the authority to pursue such accreditation from the Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools (TAAPS) in the coming school year.

Not all the ministry at Calvary was nurture, however.  A long time in planning, the Evangelism Committee opened Calvary to English as a Second Language classes (ESL), led by a number of trained and capable volunteers from Calvary.  Calvary also reached out again with one of its own when Sarah Zahrt, daughter of the congregation, graduated and was assigned to Good Shepherd, Omaha, NE. 

The Growing Seed—Part 2

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