Carole and Marty and "Every State by '78"
In his synod convention presentation, Mark Gabb, pastor at St. Paul, Beverly Hills, Fla., and chairman of the WELS Board for Home Missions, introduced Carole and Marty (pictured above). In the September issue, Forward in Christ features an article by Gabb based on that presentation. Here's an excerpt:
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Carole was not always a WELS member. Back in the 1960s when she and her first husband lived in South Florida, they were unchurched. They received an invitation for their kids to attend vacation Bible school. They went. That week the pastor visited. He visited again the next week and the next. He convinced them to enroll in a Bible information class. They took it and eventually were confirmed.
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After that, as Carole and her family moved around the country, their first priority was to find a WELS church. When their kids were school age, they moved to where the church had a school. Fast forward to today. Carole has grandkids who attended Luther Preparatory School. One of her daughters serves as a preschool teacher at our church. Another daughter graduated from Martin Luther College and is a teacher. A granddaughter graduated from Martin Luther College and is married to a WELS pastor. A grandson serves on the council of ministry where I serve, and another grandson is married to one of our teachers. Carole met her second husband, Marty, at St. Paul. He wasn’t always WELS either. The Lord has used them both to bless our ministry.
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Here’s my point: Carole and Marty and generations after them have been served by WELS congregations that started because of the “Every State by ’78” initiative. Many of you can say the same. The Lord used “Every State by ’78” as groundwork for where we are today.
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Learn more about "Every State by ’78" and how it connects to Carole and Marty and you and me.
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