Part 1- A Mighty Fortress…
As members of A Mighty Fortress we use the name frequently without much thought about how we came to be a congregation bearing that name. The name wasn’t assigned to those early members or chosen from a list of possible “ catchy” names. Here’s a short description of how 63 years ago on April 28th a Planning committee representing faith-filled Lutherans boldly chose the Provisional name of A Mighty Fortress for a new congregation. Mecklenburg County had been expanding and the Lutheran Church in America was looking for a site for establishing a Mission Church to serve the county’s growth. After a short time of surveying possible locations, they found their site: 4.44 acres of prime land in a commanding location which was ideal for a “fortress”. The land was purchased for $20,700 and an additional purchase was made for a parsonage on 948 Coulwood Drive for $19,500. The Mission Church and the eventual pastor both now had a home.
That Mission Developer and eventual Pastor, Sam Goins, had been very busy between March and April of 1963 making 1500 “house calls” in the expanding neighborhood. He found that there was serious interest in establishing a Lutheran Church in this area. There was one other Lutheran Church in this section of the county—Redeemer Lutheran-which was on Ashley Road . It would become a sister congregation for A Mighty Fortress as it came into existence. Now the issue was where to meet? That was answered by acquiring use of the Cafetorium of Coulwood Jr. High School for 2 hours on Sundays for $15.00. Reverend Sam Goins—who by now knew or was known by many people of the community—was to be the first Pastor. As a validation of the interest in a Lutheran congregation in our area, 89 people attended the May 19th meeting and contributed an offering of $91.56. Eventually, September 8th was selected as Charter Sunday. At that Sunday’s meeting it was voted on and formally decided that the name would be boldly announced as A Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). As work had to be done and the mission of the church carried out, a Church Council of 12 members was voted on and elected. That Charter is on display in our narthex. Copies of it are available. If you look carefully you will see signatures of familiar names: James McGee, Gus Kretschmer and Jean Lyerly --signers of that Charter who are either current members or have an association with AMF. With the signing of this Charter it was then time for this church to begin God’s Work with Our Hands throughout the community.
As members of A Mighty Fortress we use the name frequently without much thought about how we came to be a congregation bearing that name. The name wasn’t assigned to those early members or chosen from a list of possible “ catchy” names. Here’s a short description of how 63 years ago on April 28th a Planning committee representing faith-filled Lutherans boldly chose the Provisional name of A Mighty Fortress for a new congregation. Mecklenburg County had been expanding and the Lutheran Church in America was looking for a site for establishing a Mission Church to serve the county’s growth. After a short time of surveying possible locations, they found their site: 4.44 acres of prime land in a commanding location which was ideal for a “fortress”. The land was purchased for $20,700 and an additional purchase was made for a parsonage on 948 Coulwood Drive for $19,500. The Mission Church and the eventual pastor both now had a home.
That Mission Developer and eventual Pastor, Sam Goins, had been very busy between March and April of 1963 making 1500 “house calls” in the expanding neighborhood. He found that there was serious interest in establishing a Lutheran Church in this area. There was one other Lutheran Church in this section of the county—Redeemer Lutheran-which was on Ashley Road . It would become a sister congregation for A Mighty Fortress as it came into existence. Now the issue was where to meet? That was answered by acquiring use of the Cafetorium of Coulwood Jr. High School for 2 hours on Sundays for $15.00. Reverend Sam Goins—who by now knew or was known by many people of the community—was to be the first Pastor. As a validation of the interest in a Lutheran congregation in our area, 89 people attended the May 19th meeting and contributed an offering of $91.56. Eventually, September 8th was selected as Charter Sunday. At that Sunday’s meeting it was voted on and formally decided that the name would be boldly announced as A Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church of the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). As work had to be done and the mission of the church carried out, a Church Council of 12 members was voted on and elected. That Charter is on display in our narthex. Copies of it are available. If you look carefully you will see signatures of familiar names: James McGee, Gus Kretschmer and Jean Lyerly --signers of that Charter who are either current members or have an association with AMF. With the signing of this Charter it was then time for this church to begin God’s Work with Our Hands throughout the community.
Part 2- INFANT CONGREGATION …NOW WHAT WILL WE CALL HOME?
Hello once again. Already the first steps of the journey to become a viable congregation which would become God's Hands to do God's Work had been completed: a Charter was signed, a Council was elected and property for establishing a new Lutheran church in northwest Mecklenburg county had been purchased by the Board of American Missions. For this congregation, meeting in Coulwood Junior High Cafetorium was a necessity in order to be established; now it was essential to have a permanent home in the community. About one mile away from the Cafetorium was the 4.44 acres of property purchased for just that purpose. The cost had been $20,700 for the property as well as $19,500 for a parsonage for the soon-to-be Pastor of A Mighty Fortress.
Even while the 4.44 acres were still held by the Bd. Of American Missions, the work and planning to become a vital and enthusiastic congregation was underway. The newly organized congregation was moving forward and established a budget of $9,538. Visitation in the community was underway and this active Council set aside $1,000 to create a building fund. For the present, there was a house already on the property. Just as God provided what Abraham needed in a critical time, the existing building on the property would become the "house chapel" for the A Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church of the LCA (Lutheran Church of America). We know it now, of course, as our Fellowship Bldg. But to make a house into a chapel remodeling had to be done. A sketch of the remodeling shows it would have seating in pews for 66 worshippers who would face an altar flanked by a pulpit and lectern as we have now. The "house chapel" would eventually be moved from a location close to the site of our current building to its present location as the Fellowship Building. A smaller building-a well house-was left for a short time as a nursery/classroom. There now would be a temporary home for the congregation to focus on doing God's Work-remember --a building fund had been created.
As members moved ahead into 1964, worship continued in the "house chapel" with the first Ash Wednesday service taking place 62 years ago. As I read over events taking place in that time, I'm left with the conviction that this was God's Work taking place. Much was happening-quickly. In March of that year an organ was donated to the church; a 7 ½ ton air conditioner came from anonymous donors; AMF became recognized members of the LCA; women of the church (who else?) took responsibility for cleaning the church. Most importantly, the members and Council already had envisioned a permanent structure-leading to a Capital Funds drive in June of 1964. By November of '64 an architect had been hired; Thanksgiving was indeed joyous. Building plans were drawn, revised, studied. All of this continued anxiously and prayerfully until early in 1966 when the plans received a final approval. Move the "house chapel" and let the grading begin! Time was here for a permanent House of God and home for A Mighty Fortress Church to fulfill the vision first made in Spring of 1963-a Lutheran congregation and church in northwestern Mecklenburg County.
Hello once again. Already the first steps of the journey to become a viable congregation which would become God's Hands to do God's Work had been completed: a Charter was signed, a Council was elected and property for establishing a new Lutheran church in northwest Mecklenburg county had been purchased by the Board of American Missions. For this congregation, meeting in Coulwood Junior High Cafetorium was a necessity in order to be established; now it was essential to have a permanent home in the community. About one mile away from the Cafetorium was the 4.44 acres of property purchased for just that purpose. The cost had been $20,700 for the property as well as $19,500 for a parsonage for the soon-to-be Pastor of A Mighty Fortress.
Even while the 4.44 acres were still held by the Bd. Of American Missions, the work and planning to become a vital and enthusiastic congregation was underway. The newly organized congregation was moving forward and established a budget of $9,538. Visitation in the community was underway and this active Council set aside $1,000 to create a building fund. For the present, there was a house already on the property. Just as God provided what Abraham needed in a critical time, the existing building on the property would become the "house chapel" for the A Mighty Fortress Lutheran Church of the LCA (Lutheran Church of America). We know it now, of course, as our Fellowship Bldg. But to make a house into a chapel remodeling had to be done. A sketch of the remodeling shows it would have seating in pews for 66 worshippers who would face an altar flanked by a pulpit and lectern as we have now. The "house chapel" would eventually be moved from a location close to the site of our current building to its present location as the Fellowship Building. A smaller building-a well house-was left for a short time as a nursery/classroom. There now would be a temporary home for the congregation to focus on doing God's Work-remember --a building fund had been created.
As members moved ahead into 1964, worship continued in the "house chapel" with the first Ash Wednesday service taking place 62 years ago. As I read over events taking place in that time, I'm left with the conviction that this was God's Work taking place. Much was happening-quickly. In March of that year an organ was donated to the church; a 7 ½ ton air conditioner came from anonymous donors; AMF became recognized members of the LCA; women of the church (who else?) took responsibility for cleaning the church. Most importantly, the members and Council already had envisioned a permanent structure-leading to a Capital Funds drive in June of 1964. By November of '64 an architect had been hired; Thanksgiving was indeed joyous. Building plans were drawn, revised, studied. All of this continued anxiously and prayerfully until early in 1966 when the plans received a final approval. Move the "house chapel" and let the grading begin! Time was here for a permanent House of God and home for A Mighty Fortress Church to fulfill the vision first made in Spring of 1963-a Lutheran congregation and church in northwestern Mecklenburg County.
Part 3
A DREAM BECOMES A REALITY IN THE COULWOOD COMMUNITY
The time had come for the vision to become a reality as the Coulwood community was introduced to A MIGHTY FORTRESS LUTHERAN CHURCH. Sitting high on the hill where it was visibly welcoming to prospective new members. In October of 1966 Pastor Sam Goins announced that the congregation had received a loan from the Bank of Belmont for $50,000. Therefore, the seed money was secured and the Council had approved a budget of $9,600 for 1967. Unfortunately, the goal of construction in 1966 failed to be met. Regardless, planning moved ahead while the congregation continued prayerfully to expect the construction to begin in 1967 (when the “author” of this account was in high school in Belmont…which provides me with a frame of reference.) The dream became a reality in January, 1967 when the building program was approved by the Board of American Missions. Eagerly awaiting the construction of the new church were 123 baptized members, 81 confirmed & 71 communing. Would you believe their average age was 33? Wow! What a contrast between then and now.
The Board of American Missions had set truly lofty goals and projected that in time there could be 350 communing members plus over 250 in Sunday Church School attendance. However, in the final building design there was a projection of seating for 125 in the sanctuary. I’m led to conclude that the demographic study which was made then magnified the potential for continued growth and an influx of “cradle” Lutherans. Regardless, the congregation was moving ahead as the Groundbreaking was held on January 1967. Validating the expectation that there were Lutherans ready to move to this area, nine new members were welcomed from the Hickory area alone. The congregation was growing as the building of the new sanctuary was also progressing. In fact, the construction was progressing so rapidly that the SERVICE OF DEDICATION was to be on Sunday, July 9,1967 and the laying of the corner stone became a reality in less than 6 months. God’s hand at work here? Dr. Ernest Misenheimer delivered the message at an 11 o’clock service and presided over the setting of the corner stone and the date box…which contained statistics of the area, conditions of the community, size of the congregation and a list of charter members—four of whom are still very much with us. By the way, where is that box? Has it been removed?
The time was here to begin a list of “ firsts” : Jason Hollar was the first to be baptized in the new church; December 24th was the first Candlelight service; Richard Armstrong and family were the first new members after our move into the new building; James “Jim” McGee and Barbara Hensley were the first to be married before the altar of A Mighty Fortress. Their marriage was indicative of a culmination of a year of firsts, growth and an event that was, unhappily, natural in the life span of a church. Pastor Goins had accepted a Call from a church in Missouri. His resignation would be effective on January 5, 1969-- a resignation that was reluctantly accepted as natural in the life of a church. The congregation then—as now—was to experience their first Call Committee process which would move the congregation ahead Doing God’s Work; Our Hands.
What waits ahead? More to Come.
A DREAM BECOMES A REALITY IN THE COULWOOD COMMUNITY
The time had come for the vision to become a reality as the Coulwood community was introduced to A MIGHTY FORTRESS LUTHERAN CHURCH. Sitting high on the hill where it was visibly welcoming to prospective new members. In October of 1966 Pastor Sam Goins announced that the congregation had received a loan from the Bank of Belmont for $50,000. Therefore, the seed money was secured and the Council had approved a budget of $9,600 for 1967. Unfortunately, the goal of construction in 1966 failed to be met. Regardless, planning moved ahead while the congregation continued prayerfully to expect the construction to begin in 1967 (when the “author” of this account was in high school in Belmont…which provides me with a frame of reference.) The dream became a reality in January, 1967 when the building program was approved by the Board of American Missions. Eagerly awaiting the construction of the new church were 123 baptized members, 81 confirmed & 71 communing. Would you believe their average age was 33? Wow! What a contrast between then and now.
The Board of American Missions had set truly lofty goals and projected that in time there could be 350 communing members plus over 250 in Sunday Church School attendance. However, in the final building design there was a projection of seating for 125 in the sanctuary. I’m led to conclude that the demographic study which was made then magnified the potential for continued growth and an influx of “cradle” Lutherans. Regardless, the congregation was moving ahead as the Groundbreaking was held on January 1967. Validating the expectation that there were Lutherans ready to move to this area, nine new members were welcomed from the Hickory area alone. The congregation was growing as the building of the new sanctuary was also progressing. In fact, the construction was progressing so rapidly that the SERVICE OF DEDICATION was to be on Sunday, July 9,1967 and the laying of the corner stone became a reality in less than 6 months. God’s hand at work here? Dr. Ernest Misenheimer delivered the message at an 11 o’clock service and presided over the setting of the corner stone and the date box…which contained statistics of the area, conditions of the community, size of the congregation and a list of charter members—four of whom are still very much with us. By the way, where is that box? Has it been removed?
The time was here to begin a list of “ firsts” : Jason Hollar was the first to be baptized in the new church; December 24th was the first Candlelight service; Richard Armstrong and family were the first new members after our move into the new building; James “Jim” McGee and Barbara Hensley were the first to be married before the altar of A Mighty Fortress. Their marriage was indicative of a culmination of a year of firsts, growth and an event that was, unhappily, natural in the life span of a church. Pastor Goins had accepted a Call from a church in Missouri. His resignation would be effective on January 5, 1969-- a resignation that was reluctantly accepted as natural in the life of a church. The congregation then—as now—was to experience their first Call Committee process which would move the congregation ahead Doing God’s Work; Our Hands.
What waits ahead? More to Come.
Part 4
Challenges Ahead
Pastor Goins had submitted his resignation as was expected- regretfully- and held his last Council meeting on Jan 5th just before leaving for St. Louis, Missouri. Meanwhile, a Pulpit Committee was already at work in the effort to bring in a new pastor. Serving now on our Call Committee, I am amazed at how quickly and how uncomplicated the process was then compared to our experience currently. The Pulpit Committee recommended on March 16 to extend a call to Reverend Billy Vanderford from Kannapolis. By April 13th the congregation voted unanimously to call him as the next pastor of AMF and to begin serving in June of 1969. As this young congregation was confronted with both a new pastor and the issue of getting firmly established financially, Council made the decision to report each previous Sunday’s offering and amount needed each week in the Sunday bulletin. Maybe this decision sounds familiar to our members now. After a period of fairly rapid growth, by the end of the year only five new members had been added. Even though the burst of enthusiasm and growth may have decreased, activities were taking place: participation in an Evangelism Conference, vacation school workshops, participation in the World Day of Prayer and creation of the Lutheran Men’s organization. Late in 1970, a Vacation Church School was held which built an outdoor altar on church property. (By the way, I’ve seen it but it’s now deep in our Lutheran Gorge.) So obviously there was a lot of activity to celebrate; however, one issue had arisen. A second mortgage on the parsonage would be payable on January 31st of 1971. Notes taken from the history written of that period reported that “finances being as they were” the Council decided to re-finance and obtain a new loan. Once again, notes from that time report that members of AMF were looking both backward and forward: backward to multiple transfers of families in transition and forward to the challenges to come. Our community had been in a period of substantial development by the Oil companies in the Paw Creek area (think“tank town”). That development had brought families to the area but also would over time see that growth slow as development abated. Another similar circumstance occurred with the development of the Westchester community further in the city along Freedom Drive.
During this time there were some significant developments regarding the youth of A Mighty Fortress that were promoted by Pastor Vanderford. Six young people were brought into membership of A Mighty Fortress by the Rite of Confirmation. Pastor Goins had begun the process and Pastor Vanderford had the privilege to confirm them. It would be two years later when the Congregation would decide to allow 10 year olds to take communion after a time of instruction and having a guardian sponsor: herein lies evidence that times do change. Unfortunately , one circumstance which had not changed was that of financial problems which persisted since 1968. This would lead to the Board of American Missions and associated officers of that committee meeting with the Finance Committee and the Council. AMF was approaching a crisis point when this meeting occurred in September, 1972. How would this be resolved? What changes had to happen? And in 1973 a paramount question came to be: Would the congregation survive?
Could the church meet the challenge for growth of A mighty Fortress? Average attendance had varied from 57 to 37. Members had been hard at work visiting inactive members, prospective members and active members who were simply absent from Sunday services. The concern was great enough that a meeting was scheduled to meet with the Regional Director of North America Divisions. That would take place in January of 1974. Dr. Misenheimer, as representative of the national church structure would meet with church leaders and lead a discussion of the evaluation of the church. This would happen after, of course, that the church had celebrated the tenth anniversary of the church of 1973.
At the annual congregational meeting on January 20th Pastor Vanderford asked to speak to the Council and read his letter of resignation which was reluctantly accepted. He would leave in March to serve as Pastor of at Luke’s in Lexington, N.C. It is significant that in 1973 there had had been only one member to join the church and that was in December. The paragraph in the printed history for the period of 1963-1978 read “ The congregation being pushed into a struggle for its life, was determined to witness and to serve the community, demonstrating the realization of the Mission of the church.”
The next move by Dr. Misenheimer occurred quickly and it would soon be evident that those moves had been in discussion for some time. All this activity, meetings, and discussion led to the realization that this was a critical time for the congregation to be without a full-time pastor—temporarily filling that position with a part-time pastor was not considered. Too many members might drift away over that time and lose interest in continuing to worship at A Mighty Fortress. On March 22nd, members of the congregation met with Pastor David L. Misenheimer and wife Jackie—a meeting which the Pulpit Committee had recommended to the Council. And, we’ll introduce Pastor David L. Misenheimer in Installment 5. Apparently, officials of the Lutheran Church at the regional level committed to keeping a Lutheran church alive and active in our Coulwood community.
Challenges Ahead
Pastor Goins had submitted his resignation as was expected- regretfully- and held his last Council meeting on Jan 5th just before leaving for St. Louis, Missouri. Meanwhile, a Pulpit Committee was already at work in the effort to bring in a new pastor. Serving now on our Call Committee, I am amazed at how quickly and how uncomplicated the process was then compared to our experience currently. The Pulpit Committee recommended on March 16 to extend a call to Reverend Billy Vanderford from Kannapolis. By April 13th the congregation voted unanimously to call him as the next pastor of AMF and to begin serving in June of 1969. As this young congregation was confronted with both a new pastor and the issue of getting firmly established financially, Council made the decision to report each previous Sunday’s offering and amount needed each week in the Sunday bulletin. Maybe this decision sounds familiar to our members now. After a period of fairly rapid growth, by the end of the year only five new members had been added. Even though the burst of enthusiasm and growth may have decreased, activities were taking place: participation in an Evangelism Conference, vacation school workshops, participation in the World Day of Prayer and creation of the Lutheran Men’s organization. Late in 1970, a Vacation Church School was held which built an outdoor altar on church property. (By the way, I’ve seen it but it’s now deep in our Lutheran Gorge.) So obviously there was a lot of activity to celebrate; however, one issue had arisen. A second mortgage on the parsonage would be payable on January 31st of 1971. Notes taken from the history written of that period reported that “finances being as they were” the Council decided to re-finance and obtain a new loan. Once again, notes from that time report that members of AMF were looking both backward and forward: backward to multiple transfers of families in transition and forward to the challenges to come. Our community had been in a period of substantial development by the Oil companies in the Paw Creek area (think“tank town”). That development had brought families to the area but also would over time see that growth slow as development abated. Another similar circumstance occurred with the development of the Westchester community further in the city along Freedom Drive.
During this time there were some significant developments regarding the youth of A Mighty Fortress that were promoted by Pastor Vanderford. Six young people were brought into membership of A Mighty Fortress by the Rite of Confirmation. Pastor Goins had begun the process and Pastor Vanderford had the privilege to confirm them. It would be two years later when the Congregation would decide to allow 10 year olds to take communion after a time of instruction and having a guardian sponsor: herein lies evidence that times do change. Unfortunately , one circumstance which had not changed was that of financial problems which persisted since 1968. This would lead to the Board of American Missions and associated officers of that committee meeting with the Finance Committee and the Council. AMF was approaching a crisis point when this meeting occurred in September, 1972. How would this be resolved? What changes had to happen? And in 1973 a paramount question came to be: Would the congregation survive?
Could the church meet the challenge for growth of A mighty Fortress? Average attendance had varied from 57 to 37. Members had been hard at work visiting inactive members, prospective members and active members who were simply absent from Sunday services. The concern was great enough that a meeting was scheduled to meet with the Regional Director of North America Divisions. That would take place in January of 1974. Dr. Misenheimer, as representative of the national church structure would meet with church leaders and lead a discussion of the evaluation of the church. This would happen after, of course, that the church had celebrated the tenth anniversary of the church of 1973.
At the annual congregational meeting on January 20th Pastor Vanderford asked to speak to the Council and read his letter of resignation which was reluctantly accepted. He would leave in March to serve as Pastor of at Luke’s in Lexington, N.C. It is significant that in 1973 there had had been only one member to join the church and that was in December. The paragraph in the printed history for the period of 1963-1978 read “ The congregation being pushed into a struggle for its life, was determined to witness and to serve the community, demonstrating the realization of the Mission of the church.”
The next move by Dr. Misenheimer occurred quickly and it would soon be evident that those moves had been in discussion for some time. All this activity, meetings, and discussion led to the realization that this was a critical time for the congregation to be without a full-time pastor—temporarily filling that position with a part-time pastor was not considered. Too many members might drift away over that time and lose interest in continuing to worship at A Mighty Fortress. On March 22nd, members of the congregation met with Pastor David L. Misenheimer and wife Jackie—a meeting which the Pulpit Committee had recommended to the Council. And, we’ll introduce Pastor David L. Misenheimer in Installment 5. Apparently, officials of the Lutheran Church at the regional level committed to keeping a Lutheran church alive and active in our Coulwood community.
Part 5
Shift Gears: Out of Neutral and Into Overdrive
In the last installment of the path forward for A Mighty Fortress, the Council of AMF was introduced to Pastor David Misenheimer and his wife Jackie. The rationale for moving quicker than might normally have taken place was that the Council feared that members might lose interest or drift away without a full-time pastor—A Mighty Fortress was still a young congregation. By March 22nd, members of the congregation met to greet Pastor David and his wife Jackie. The process continued to move quickly and on April 7th in a congregational meeting, the motion to call Pastor David Misenheimer received a unanimous vote of 30-0. As I read through the very thorough history of AMF, it was obvious that church officials from Synod level were highly invested in seeing AMF move forward. Pastor David, as I will continue to address him, more than met that challenge as he had accepted the congregation’s call on April 28. Even before his first Council meeting as the incoming Pastor, he had asked that each Council member make a list of five prospective members. Up front, it was evident what the focus was going to be and it wasn’t maintenance of the status quo. On his first Council meeting as Pastor, the focus was on goal setting, present conditions, visitation cards, and newsletters as well as the general appearance of worship and Sunday School areas. Much of what we see and recognize today as part of our worship experience first came at the instigation of Pastor David such as having a free -standing altar and a free-hanging cross over the altar and --while circumstances have altered how these have been done—the impetus was from him. Our method of continuous communion: being directed to the altar rail by the center aisle, individually receiving the bread and wine, and returning to seats by the side aisle began with Pastor David. Everyone then stood and received a sacramental blessing together.
While he had an immediate impact on the structure and format of the worship experience, he came to AMF with the expectation and hope from the Synod that the congregation would not only develop in the worship experience but would increase in membership shake and shake off any lethargy it might have.
Pastor David would soon --through his own visitations--fill many doors in the neighborhood. With a large physical presence, his stature alone commanded some attention. He had soon visited 52 prospective members by himself which was even before his official installation in August of 1974. I suspect that his leadership by example was contagious as a record of the time states: “The pace of the congregation, with Pastor Misenheimer’s guidance, was picking up speed. The power of God’s Spirit, working through people could definitely be seen.” Membership, attendance and participation were growing. As a consequence of this growth, the Council voted in 1975 not to apply for financial support from the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). This was the first step without outside support for the congregation had voted 57-0 for self-support and enacted a self-supporting budget of $30,984.
At this time, a consistent feature in the life of AMF was the presence of change and more was yet to come. A New Year brought new plans as Pastor David introduced a Shepherding Plan for the congregation. Under this plan, each council member would be expected to visit with his or her families to increase communication between Council and the congregation. Significant growth in the congregation did bring needed changes—especially in communication. Each Council member had 4 families for which they were the communication link. On a very practical level of communication, the communication center—also known as our present mailboxes—was built by Jerry Hoffman --and are now over 55 years old! In another aspect of life at AMF, if you attend AMF currently you are accustomed to Lay Assistants reading the Lessons for Sunday from the Lectern. That also changed. Under Pastor David’s leadership, the laymen/laywomen of the church were asked, for the first time, to participate in the Service by reading the Lessons for the Day from the Lectern—a definite step forward. And, by the way, the first to do this was Mrs. Jean Avery. Might this be called progressive thinking for the 1970s?
While all these innovative measures were being enacted, worship continued in the sanctuary while much of Sunday School moved across the parking lot to the AMF’s first home—the Chapel House or Fellowship Building. Sunday School classes were being held there but the older building needed some renovation. That began in October of 1976 and was completed in January of 1977. Building or rethinking physical structures was not all that was being revised. This is the time when the constitution of the church was revised to provide worship structure for a growing congregation. After all the required details had been studied, revised and voted on by the congregation, AMF had four distinct ministry teams: Parish Life, Resources, Outreach and Worship. These four are, of course, still part of the management of the worship structure of our church and are the last of the major changes that Pastor David brought to AMF. An attempt at a full list of those changes is included at the end of this installment.
In general, the last 4 years saw impressive growth and development in both the size of the membership of congregation and the needs that a growing, developing church had in order to better serve the general community. So, in May of 1978 it isn’t surprising that the congregation was asked to approve a resolution that they support in principle the building of a multi-purpose facility of at least 5,000 square feet and enlarging and renovating the present worship area to accommodate 300 people. This was approved by the congregation and a Building Committee was to be formed. By June of 1978 the building committee met with Dr. Misenheimer from the N.C Synod to set the direction for the addition to the present building. The year is 1978—15 years from the signing of the Charter with AMF still being --in one sense --an adolescent church. What transpires after that is in the next installment.
Chronological Listing of the Changes Brought by Pastor David Misenheimer
1. created a free-standing altar and a free-hanging cross over the altar (1974)
2. communion would be changed to the continuous form which is the method that we use in today’s services.. moving down the middle aisle, kneeling at the communion rail, partaking of the bread and the wine, and returning by the side aisle individually. (1974)
3. the free-standing altar had been moved from the wall to convey the symbolism of the presence of God among His people. The Nine Foot suspended cross was an extension of the altar (1975)
4. During Pastor Misenheimer’s time the use of baked loaf bread for communion rather than wafers was instituted.(1975)
5. A Mission statement was declared: We proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to and through the people of His Community by worshipping and witnessing in words and actions. (1975)
6. The first Shepherding Plan was organized at Pastor David’s urging with each Council member having four families with which to communicate (1975)
7. Pastor David was instrumental in expanding the worship experience to include lay readers of the Lessons for the Sunday rather than the Lessons being read by the Pastor at the Lectern. Our first Lay reader was Mrs. Jean Avery (1976)
8. In 1978 the Constitution of the Church was amended to create 4 ministry teams who were responsible to the Church Council: Parish Life, Resource, Outreach and Worship. These are still the core of our Ministry teams.
(And, I’m sure I’ve omitted some changes. However, it’s evident that this was a critical time in the worship experience of AMF members. Most of these changes appear to have been or were definitely promoted by Pastor David.)
Shift Gears: Out of Neutral and Into Overdrive
In the last installment of the path forward for A Mighty Fortress, the Council of AMF was introduced to Pastor David Misenheimer and his wife Jackie. The rationale for moving quicker than might normally have taken place was that the Council feared that members might lose interest or drift away without a full-time pastor—A Mighty Fortress was still a young congregation. By March 22nd, members of the congregation met to greet Pastor David and his wife Jackie. The process continued to move quickly and on April 7th in a congregational meeting, the motion to call Pastor David Misenheimer received a unanimous vote of 30-0. As I read through the very thorough history of AMF, it was obvious that church officials from Synod level were highly invested in seeing AMF move forward. Pastor David, as I will continue to address him, more than met that challenge as he had accepted the congregation’s call on April 28. Even before his first Council meeting as the incoming Pastor, he had asked that each Council member make a list of five prospective members. Up front, it was evident what the focus was going to be and it wasn’t maintenance of the status quo. On his first Council meeting as Pastor, the focus was on goal setting, present conditions, visitation cards, and newsletters as well as the general appearance of worship and Sunday School areas. Much of what we see and recognize today as part of our worship experience first came at the instigation of Pastor David such as having a free -standing altar and a free-hanging cross over the altar and --while circumstances have altered how these have been done—the impetus was from him. Our method of continuous communion: being directed to the altar rail by the center aisle, individually receiving the bread and wine, and returning to seats by the side aisle began with Pastor David. Everyone then stood and received a sacramental blessing together.
While he had an immediate impact on the structure and format of the worship experience, he came to AMF with the expectation and hope from the Synod that the congregation would not only develop in the worship experience but would increase in membership shake and shake off any lethargy it might have.
Pastor David would soon --through his own visitations--fill many doors in the neighborhood. With a large physical presence, his stature alone commanded some attention. He had soon visited 52 prospective members by himself which was even before his official installation in August of 1974. I suspect that his leadership by example was contagious as a record of the time states: “The pace of the congregation, with Pastor Misenheimer’s guidance, was picking up speed. The power of God’s Spirit, working through people could definitely be seen.” Membership, attendance and participation were growing. As a consequence of this growth, the Council voted in 1975 not to apply for financial support from the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). This was the first step without outside support for the congregation had voted 57-0 for self-support and enacted a self-supporting budget of $30,984.
At this time, a consistent feature in the life of AMF was the presence of change and more was yet to come. A New Year brought new plans as Pastor David introduced a Shepherding Plan for the congregation. Under this plan, each council member would be expected to visit with his or her families to increase communication between Council and the congregation. Significant growth in the congregation did bring needed changes—especially in communication. Each Council member had 4 families for which they were the communication link. On a very practical level of communication, the communication center—also known as our present mailboxes—was built by Jerry Hoffman --and are now over 55 years old! In another aspect of life at AMF, if you attend AMF currently you are accustomed to Lay Assistants reading the Lessons for Sunday from the Lectern. That also changed. Under Pastor David’s leadership, the laymen/laywomen of the church were asked, for the first time, to participate in the Service by reading the Lessons for the Day from the Lectern—a definite step forward. And, by the way, the first to do this was Mrs. Jean Avery. Might this be called progressive thinking for the 1970s?
While all these innovative measures were being enacted, worship continued in the sanctuary while much of Sunday School moved across the parking lot to the AMF’s first home—the Chapel House or Fellowship Building. Sunday School classes were being held there but the older building needed some renovation. That began in October of 1976 and was completed in January of 1977. Building or rethinking physical structures was not all that was being revised. This is the time when the constitution of the church was revised to provide worship structure for a growing congregation. After all the required details had been studied, revised and voted on by the congregation, AMF had four distinct ministry teams: Parish Life, Resources, Outreach and Worship. These four are, of course, still part of the management of the worship structure of our church and are the last of the major changes that Pastor David brought to AMF. An attempt at a full list of those changes is included at the end of this installment.
In general, the last 4 years saw impressive growth and development in both the size of the membership of congregation and the needs that a growing, developing church had in order to better serve the general community. So, in May of 1978 it isn’t surprising that the congregation was asked to approve a resolution that they support in principle the building of a multi-purpose facility of at least 5,000 square feet and enlarging and renovating the present worship area to accommodate 300 people. This was approved by the congregation and a Building Committee was to be formed. By June of 1978 the building committee met with Dr. Misenheimer from the N.C Synod to set the direction for the addition to the present building. The year is 1978—15 years from the signing of the Charter with AMF still being --in one sense --an adolescent church. What transpires after that is in the next installment.
Chronological Listing of the Changes Brought by Pastor David Misenheimer
1. created a free-standing altar and a free-hanging cross over the altar (1974)
2. communion would be changed to the continuous form which is the method that we use in today’s services.. moving down the middle aisle, kneeling at the communion rail, partaking of the bread and the wine, and returning by the side aisle individually. (1974)
3. the free-standing altar had been moved from the wall to convey the symbolism of the presence of God among His people. The Nine Foot suspended cross was an extension of the altar (1975)
4. During Pastor Misenheimer’s time the use of baked loaf bread for communion rather than wafers was instituted.(1975)
5. A Mission statement was declared: We proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to and through the people of His Community by worshipping and witnessing in words and actions. (1975)
6. The first Shepherding Plan was organized at Pastor David’s urging with each Council member having four families with which to communicate (1975)
7. Pastor David was instrumental in expanding the worship experience to include lay readers of the Lessons for the Sunday rather than the Lessons being read by the Pastor at the Lectern. Our first Lay reader was Mrs. Jean Avery (1976)
8. In 1978 the Constitution of the Church was amended to create 4 ministry teams who were responsible to the Church Council: Parish Life, Resource, Outreach and Worship. These are still the core of our Ministry teams.
(And, I’m sure I’ve omitted some changes. However, it’s evident that this was a critical time in the worship experience of AMF members. Most of these changes appear to have been or were definitely promoted by Pastor David.)
