Like at every other student at my
college I was there to prepare to serve as a teaching minister of The Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod. We knew that if we were certified for service we would receive our
“assignment” from the church through the school’s placement office. This assignment
was to a teaching position in a specific Lutheran school. Our Director of
Placement was Dr. Albert Maurer. As part of the process each of us
graduates did have a one-on-one interview with him regarding our “placement”.
He was very clear that while he might listen to our ideas and wishes, the responsibility
for our first position rested with “the church” not with us.
I explained that I was eager to
serve. It did not make much difference what grade level I was assigned. I
explained that I could not serve as a church musician but all other options
were open. My assumption was that I would be assigned to a congregation in the
state of Texas. Texas is where I was proudly from. Most Texans were assigned
back to congregations in Texas.
The day of assignments arrived.
About 150 of gathered in Room 105 of the Administration Building. I do not even
remember that the occasion opened with a word of prayer. The Placement Director
had a big pile of envelopes that contained the info for where each of was to
go.
Our assignment came after a
meeting with the Placements Directors of the two LCMS teachers college
with the appropriate Director of Schools from the various Districts of the
church. Each of those District Directors made their case for their
respective vacancies and then an “assignment of candidates” was negotiated
I dutifully awaited the calling
of my name, then went up and took an envelope. I hastily opened it. The
assignment stared me in the face “St. Paul Lutheran School, Tracy, California,
teacher of Grades 4-8 and principal of the school. Additional assignments:
Director of Youth Ministry, assistance with Sunday School, remuneration:
$200.00 per month. The school was only 4 years old. Total enrollment about 70
in grades 1-8. The other teacher was Mrs. Rosa Bush, wife of the congregation
pastor.
This assignment was fine with me.
I was surprised it was not to Texas, and that I was to serve as principal but was
quite naive as to what the duties of the principal were and so was not overwhelmed
by that.
More important: where would my
girl friend (soon to be my fiancé) Jane be assigned? As I recall we were seated
in alphabetical order and I had to wait until all had received their documents.
Then Jane and I hurriedly met and disclosed to each other where we were headed.
Jane was assigned Grades 1 and 2 at Peace Lutheran School in Saginaw
Michigan. (She had been requested by name by the principal of that school and by
the Superintendent of Schools for the Michigan District, Sam Roth, who was very influential and almost always got
the persons any school in his District sought.
So that was it and that is where
we served, I in California and Jane in Michigan. She served there for only
one year. Then we married and the two of us shared our ministry, first in
Tracy, then around the world for more than 65 years.
As I reflect on this whole process
I feel okay about it. We trusted the Holy Spirit and the responsible church
people of the day. And I think everything worked out just the way it was
supposed to!
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