Saturday, September 14, 2024
Hitterdahl Lutheran Church of Iola will install Rev. Dale Wilson as its pastor on Sunday, Sept. 26, at a 1:30 p.m. worship service.
Area clergy and members of other congregations are invited to join the celebration.
On Sept. 26, the congregation will observe its usual morning schedule of 9 a.m. Sunday school and 10 a.m. worship. A luncheon will be served at 11:30 a.m., with dessert to follow the installation service. Members and guests will be invited to join in a singalong both before and after the meal.
Wilson has commented on his amazement at the energy the congregation puts into its worship. "Whether singing, participating in Psalms and prayers, or actively listening to the message, everyone does so with gusto," he stated.
This and the depth of spiritual passion the congregation has developed moved him to prayerfully accept the call when offered.
Wilson comes to Hitterdahl with a great variety of life and ministry experience. He was ordained in 1994 and has served congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin. He has spent much of his career working with youth and family ministry during his educational career as a youth director and then as an associate pastor.
Wilson also highly values his experiences prior to his studies. He worked in law enforcement for three years in the U.S. Army Military Police and six years using this experience working in security, making over 300 arrests for theft. Tales of his exploits continue to find their way into his "gospel" sermons.
He reports that while growing up he had been an active boy and did not enjoy school. However, when enrolled in Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn., he accumulated minors in six fields in addition to his major of theology. After graduating, he entered Luther Seminary, also in St. Paul, and completed studies for the Masters of Divinity.
