Biographical Sketches for 2012 Saints Alive After 55 Speakers
Rev. Scott
Snow is a 1983 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He
served 22 years in the Northern Illinois District as a perish pastor and as an
executive on the district staff. He was installed as the senior pastor of Holy
Cross Lutheran Church in Wichita,KS in 2010. He married Debra Happel in 1990.
The couple has three children.
William Diekelman
Carol and Bill Diekelman live in the suburban St. Louis, MO community of Ballwin
where they've lived since 2004 when Bill was elected to the office of First Vice
President of the Lutheran Church‚Missouri Synod. Bill served in that office
until 2010.
Prior to that the Diekelmans lived in Owasso, OK where Bill served as the first
pastor for Faith Lutheran Church from 1981 until 2004. During their 23 years in
Owasso Bill served the Oklahoma District in a variety of ways including Circuit
Counselor, First Vice President and as District President from 1991 to 2004.
Bill's seminary placement was to St. Mark Lutheran Church in Elko, NV where the
Diekelmans served from 1973 to 1981.
Bill graduated from Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Indiana and went on to
attend Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, graduating in 1973. Bill retired in
March of 2011 allowing the opportunity to spend time with the six children and
six grandchildren.
Rev. Gregory A. Mech
was born in Milwaukee, WI. He is a graduate of Concordia High School and Junior
College in Milwaukee and Concordia Teachers’ College in Seward, NE. He has
served the Church as an English teacher at Baltimore Lutheran High School
(1975-1981), Associate Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL
(1986-1990), Assistant Professor of Theology and Chaplain, Concordia University
Nebraska (1990-2001), Associate and Senior Pastor at First Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, NV (2001-2009), and Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran
Church in Joplin, MO (2009-present).
Pastor Mech was co-recipient of Lutheran Education Association’s Esther Award
for Leadership in Time of Crisis, only the third time the award has been given.
He and his wife Karen married in 1978. They have been blessed with three
children and three grandsons, and are the guardians of one Comfort Dog, Louie,
who allows them to live at his house.
Pastor Tom Harmon
is the founding pastor of Risen Savior Lutheran Church. He traveled to the Holy
Land in 2011 with a group from “The Remnant of Israel.”
Roland Mueller
is Professor Emeritus of History after having taught at St. John's College
(1956-1986) and Concordia University at Irvine, CA (1986-1994). He is a graduate
of Concordia College, River Forest, IL (BS in Ed), University of Northern
Colorado (MA) and
University of Kansas (PhD). He now lives in retirement in Winfield with his wife
Donna where he continues to be active in writing and promoting church and local
history.
Pastor Geoffrey Boyle
has had the pleasure of serving both Grace Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran
congregations in Wichita since August 2010. He is blessed with four
children--three daughters and a son--all under the age of 5! In addition to
caring for both Pastor and the children, his wife, Nicole, volunteers much of
her time to both congregations and organizes the local "mom's group." , Pastor
Boyle studied at the seminary in Fort Wayne and currently is working on his PhD
through the University of Toronto, focusing his studies on the Old Testament.
Pastor Boyle is honored at the invitation to preach here today. May God's word
richly bless you with the free forgiveness won by Christ for you.