|
| |
The Pastor's Study is a
symbol of the calling of the Christian minister to be the shepherd of a flock of
God. Here, sermons are prepared to feed the congregation on God's Holy Word.
Here the work of the church is planned so that the congregation may grow in
Grace and bear fruit in Service, Fellowship, Teaching, and Witnessing. Here you
will always find a friend and counselor in time of need. He will not be
surprised at your sins, nor will he judge you on them, but he will always invite
you to share with him the wisdom and love of God, the knowledge of forgiveness
of sins, and the saving Grace of God in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reverend Albert C. Isler was installed as our pastor in
March of 2003. His dedication to his faith and to the church is a strength
that we all benefit from. Pastor Al is married and has 3 grown children and
4 grandchildren.
He has been blessed with two careers. He is also known as US Army
Chaplain (LTC-Retired). His most intense training for ministry took place at
Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MS (Master of Divinity) 1967; and at
Princeton Theological Seminary (Theological Masters Degree in Ethics) 1989.
Besides 9 years of colleges and seminary degrees, he completed numerous
shorter courses to include Family Counseling, Positive Church Leadership,
Bethel Bible Series, Suicide Prevention, and Critical Incident Stress
Debriefing, to name a few.
Mobile Ministry: After graduating from St. Louis, Pastor Al
served 11 years in parish ministry in California and Texas before entering
the Army as a chaplain in 1978. He has served in Georgia, Panama, New
Jersey, Korea, Virginia and Germany.
East Coast Settling Down: During 10 years of Army work in
Virginia, Chaplain Isler so much enjoyed the people and our Southeastern
District's attitude towards ministry that he eagerly joined the call list
process to serve here at Grace after completing his Army career.
While stationed in Virginia he served as Chaplain to the Old Guard at Fort
Myer, Senior Army Chaplain to Arlington National Cemetery, and pastor to the
23,000 workers in the Pentagon.
Service Recognition: Among the awards Chaplain Isler
received are the Bronze Martin of Tours Medal awarded by the Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod for two decades as a military pastor and two Legion of Merit
Medals awarded by the Army civilian staff in the Pentagon and by his
European commanding General.
God's Grace was and is the key: He is glad to be back,
again, in ministry among the civilian community that has given so much
prayerful support to him and his family. He claims "Grace" as not only a
great name of the congregation he serves but also the description of the
path on which God leads us in Christ. Amen!
|
© Copyright 2010