2004 Year in Review

Oncken ordination at St. Peter's

Tony Oncken, his wife Caroline, and daughter Lynnea

The congregation of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church invites the community to the ordination of Tony Oncken on Sunday, June 20, 2004 at 4 p.m. at the church which is located at 601 N. Jackson Street, Morrison.

There will be a reception following in the Fellowship Hall of the church.

Anthony Robert Oncken was born in Morrison, baptized at St. Peters, and spent all his years growing up in Prophetstown, Illinois. He was brought up as a member of St. Peters, and the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, from his baptism under Pastor Lester Kuker on June 5th, 1977. He grew up listening to the sermons of Pastor Robert Backhus, and then Pastor Michael Winkelman, and was confirmed by Pastor Winkelman on April 7th, 1991.

Tony was taught the Christian faith throughout his life, but it was during a difficult experience in his first years in high school that his conviction and zeal in Christ was reemphasized and strengthened. As a result of this renewed focus on Christ and the Faith, due in no small part to his father (Fritz), Tony began to consider pursuing the vocation of Christian counselor after high school. He sought input from Pastor Winkelman on educational options for such an occupation. Pastor Winkelman offered a number of ideas, and the last idea that he offered was a casual suggestion that Tony consider pre-Seminary studies, pointing out that a pastor does a considerable amount of counseling. The idea of being a pastor had never crossed Tony's mind. He couldn't imagine himself as a pastor, and he dismissed the idea. But the idea was not so easily forgotten.

Through various experiences and opportunities Tony was reminded of the idea of being a pastor, and it began to seem more and more imaginable. By the end of his sophomore year in high school he had decided to enter into pastoral studies in college and then Seminary. After high school he attended Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy with a minor in Theology.

Tony entered Seminary studies in August of 2000 at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During the 2002/2003 school year he was vicar under Pastor Daniel Ognoskie at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Dwight, Illinois. It was also during this time that he met a wonderful and a good-old-fashioned faithful Lutheran girl named Caroline! Tony completed his vicarage, and Caroline and he were married on August 30th, 2003, at St. Peters. After this Tony, Caroline, and Lynnea moved into a house in Fort Wayne for his forth and final year of Seminary training. (Lynnea is Caroline's daughter from her previous marriage, but Tony dearly loves Lynnea as his own.)

On April 28th, 2004, Tony received his call to be pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Waldenburg, Arkansas. (Arkansas was probably one of the last places he imagined being called to, but this too has been revealed to be another great unimagined blessing from God!) He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary on May 21st, 2004, with a Master of Divinity degree, and officially accepted the call to Zion.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
June 16, 2004