Tuesday, April 23, 2024
A TRUE CALLING: Acton resident Dan Weichart left his 20-year career in software development and education to pursue his true calling of being an ordained minister. Weichart is the new pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Acton.
A mid-life career change is shaping up to be a new beginning for Acton resident Dan Weichart.
After moving 1,000 miles and starting a brand new career, Weichart has finally found his true purpose in life.
Weichart was born and raised in Wisconsin and previously lived in Arizona. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University.
But after 20 years spent working as a software developer and educator, Weichart could no longer deny his pastoral calling to become an ordained minister.
“I have had a call for many many years but found other ways to respond to that call,” he said. “I would always be working full time, but I would be volunteering at the church leading adult Bible classes and for the last 10 years, I was very involved with the juvenile detention ministry, so those were two places that I responded to God's call, but you can always do a little bit more.”
In 2013, Weichart began pursuing his Master of Divinity degree. He attended both Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California to complete his educational requirements to become a Lutheran pastor. He served his internship at two Lutheran churches in the Phoenix area.
Weichart said he had hoped to stay close to home, but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become the new pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Acton.
"It comes down to people,” he said. “You get to help them through the times in their lives where things are not always as good, but you also get to be around them when they're celebrating, when wonderful things are happening. One of the ways I like to describe what I do is to say that I’m a spiritual wrestling coach. If someone is having a challenge with their faith or their faith wants to grow — not to have the answers, but to be there as someone who can help them along with a relationship with God and sometimes a relationship with others.”
Weichart was originally scheduled to preach his first sermon at Emmanuel Lutheran Church on Nov. 6, but an unexpected COVID-19 infection interrupted those plans.
“The first time I was supposed to start, I couldn't because I had COVID — which will be a hilarious story about six months from now — but the people at Emmanuel Granbury are phenomenally gracious and understanding, so people were checking on me and everything went wonderful,” he said.
Luckily, Weichart recovered quickly and was able to deliver his first sermon a week later, on Nov. 13.
“It went great. No one ran away,” he added, chuckling.
As a new resident of Hood County, Weichart is getting acclimated to his new surroundings. He said he enjoys the downtown square, and the lake.
“I'm open to new things, I like to learn and I'm hoping to be a part of the community here in Granbury as well,” he said. “I don't know exactly what that's going to mean as of yet, but I do hope to be part of the community here.”
When asked what he’s most excited about as pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Weichart said, “to see where we can go in the community.”
“People in the church will often use the word ‘grow,’ and the first (response) is, ‘Oh, well, you just want more people’ — that's not necessarily the whole picture,” he said. “Is it nice to have more people in churches? Certainly. But to grow is to have people's spirituality grow, to have interactions with the community grow and to help Emmanuel grow because it already is a place that's kind of like a big family.”
Weichart encourages members of the community to attend Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
“Emmanuel Granbury is a place where you can be you, where you can be yourself and if you have questions, bring them along,” he said. “If you have doubts, bring them along. If you're just looking, we're open for you to share God's love however God's love will be shared.”
He added that he is looking forward to the "opportunities that are here and where Emmanuel Lutheran can continue to be a strong part of the community.”
Weichart resides in Acton with his wife of 10 years, Lisa. They enjoy trying new restaurants and listening to live music together.
An ordination service for the new pastor is set at 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Emmanuel is located at 2301 Fall Creek Highway with worship each Sunday starting at 10:15 a.m.
For more information, go to elcgranbury.com.
