DAVID NIELSEN

David with wife Jean and daughters Marisa and Erika

Hello My Friends!

My name is David Stuart Nielsen, serving as a Vicar (trainee to be a Deaf Pastor of a Deaf Church) under Pastor Darrel Kois and the church members at Calvary Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Des Moines, IA.

I was born Deaf in Ames, IA. My family and I moved a few times, before settling in Cincinnati, OH. My church experience growing up was like yours. Like many deaf children, I didn't understand the church service, and church was something I didn't enjoy. After High School, I went to NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf) in Rochester, NY. After learning Sign Language at NTID, I started going to Alpha Lutheran Church for the Deaf. At Alpha, I understood God's message very clearly, and became active in the church. Some people encouraged me to think about entering the Deaf Ministry. I tried to avoid the hound of heaven. I finished my degree in mechanical engineering. The most beautiful woman in the world moved away from NTID so I had to follow.

Later, I moved to St. Louis, married my college sweetheart, Jean Quello, and worked as a Mechanical Engineering Technician at Emerson Motors Company (a division of Emerson Electric Corporate). After 7 years, God directed me to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis to learn how to tell all Deaf and Hearing people about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died on the Cross to forgive and take away ALL Deaf and Hearing people's sins. Also I am learning to tell Deaf people about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who lived again after dying on the Cross to show us ALL Deaf and Hearing people can have New Life, with His people here on earth, and later ALL His people including our Christian families and friends will see Him face to face and live forever in Heaven together in Christ Jesus' Love.

Christ Jesus' Riches, Love, and Blessings Be With You Always,
David Nielsen

JOHN HOOPMAN

John and wife Sandra

Pastor John and Sandra Hoopmann, Amber and Benjamin of Adelaide Deaf Lutheran Church, Adelaide, South Australia were our first Vicar Family here at Calvary Lutheran Church for the Deaf. John came here from Adelaide to study for the ministry with the Deaf people of South Australia, because the only Lutheran Church for the Deaf had been vacant for over 40 years. John's father was a Lutheran pastor and John, a Deaf man himself, couldn't refuse the kind invitation of the Reverend Doctor George Krause, our sainted theologian of great accomplishment in Deaf Ministry at Fort Wayne Seminary, Indiana, when he was asked to come and study to fill that great spiritual need of the Deaf people on the Australian Continent. Pastor Krause died a few short weeks before John arrived.

Vicar John Hoopmann began his work with the pastor and members of Calvary, March of 1991. Because he was being supported by the Australian Lutheran Church, he was only allowed to stay for 6 months with us preaching, teaching, and learning. We sent our friends back to share God's Word, Love, and Eternal Life with the members of Adelaide Deaf Lutheran Church at the end of September of 1991. Since then Pastor John Hoopmann has set up another preaching site in Melbourne, Australia. That is almost the same distance as it would be from Houston to Washington D.C. WOW, this hard worker is doing his very best for God work to grow and Jesus love and forgiveness to be known through his Deaf World.

BRIAN SMITH

Brian and wife Jenna

Pastor Brian & Jenna Smith came to serve as our second vicar here at Calvary Lutheran Church for the Deaf. Brian and Jenna met when they attended Concordia University near their homes in New York. They married before Brian enrolled at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. But they never dreamed how far from home God's Work would take them. Brian is hearing, but his great love for Deaf people grew as he learned ASL, American Sign Language first in Bronxville, NY and then in St. Louis, MO.

Vicar Brian Smith began his work with the pastor and members of Calvary in July of 1993. This charming young man used all his resources (including magic and music) to share the Good News of Jesus' love and forgiveness with us here in Des Moines, but after we sent the Smiths back to St. Louis, July of 1994, we couldn't have known the magic God had planned for our dear friends.

Last known, Pastor Brian Smith is serving Pilgrim Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Los Angeles, CA. Pastoring Deaf people, over 25,000 Deaf, in the greater Los Angeles area is a huge challenge for a "fresh out of Seminary" Pastor. But Pastor Smith learns quickly and well and we know he will do great things with God's people as he shows them in Sign Language our real power comes from our Almighty God.

TIMOTHY ECKERT

Timothy and wife Susan

Pastor Timothy Eckert came to serve as our third vicar here at Calvary Lutheran Church for the Deaf August 1, 1994. We looked for just the right housing for our dear friend and new servant of our All Knowing God. And God did indeed lead us to the best apartment for our dear friend to live. Tim moved in next door to a wonderful, young, Christian lady, Susan Friedmann. Susan wanted to welcome her new neighbor so she brought some chocolate chip cookies to this quiet, studious, handsome and charming Christian bachelor who moved in next door. But by that next summer they had already made plans, when Pastor Tim Eckert graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, he would begin his new call as Rev. & Mrs. Timothy Eckert. Now Pastor & Mrs. Timothy Eckert are at Alpha Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Rochester, NY. Pastor Eckert is serving the Deaf people in that huge Deaf Community surrounding the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), and Susan Eckert is working as a pediatric dietician, well at least until they have their own little children to feed and care for. Pastor Eckert is doing wonderful work with the Deaf Church and the college to inform those Deaf people God loves, about all the wonderful blessings God has for them in this world and our most wonderful blessing of forgiveness and Life Forever together in Heaven.