programs in the church. As a team we shared the good news of Christ our Savior
with others in good times and in hard times,” Gunderson says.
In his last years at St. Johns’ the ministry team consisted of Pastor Steve
Weispfennig, DCE Joshua Schmitt and retired Pastor Jim Mueller.
“Together as a team we shared the good news of Christ our Savior with others
in good times and in hard times.” Dave says. “Our team ministry was a joy.”
He’s officiated many weddings and funerals. He’s conducted over two hundred
funerals with one of the most difficult being the Tammy Haas funeral in 1992.
During his ministry at St. John’s, Pastor Dave also served as a chaplain with the
South Dakota National Guard for twenty-seven years. In 2011 the church received
both a state and a national award for their partnership with the military.
“I will always cherish my military service. It allowed me to serve my nation and
our community. While being a chaplain created some challenges for the church,
many members were glad for my service. One member informed me that she
voted for me to be their pastor for two reasons. One was my service in the guards,
and the second reason was I was Norwegian in the background,” Gunderson says.
Throughout his ministry, Gunderson was blessed to serve the Yankton
community in different ways. He served on the Yankton Ministerial Association,
on both the Yankton Banquet and the Women’s shelter committees.
“Another great joy was coaching soccer in Yankton, this included helping with
both the Yankton boys and girls high school soccer teams,” he says.
A favorite part of his pastoral ministry was preaching.
“I’m sure I will miss that at times, especially during the holidays. However,
I have truly enjoyed being able to sit in the pew and worshipping the Lord,”
Gunderson says.
If needed, he can help out and preach for pastors on vacations or churches
without a pastor, but for now, he’ll be plenty busy in retirement. Currently, he’s
taking classes at Sioux Falls seminary towards a degree in counseling. He plans to
spend more time with family, to work on projects around the home, to go boating,
golfing, and even some writing.
“My wife and I also plan to travel. We have already traveled over five thousand
miles visiting family and seeing different places, and we plan to do more.”
“As I reflect on my ministry, a key event must include the church fire in 2009,”
Gunderson says.
The fire happened on the weekend before Palm Sunday. On the morning of
the fire, Gunderson felt a heavy load, because he also knew that within a year he
would be deployed to Afghanistan with his National Guard unit.
“No one but my wife knew at the time that this was going to happen. I
remember kneeling on the church lawn that morning of the fire and asking God
to give the congregation and me the strength we needed to meet the challenges
ahead. God did!” he says, then continues. “Our ministry didn’t stop because of the
fire. The Good News of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior continued to be shared
every Sunday in worship and Bible study. The congregation experienced the love
of the community as countless resources were provided for us.
Mt. Marty College provided the church with a place to worship and teach for
the year.
“In the end, that year was special to me as I saw the people learn that the
church is not a building, but people. People created by God, redeemed by God and
called by God to serve one another,” Gunderson says.
When deployed in 2010, he wasn’t worried about St. John’s because he knew
the Lord was watching over them. It was His church and His people, and He
would continue to bless them.
“When I retired from my ministry at St. John’s, I knew that the Lord will
watch over them, just as He watches over me as I begin this new adventure called
“retirement.” n
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