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Barton pastor to visit community church

By Staff | May 1, 2021

Submitted Photo The Rev. Gordon Thorpe will be conducting a worship service at Barton Lutheran Church on May 9.

Sixty-two years ago, the Reverend Gordon Thorpe resigned his call as pastor of Barton Lutheran Church to be pastor of a Michigan congregation. On Sunday, May 9, he is returning to the Barton church to conduct the 11 a.m. worship.

Despite the passing of over six decades, thankful memories come to Thorpe’s mind as he recalls how privileged he felt to begin his official ministry in this area. In those days there were four congregations in the parish stretching from Barton where the family lived, all the way to Landa in the Westhope area. As a young man he didn’t mind driving all those miles. It gave him an excuse to get a new car every two years.

The fact that the two first Thorpe children were born in Good Samaritan Hospital adds another dimension to the meaning of this visit by Thorpe and his oldest son, Jon. After serving the above-mentioned Escanaba, Mich., church, pastorates followed in Green Bay and Eau Claire, Wis. Retirement came 26 years ago, and he continues to live in Eau Claire.