On June 12, Faith Lutheran Church in Madison, AL, was proud to honor Ival Toepke as he was ordained and installed into our congregation.
This was a long journey for Ival. In 1955 at his confirmation, his pastor suggested that Ival should become a pastor. Instead, after his confirmation, Ival went to the University of Illinois to become a physicist. While a physicist, Ival indulged in his favorite pastime—evangelism. At whatever Lutheran church Ival attended over the years, he would teach and practice evangelism. He considered his greatest accomplishment to be that a couple which his evangelism team had visited nearly ten times decided to become Lutherans. They said that their only reason was due to Ival’s persistence. This was more important to Ival than the US and International patents that he owned.
Around 2002, the Lord began to call Ival even more strongly, and he become a “lay” minister, along with his late wife Clara. After her death, nothing seemed to be making much progress until he met and married Elsa, who would make a supportive pastor’s wife. Ival continues to work as a physicist but, more importantly, he shares the Good News of Jesus Christ. Congratulations, Pastor Toepke and Elsa!!!