Paul Aasen
Volunteer Coordinator
Who's on first?
Paul Aasen is “on First” Lutheran Church as our Administrative Assistant, a title he feels is apt for the volunteer position he and the staff and Church Council of First Lutheran have designed and created for his unique talents and gifts.
Paul is a native of the state of Washington, of Norwegian background, the grandson of a Lutheran pastor. He is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran and Luther Seminary and he was ordained to his first parish in Chico, California. Following that assignment, he accepted an admissions and financial aid position at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and in 1978 he came to Gustavus as Director of Financial Aid.
As Paul planned for his years of retirement from Gustavus, he looked for a way he could be of service and began speaking of his ideas to Pastor Solyst. He wanted to find ways in which he might, through service to First Lutheran, engender increased interest in volunteerism, ways in which he could, through his work, cause others to consider what they might do in service to the Church.
Paul began his work with Pastors Beronius and Yates. And although it’s difficult to clearly define his position, he has, with the help of the staff and Church Council, found many ways to contribute to the life of First Lutheran Church. Paul attends council meetings and listens to council and staff, sometimes offering his help and sometimes offering suggestions on how and what they might do to carry out their mission.
Paul has specific responsibility for scheduling the use of our facility by outside groups. He coordinates the work of volunteers and makes sure assignments are made and understood. He monitors our insurance programs and is alert to the provisions of our Constitution and By-laws.
In recent years Paul has become more involved with the work of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod and now serves on the Synod’s Disaster Response Team – a Disaster Pastor, he says. He is a member of the planning committees for the Synod Staff Retreat and the Synod Assembly.
To help members of First Lutheran Church experience the joy of finding ways to use their talents and gifts in service to God and each other is a goal Paul has set for himself as our Administrative Assistant or as he himself occasionally refers to as “Pastoral Administrator.”. With his example and his leadership, Paul Aasen is “on First” and the congregation appreciates his being there. |
