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A Renewed Commitment To Music
In 1975, Pedersen recalls, "we hired Joanne Foght fulltime. That was a real risk taking at the time, to have a full-time music person." Foght, with a fine musical background, had a BA in music education from the University of Minnesota, and a graduate degree in sacred music from Union Seminary in New York City.
If it was a risk, it surely paid off. Joanne was music director for more than 20 years, during which she brought innovation, including two bell choirs, to St. Mary's. Dr. Richard D. Sjoerdsma, chairman of the Carthage College music department, served as director of St. Mary's senior choir for a quarter century, from 1968 until his retirement in June 1993. He was followed by Kurt Chalgren, a respected choral director in the Kenosha Unified School system, who guided what became known as the sanctuary choir for a three-year term.
When Foght retired at the end of January 1996, a broad search for a successor led to Jeffrey J. Doenges, a graduate of Bowling Green State University, with a master's degree in church music from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Under Doenges direction, St. Mary's enviable reputation for its music ministry continues to shine.
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In March 1977, Phillip Goldbeck was ordained at St. Mary's and was called as associate pastor for youth and recreation. After graduating from Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, Goldbeck chose social work rather than ministerial duties as a Lutheran pastor. But after eight years, five of them as youth counselor at the Kenosha Youth Foundation, he accepted the pastoral call and remained on St. Mary's staff until August 1980.
In January 1981, David A. Hall became the church's youth and education pastor. Hall had been an M.K. -missionary kid -growing up in Zululand, South Africa, where his parents were medical missionaries. Ordained in 1977, he came to Kenosha from a congregation in Illinois.
That same year, St. Mary's Endowment Foundation was established. Its assets have continued to grow, allowing this independent benevolent fund to financially support a series of scholarships for St. Mary's youth and assist the funding of important church needs, including the first computer system in 1983.
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The Endowment Foundation also reaches outside the congregation to support worthy civic agencies and special projects in the community, These have included the Kenosha Hospice Alliance, Women's Horizons, the Salvation Army, Lutheran Social Services, the Jail Chaplaincy program and others.
In 1982, St. Mary's began to consider the possibility of expanding services outside the traditional Sunday morning time period. In time, this led to the establishment of a Saturday evening service, which has proved to be popular with a significant segment of the congregation. Since adding a Saturday night "Sunday School," attendance for this service has climbed to an average
of 200.
Another non-traditional worship, the summer outdoor service began in 1995. Many bring their lawn chairs to hear God's word on sunny Sunday mornings. Others enjoy coming on bicycles and rollerblades. Average attendance for this popular seasonal service has climbed to about 140.
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