St. Paul's pastor marks 40 years of ministry and his retirement this weekend

MONROE — The congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Monroe has two significant occasions to commemorate this weekend: the 40th anniversary of its pastor’s ordination as well as his retirement. While 40 years is a long time to tend to the spiritual needs of parishioners, the Rev. Dr. Dwayne Mau has decided it’s time to step down after spending the last 13 and half years of his career as St. Paul’s pastor. “Ministry is a people-intensive thing,” said Mau. “That’s something I will miss. There is a faith relationship with God and a friend relationship with one another. And, it’s not just work or school. There’s spiritual dimension to life that must be cultivated and nurtured. Without that, people perish.” Mau joined St. Paul in 1994 after serving as assistant pastor at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Plainview, pastor of St. John in Flushing and administrator of the Lutheran School of Flushing. He served 16 years as staff executive for mission and education of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. A graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mau also has a master’s degree in Christian education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va.; and a law degree from Concordia College in Bronxville. Reflecting on his tenure at St. Paul, Mau said was honored to be a part of the St. Paul family and involving the congregation in things it had not previously done. “In the past, women were not part of worship and pastoral care leadership and now they are,” he said. “And now, we have about 120 confirmation ministry guides — men and women — working with young people over a two-year period.” Mau has confirmed 316 young people, the highest in history for any 13-year period at St. Paul. Mau also sees a transformation in its teenage members as a result of even greater adult involvement in youth programs. “In the last few years, kids are saying they really like coming here for confirmation,” he said. “There’s a ‘esprit du corps’ among the kids and the parents involved through this broadening ownership of the program.” One of the programs initiated by Mau is acknowledging newly licensed teenage drivers. “It’s another reminder to teenage drivers about how to be safe,” he said. “We do want to recognize them when they get their driver’s licenses as well as deal with the apprehension parents feel when they see their children get their licenses.” Mau, the author of “Our Changing World - Lutheran Schools,” and contributor to “An Introduction to the Foundation of Lutheran Education” and “Children’s Spiritual Development,” has been a daily visitor to St. Paul Christian Education Center, based on the grounds of the church, speaking to children about the importance of God in their lives. During his tenure at St. Paul, the school expanded and began offering kindergarten and first grade classes, giving area parents an additional option to public, private and other parochial schools for those lower grades. “The contact with kids has been a special treat,” said Mau. “Children have been my best teachers about the kingdom of heaven. There’s spontaneity with kids that we, as adults, lose. Right now, this building is so quiet because school ended last week. There’s nothing like the laughter and excitement of kids. Whether it’s the first-graders or kindergarten or Stepping Stones (kids) or preschoolers, I love making contact with them and it’s a way of making contact with their parents. I consider them a part of our family even if they may not attend church here.” Mau also took pride in noting the congregation paid off its 20-year, $600,000 mortgage in only nine and a half years while still giving 10 percent of its operating income to missions beyond the congregation. Being involved outside the congregation also included having St. Paul being one of the initial supporters of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh. The congregation was part of building that group’s first three homes in 1999. Now, close to 40 homes have been completed. “Being a part of the community is a blessing in itself,” said Mau, who, for the time being, will remain as chaplain for the Monroe-Lakeside Fire and Rescue Co. “St. Paul has given me the opportunity to make a lot of connections outside the congregation and I see that as an important part of my ministry. You can’t effectively accomplish what God is asking you without being involved in the community.” As the convener for the Monroe-Woodbury Clergy Association, Mau is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with his religious community colleagues. “We’ve been good ‘encouragers’ to one another,” he said. “It’s been an opportunity to meet with officials, keep the lines of communication open and see the common good that we can all do in the community. It’s been a good and helpful thing.” Mau’s involvement has also extended beyond the Monroe area. He has served on various boards and task forces at the local and national levels. He was a frequent speaker and presenter at various professional member conferences, including the keynote speaker for the National Circuit Counselor Conference and the National Great Commission Convocation. Mau also spearheaded the development of the Distance Education Leading to Ordination, or DELTO, program. The Rev. Donald Lee, St. Paul’s associate pastor, was one of the first graduates of that program. Lee will now be the church’s interim pastor as the congregation begins an analysis of “its future direction, what its future needs are and what it wants to see in the person occupying its pastoral office,” Mau said. “That ‘call process’ will take 12 to 18 months.” But don’t expect Mau, whose father was also a Lutheran pastor, to disappear. “I know you don’t retire from ministry,” he said. “You do something different in ministry. There will be things I want to do but can’t do (as a retired pastor). I will be telling the congregation that we have to have an understanding that I will no longer be able to do their confirmations, weddings or funerals. But my mind is always going with new ideas. There’s lots of things I can do related to family groups and other congregations to help.” Mau hoped others might look at retirement similarly to how he views it. “I think of retirement really as a ‘repositioning,’” he said. “Especially in this economy, it’s not what you retire from; it’s what you ‘reposition’ to. There are projects I’ve already lined up. And so, I do have a reason to get up in the morning.” IF YOU GO • St. Paul Lutheran Church will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ordination of its pastor, the Rev. Dr. Dwayne H. Mau, and his retirement from St. Paul this weekend. • Services are Saturday, June 27, at 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 28 ,at 8 and 10 a.m. The Rev. Dr. David Benke, president of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, will preach on Saturday; and the Rev. James Jaekel, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in upstate Saratoga Springs, a colleague and seminary classmate of Mau’s, will preach on Sunday. • The choir, hand bell choir, and Recorder Consort will provide special music. • The community is invited to share in the service of Thanksgiving and celebration. Call the church office at 782-5600 for more information.