MY CHRISTIAN BASIC TRAINING
MY CHRISTIAN BASIC TRAINING BEGAN AT “1st CENTRAL LlUTHERAN”IN MILAUKEE
by Pastor Erv Rasmussen
Both Mom and Dad came to this country from Europe, Mom from Latvia and Dad from Denmark (I’m a”DANLAT”). They met in the “FIRST WORLD WAR” and fell in love. Dad a naturalized American was in the army fighting Germans in Russia, Mom was working for the Russian Government as a translator (at that time both countries were on the same side). They were married in Denmark and came to America to live.
To make a long story short they made their home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and there they opened a neighborhood grocery store, “Martin’s Food Market”. Because of their Lutheran upbringing in Europe they had my sister Emily and me Baptized.
When it came time for me to start grade school, they had three choices within a few blocks of each other there were, a Public school, a Roman Catholic school and a Lutheran school. No cost was involved so they chose “First Central Lutheran”. This is where my Christian basic training began.
I spent nine years at this school, one year was spent fighting all the childhood diseases, the last of which was Scarlet Fever, which accounted for my early hair lose. I received not only the everyday basics of the secular world but also of the Christian Faith. What a blessing!
It was here that I learned that my parents were really just nominal Christians, attending church on Christmas, Easter, and maybe Thanksgiving. They were good people, but they were not walking with the Lord.
I began praying every night, “Lord take me before You take Mom and Dad because I know you and they don’t.” Thank You Lord for “First Central Lutheran”! In their later years He led them to active faith in Christ Jesus through me. *
The secular training was outstanding. Each class shared a room with the next grade up. In first grade half the teaching was for us, the second half for the second grade and so on through all eight grades. So we couldn’t help but listen to both instructions and learned twice!
This good secular learning helped me when I attended “Boy’s Technical High School” were I was elected to the National Honor Society. The skill of Christians getting along with those around them which I also learned in grade school, made possible the honor of being elected student Council President in my final year of this three thousand some all boys school.
From high school I joined the U.S. Air Force were I was sent to their school of “Radio Mechanics” and from this, to be an instructor at this school. Later I attended Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois and Lewis University in Joliet, earning both a Bachelor of Arts and an Master of Divinity degree.
All of the above I credit to God’s leading me to attend “First Central Lutheran School” in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were I got my first Basic Training. THANK YOU LORD JESUS!
“For it is by grace you are saved through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2: 8-10
Jesus began preparing me very early in life. A good part of that advance preparation began at First Central in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I thank God for our churches’ involvement in providing our children early in life, as they seek in advance for what God has prepared for them to do!
Thank you Miss Growthman! Thank you Mr. Pingel! Thank You Mr. Kowert! Thank you Mr. Zerstadt!
* When my parents knew that I would soon be a pastor, they must have had a conversation something like this: “We better join the church he’s going to be a Lutheran Pastor.” — They took adult instruction and were confirmed in their latter years. God’s answer to my prayers for them was answered, “YES”!