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| Ron Muetzel, Time of Grace, and Lloyd C. Schlomer, Ascension Lutheran Church, Moorehead, MN, worked with two men from St. John Lutheran to lock out the congregation, cancel the services during Holy Week and Easter, and steal the congregation's endowment fund. No congregational meeting was announced or held. |
I learned last August, 2012, that Pastor Kevin Hastings' classmate at Mequon, Lloyd C. Schomer, told Kevin, "You need an exit strategy." Lloyd, who has no jurisdiction in Milwaukee over an independent congregation, was in contact with two of St. John's members.
Lloyd also told Kevin that Ron Muetzel, Time of Grace, was in contact with these two men.
Just before Tim Niedfelt and his wife officially joined St. John, the two men changed the locks on the church, fired the pastor, and grabbed the endowment fund and church accounts - all done illegally with the help of a downtown law firm.
Paul Demcak and Timothy Kitzman did this with the help of the following law firm:
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| How odd, that Dimcak and Kitzman got an expensive law firm when Dimcak lived for free at the old St. John parsonage! Who arranged this pricey law firm? - sounds like the Joel Hochmuth case. |
Brad Backer, Albrecht Backer Labor & Employment
207 E Michigan St. Suite 410 53202http://www.abemploymentlaw.com/contact_milw.html
The church constitution requires a notification of all members before a congregational meeting. No meeting was called and no one was notified in advance of this action.
Result - No Worship
About 10 members, including Hastings, were not notified of this action, so the parish was closed for Holy Week and Easter services. In fact, there are no worship services scheduled at this time, thanks to Time of Grace's Ron Muetzel, Ascension Lutheran Church's Lloyd C. Schlomer, the law firm, and stealthy WELS advisers yet to be named.
Recent History - Concerts, New Internet Services and Members
Various Lutherans have arranged to have pipe organ concerts at St. John, including a Christmas Vespers service last December.
One WELS student was forbidden by his sect to play the organ in the future. WELS has never fussed about what Time of Grace did. Jeske is famous for worship with all kinds of denominations and religions.
Two new members were officially joining when the Demcak, Kitzman, and the law firm locked them out. They were planning evening services to be broadcast over the Internet.
Pastor Hastings has cared for this congregation since 1986 (to be precise - he tutored a year at Prairie), when he graduated from Mequon with Lloyd C. Schlomer, after being supervised in his vicarage by Ron Muetzel. He has managed the finances and kept the building in good repair, taking care of the small membership. Not many could do this.
The building and the pipe organ are unique contributions to Lutheran worship and history.
