Gerald and Connie Schnarrenberger:
new phase of life

COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho—Gerald and Connie Schnarrenberger have been actively serving in the WCG for more than 40 years.

Connie’s mother and aunts started listening to the church’s radio broadcasts in the early 1950s. Gerald and Connie both began to attend the church’s worship services in the late 1950s; Connie in 1958 and Gerald in 1959. 

Gerald came into the church while in the U.S. Air Force. He had trained to be a pilot and was awaiting transfer to Randolph Air Force Base in Texas for advanced pilot training when he became convicted that a Christian should not fight in the military. He used his Air Force training to good advantage over the next 18 years as he taught flying; mainly multi-engine and instrument piloting. During that time, his main vocation was business management, including training course development.

Connie worked in the garment industry for more than 15 years, where she was manager for both pattern grading and pattern making departments. She also taught pattern grading, which is changing clothing patterns to the various sizes.

Gerald was serving as an elder when he was hired into the full-time ministry in 1985. He went to church headquarters in Pasadena, where he served in the ministry, took classes at Ambassador College and helped develop the SWIFTNET in-home WATS telephone system.  While living in Pasadena, Connie worked for PTM and member files.

In 1987 Gerald was assigned to serve in pastoral ministry in Minnesota churches. They have served churches in Ohio, Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota and Illinois.

In 1994 Gerald was asked to come to Pasadena to serve in Church Administration; first in Family Ministry, then the Deaf Department. After the church made its major doctrinal changes in late 1994 and early 1995, he served as Church Administration office manager. For the next few years, he and Connie made numerous visits to U.S. churches. He has also worked with ministerial personnel policies, transfers and hiring.

In 1998 he was asked to take on additional duties as district superintendent of the Rocky Mountain district. He and Connie then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, so they would be central to the district. Until retirement they continued to attend each regional conference and serve in a ministerial personnel capacity as well as visit pastors and churches in the Western United States.

Since retirement they have moved to Coeur d’Alene to be closer to their children and grandchildren, who all live in eastern Washington and western Idaho.

“Retirement doesn’t mean not working, it just ushers in another phase of life,” Gerald said. When Dan Rogers, superintendent of U.S. ministers, announced Gerald’s retirement at the Orlando, Florida, conference in December, he said that “retirement didn’t mean less work, just less pay.” 

Gerald continues to serve the church by writing the church’s Ministerial Manual and is developing a new discipleship course for the church. He will also continue serving in other capacities. His schedule is just a little less hectic now.

Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2004