Rev. Dell Schomburg

Dell Schomburg’s life began in 1948 being born to God-fearing parents who faithfully took their two sons to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Latimer, Iowa. His parents were farmers on 160 acres which they farmed “50-50” as it was called since his dad’s parents owned the ground. “Sharecroppers” might be a better understood term. Unfortunately, they had to move away from the farm in 1962, and his parents purchased a custodial nursing home in Indianola, Iowa from his mom’s aunt and uncle. That was quite a leap from farm life to say the least. He then went away at the ripe age of 14 to an LCMS high school in the metropolis of Concordia, MO.

Fortunately for him, he finished high school there and stayed for Junior College. In the fall of 1966 he met a coed from Memphis & Chattanooga, TN. Turns out she had quite a way with him so they continued dating through Jr. college and then through their last two years of college (Judy at Concordia Teacher’s College in River Forerst, IL and he at Concordia Sr. College in Ft. Wayne, IN.) Shortly after they were graduated from college, they were married by Judy’s Dad in Memphis.

In the fall of 1970 he enrolled at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Judy obtained a job teaching 2nd graders at St. John’s Lutheran School in south St. Louis, although she was actually paid by St. Lucas Lutheran Church which was primarily of Slovak origin. After two years in St. Louis they spent the next year on his vicarage at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lakeland, FL. Judy taught kindergarten at the church. In August of ’73 they headed back to St. Louis for his final, tumultuous year at the Sem (oh yes, they picked up a daughter, Jennifer, while in Lakeland).

In May, 1974 he was graduated from Concordia Seminary in Exile (Seminex) which is an involved story all in itself. That summer he was Called by the Eastern District to be its coordinator of Outdoor Ministry in the Poconos of NE Pennsylvania. and was ordained into the ministry of the LCMS (they managed to pick up another daughter, Rebecca, in Pennsylvania).

That position lasted two years until he received a Call to be pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Oakridge, OR. Dell felt like a pioneer driving a U-Haul truck across the country, and he was joined several weeks later by his family. They loved it there from 1976-1981 (and yes, they managed to pick up a third daughter, Deborah). He also was bitten by the fly-fishing bug.

In 1981 Rev. Schomburg was Called to be pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Salem, OR where they stayed until 1994. Redeemer had a very active refugee resettlement ministry going when they arrived. By the time they left, he estimates that the congregation had helped about 150 refugees from SE Asia start a new life here in the U.S.A, and some became Christians, Praise God!

In 1994 the NW District Called Dell as Missionary-at-Large to E. Vancouver where he helped Good Shepherd Lutheran Church get started. In 1996 he decided to pursue additional training for institutional chaplaincy which he completed at the Portland VA and Oregon State Hospital in Salem. In ’98 the NW district then Called him to be sort of a roving chaplain, and that sort of morphed into being a Corrections Chaplain for the State of Oregon until 2006. Then he was Called to be pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church in Stayton, OR where they stayed until Dell retired in July, 2012. In 2016 they moved to Vancouver, Washington to be closer to family. They are blessed with a total of: three daughters, two of whom live in Vancouver, and one in Boise; three son-in-laws; and five grand daughters ranging in age from 10-20. Rev Schomburg did quite a bit of pulpit supply after retiring, until he received another call (phone call this time) asking him to serve as interim pastor at Christ the Vine Lutheran Church in Damascus, Oregon. He agreed, and from January through August of 2024 served the congregation in that capacity while the search committee pursued a new full-time pastor, resulting in the ordination and installation of Pastor Jesse Brubaker on Sunday, August 25th, 2024. Dell and Judy Schomburg are now one of us. 😊