Paul and Dianne As interviewed by Jim


Paul was born into a Lutheran family and had two uncles who were ministers. Dianne was raised as a Presbyterian and joined the Lutheran church soon after she and Paul were married. Because they moved often in the first years of their marriage, Paul and Dianne never became deeply involved in church activities until joining Ascension almost 50 years ago.

Prior to joining Ascension Lutheran Church as charter members, Paul and Dianne and their children, Ken and David, were members at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas. The family decided to be charter members because of the vision for a west side Lutheran congregation that both Pastor Kerekes and the Kansas District had shared with potential charter members at “cottage” meetings.

In the early 1960s, Ascension’s membership was comprised of mostly young couples with little kids. Many of these families mixed socially and had very similar interests. Paul and Dianne note that the biggest change in Ascension since the beginning is the congregational membership. Due to the growth of Ascension’s membership, the congregation is now extremely diverse and families have many more non-church interests competing for their attention which results in less member involvement.

Paul recalled his fondest memories of the beginnings of Ascension. He remembered the immediate chemistry and interaction that occurred at the first Church Council meeting. Jim “Woody”, the first church president, was a key component to getting the congregation started with his style of leadership as seen at council meetings. The Council members were all good listeners and Woody was a consensus builder. Paul also remembers that Pastor Kerekes would sit back, away from the main table, allowing the council to conduct business.

Paul tells a story about the Westlink and Rolling Hills neighborhoods developed by Norman and other developers. Original platting included a site for a church; however, that site was too small for Ascension’s long range plan. That proposed site is the current location of the Church of Christ at Central and Crestline. In order to give Ascension the needed land, a land swap was worked out so that Ascension received a multiple-acre tract at the present Tyler location.

Tidbits of Information – They remember that in the early days Ascension had an active church softball team. Paul also shared that the church has always had a strong music program along with excellent choirs.