(Biography extracted from the program of the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Ordination of Pr. Paul)

Paul Messner   b. July 31, 1950

Paul was born in Floral Park, New York, to Fred Messner and Roena (Riese) Messner.       Paul was baptized at Grace Lutheran Church, Queen's Village, on November 19, 1950. He grew up in Queen's Village and attended school at PS109. When Paul was seven, the family moved to Williston Park, New York, and he attended school at Park Avenue Elementary in the Herricks School District. He then attended Herricks Junior High and Senior High. Paul was confirmed and received the Lord's Supper for the first time at Grace Lutheran Church in 1964.

In 1964 Paul's membership was transferred to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Old Westbury, New York, and in 1966 he moved to Waldwick, New Jersey, and attended Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ridgewood, New Jersey. There, Pastor Ewald Mueller was the first to give Paul his external call to the ministry by calling him into his office one afternoon and asking him if he had considered going into the ministry. Pastor Mueller warned Paul that the Holy Spirit "always gets his man."
Paul graduated from Waldwick High School in 1968 and entered the United States Air Force. This was his first time away from home. He suffered basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and then moved to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Paul played the French horn in the 9th Air Force Band.
On his first day at Shaw, Paul met Chaplain Donald Riechers. Paul stayed at Shaw for three years and had a strong relation-ship with Chaplain Riechers. Every Monday, Dot's wife Wanda made dinner for any single Lutheran airmen. Paul became active in organizing the Lutheran worship services every Sunday morning at 8:30.

At the end of the Vietnam era, the Shaw Air Force Band was disbanded and Paul was sent to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where he met Chaplain Dan Saarinen and his wife, Jane. The Saarinens also had the Lutheran airmen over to their home on a regular basis. Both Don and Dan helped Paul realize that non-Missouri Lutherans were not pawns of the devil.

In 1972 Paul was honorably discharged from the Air Force and moved to Washington, D.C. to reap the benefits of the United States G.I. Bill. He enrolled at the American University as a Political Science major. From his new home, the nearest Missouri Synod Lutheran church was in Bethesda, Maryland. With his new insight that LCA and ALC Lutherans were not all that bad, Paul decided to attend Georgetown Lutheran Church. Paul loved being a member there and became good friends with Pastor Daniel Pierotti.

During his high school years, Paul had spent three summers working at Mount Tremper Lutheran Camp in Mount Tremper, New York. He met Martha Richtsfeld there and they were married on June 15, 1974, at Atonement Lutheran Church, Oneonta, New York.  Martha worked as a nurse at Yater Clinic in the District, helping Paul get through college. Paul graduated from American University in May 1975, summa cum laude and with honors in Government.

While a member at Georgetown Lutheran, Paul served on the church council, started a parish choir, and served as director of the choir. Meanwhile, he was working for the Library of Congress as a messenger clerk and hoping to get a job in government after graduating. Paul applied for a number of jobs on Capitol Hill, but no one in Congress hired him. Dan Pierotti helped him talk through the idea of going to seminary. In the fall of 1977, Paul and Martha moved to Gettysburg and Paul enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Paul was not sure this move was the right one. He had heard that it would be better to do anything besides pastoral work; but it seemed now that God wanted Paul at seminary.

As he always had done, Paul got involved on campus right away. He served as sacristan at the Church of the Abiding Presence (seminary chapel) during his second and fourth years at Gettysburg. He excelled in academics and learned how to preach a good sermon. And as many good Lutherans do, he even became embroiled in controversy.  Josh was born in August 1978 and baptized on September 11, 1978. On December 11, he received the Lord's Supper for the first time as a four-month old, in violation of the teaching of the church at the time.

During first year at seminary, Paul did his field education at Saint James Lutheran Church, Union Bridge, Maryland. This was the first congregation he had ever preached to, and we hear that he gave Christ away freely to all the sinners in Maryland.  Paul did his clinical pastoral education (with friend and fellow trouble-maker David Wendell) at Holy Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. During a visit to the Kathmann family farm, Paul preached to his relatives and friends at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Delhi, New York, where he considers himself a surrogate member and son of the congregation (by virtue of "marrying up").

Paul's vicarage (internship) was spent with the wonderful congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Jamestown, New York, where he, Martha, and Josh stayed for a year and a half. At some point during the vicarage, Paul realized that the pastoral vocation was indeed his calling. After a pastoral visit to a member of the congregation, he came home and told Martha that this would be his life's work. Part of this was the simple realization that he actually had the ability to do this job.
As graduation approached, Paul was called by the people of Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, North Syracuse, New York. He was ordained on March 13, 1982, in the Church of the Abiding Presence on the campus of Gettysburg Seminary. He had already begun serving as pastor of Luther Memorial in February 1982. He finally graduated from seminary, with the Master of Divinity degree, in May 1982.

Paul served Luther Memorial as Associate Pastor, working closely with Senior Pastor and friend Alice Moberg-Sarver, from February 1982 until July 1987. Rebekah was born in July 1984 and was baptized on September 16, 1984. As an infant, Rebekah looked a lot like Luther Memorial's church janitor.

After meeting with the church councils of three Lutheran churches in Schoharie County, Paul was called to serve the three-point parish of Zion, Seward; Saint John's, Sharon Springs; and Saint Paul's, Richmondville. In 1997 Paul left Saint Paul's, remained at Zion St. John's (now merged), and became pastor of Evangelical, Hartwick Seminary. Paul also served as Dean of the Foothills Conference from 1996-2004. He has been administrator of the Hartwick Seminary Institute of Theology from 1995 to the present.

In 2003 Paul left Zion St. John's and accepted a call to Atonement, Oneonta; Saint Matthew's, Laurens; and reaffirmed his call to Evangelical.  In August 2005 the Otsego County Lutheran Parish was created with the acceptance of a call to Saint John, West Burlington. Paul's joint ministry with Sandra Shear, Associate in Ministry, began that summer as well.

Paul also has been leading services at Shineman Chapel, Hartwick College, since 1994. Martha has been a pediatric nurse at Bassett Healthcare, Oneonta, since 1990. In 1999 she was voted Bassett Ambassador of the Year. Paul and Martha hope to continue serving as faithful rural ministers. Prayers are welcome.