Pastor Ulleland’s Retirement Short-Lived

When Pastor Duane Ulleland retired last December after more than 10 years of service at the Spokane Valley Good Samaritan Center, he planned to simply rest for a couple of months and not be concerned about what lay ahead.

He prayed that God would eventually lead him to some work where he could make a difference in people’s lives.

Just five days after retiring, Ulleland was offered the position of visitation pastor at the Valley’s Christ Lutheran Church.

“I’m grateful I was led in this direction,” said Ulleland, who celebrated the 40th anniversary of his ordination last July.

Since starting in mid-March, Ulleland has spent about 10 hours a week visiting the sick and elderly members of the congregation in their homes.

The position of visitation pastor, while not common, is often necessary in larger churches where pastors can become overwhelmed with their many responsibilities. Christ Lutheran, with 900 members, is too large for one pastor to handle all of the duties, but not yet big enough to warrant two pastors, said Pastor Tom Shelly.

“I could not, as the full-time pastor, assume all the responsibility for the visitation,” Shelly said. The church had been considering adding a visitation pastor for some time, Shelly said, and now that Ulleland is on board, the church can provide the services the elderly in the community need.

Radio personality visits

Christian radio personality Mike Kellogg will speak at Valley Fourth Memorial Church, 2303 S. Bowdish, Sunday at 6 p.m.

Kellogg is the host of “Music Through the Night,” a late night show that airs locally on KMBI from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily.

Kellogg is an experienced journalist and an ordained minister. Based in Valparaiso, Ind., he travels the country making motivational speeches.

The event is free and all are welcome to attend.

Spring luncheon is Thursday

The Veradale United Church of Christ, 611 N. Progress Road, will host its annual spring luncheon at noon Thursday.

Those on lunch breaks from work will be served first.

Soloist Dave Wellington will provide musical entertainment.

Child care will be provided. The children are asked to bring a sack lunch for themselves.

Tickets are $6 and will be available at the door. All proceeds will benefit various church projects. The church youth group will also hold a car wash fund-raiser Sunday at noon.

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