What brought you to Community?

Dick: Well, I started going to Community first. I started going to the 6:00am men’s Bible study in 1997. I did that for a couple years.

Penny: We were going to the Lutheran church in Ramona but after a friend of ours retired as the music director we thought “do we really need to drive all the way out to Ramona to go to church?” Since Dick had been going to the men’s Bible study we figured we’d go there. Actually what he said was “I don’t know about you, but I am going to go to Community.”

Penny: I said I’m not going to be in the choir. I’m just going to take it easy. We are not going to get involved. That didn’t last very long (between the two of them they have been involved in many ministries including men’s and women’s Bible studies, choir, cooking breakfast for men’s Bible study and the 50+ luncheon, fellowship committee, and the worship and music committee to name a few).

How did you end up building the furniture for the Escondido sanctuary?

Dick: David Sonn and I had construction backgrounds, and we were on a building committee of our own, and we’d walk around the facility, and one day I said, “Dave, I’d be willing to build all the chancel furniture.” He said, “Well, let’s go ask Pastor.” So we went over and knocked on Pastor Voglesang’s door, and he invited us in, and he said, “What do you want?” And I said, “Pastor, I was just wondering if you think it would be okay if I built the pulpit and the baptismal fountain, lectern, and the Christ candle, and a the cross on the wall.” And he said sure. He had no idea what I was capable of doing. I remember when I was building the baptismal fountain, I started with 6 sides - a hexagon, and I just could not get that thing together. Then I remembered that 6 is the devils number, so I said, “How about 8?” And it worked. It was a little divine intervention.

What brought you to the San Marcos campus?

Penny: Our whole life has been one transition after another.  When we left LA and came down to San Diego, the church that we joined in Escondido was just getting ready to build a new sanctuary. And there we were. And Dick built it (House of Prayer on Rose and Mission). Then when we came to Community they were supposed to break ground on the new sanctuary within the year. After the San Marcos campus started, we didn’t move over there right away, but after it was flying over there for a year we thought, “There are all these young couples over there, and they need to see some old timers.” We both just felt we were being called to go to San Marcos. We’ve always been around younger people. I have a hard time remembering I am as old as I am.

Penny: One of the things we were kind of hesitant about in going to San Marcos was if we were going to like the music. But you know, I think San Marcos does a super job with the music.

Dick: It took me awhile to get my ear tuned, but there is a real message in what we sing, and I think it is more pronounced in the songs we sing than some of the older hymns.

How did you end up in the house you are in now here in Escondido?

Penny: I grew up here in this house but the inside is a totally different house than it was when I was growing up. When my mother had to move into assisted living I could not stand the thought of selling the house. That was in 2004. Dick has always wanted to remodel this house so that’s what we did.

Dick: I worked here on the house for a long time. About 15 months I think. One of the interesting things about living here is that Penny’s mother spent about 10 or 15 years of her life learning how to paint and now she is hanging all over in here. All these painting are painting she did. She was about 60 years old when she started painting. There is so much of this house that has her character.

How did you two meet?

Penny: We were both teachers over at Vista High School.

Dick: Penny was a PE teacher. She’s a real jock. I was teaching metal shop there.

Penny: We’ll be married 50 years this December.

How did you both get into teaching?

Dick: I came from Nebraska. I was drafted and joined the Navy and spent four years in San Diego aboard ship, went to San Diego State and got my teaching credentials so I’ve been here in San Diego since ’52.

Penny: I had a teacher than challenged me and said I should go to Stanford and so I thought, “Well, why not?” I was always interested in sports. The unfortunate thing is that in my youth they didn’t have sports for girls. I swam a lot, synchronized swimming and racing.

Dick: One race she was in, she thought it was over, so she jumped out. They said no you’re not done, so she jumped back in and won the race.

Penny: I must admit I never did lose a race.

Dick: In 1984, we were at church and a friend of ours told us that he was selling his trophy shop business in Poway. On the way home we kind of looked at each other and said, “Let’s buy it.” And we did. And Penny ran Rex Trophies in Poway for 16 years all by herself. I would build the things she couldn’t buy, but I wasn’t a very good speller so I wasn’t a good person to have around the trophy shop engraving plates.

What do you do with your free time?

Dick: You wonder when you retire how you ever had time to work. You always find lots and lots of things to do.

Penny: We do a lot of gardening, and he’s got his woodshop. I am still involved in Randy Children’s Hospital raising money for the hospital. I am a charter member of our unit and it is 33 years old this year.

Dick: I used to play quite a bit of golf, but I don’t anymore. I play about 3 times a month now. Penny allows me to cook and we try to eat right. We haven’t had a potato for six months.

Penny: Remember we split a baked potato last month. It was so good!

Dick: I think one of the things we do together is worship. As you mature and get a little older God really becomes important to you. We both enjoy adult Bible class.

Dick: We used to fish a lot. I think the first gift I ever got Penny was a Mitchel spinning reel. 

WHAT IS THE COMMUNITY TREE PROJECT? 

Community Lutheran Church is a growing congregation worshiping 550 people between two campuses each week. As we continue grow, it is important that our relationships with one another continue to grow as well.  Over the coming months, our church website and Facebook page will be introducing you to a member of Community that you may or may not know yet. You’ll have the opportunity to learn a little about each member and delight in the different personalities and lifestyles that come together each week to worship our Savior.

When you join us for worship on Sunday mornings or events throughout the week, we encourage you to reach out and connect with someone you don’t normally talk to. As Pastor Vogelsang so eloquently reminds us, we are all “dear Christian friends.” We just don’t know each other yet! I’d like to change that one photo at a time.

"So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." - 1 Corinthians 12:25-27