LCC’s first treasurer called home

Ken G. Werschler

On the afternoon of August 16, Ken G. Werschler passed on to glory following a brief stay in hospital. Ken was Lutheran Church–Canada’s (LCC) first treasurer, and served four terms in that position before retiring in 1999. He is survived by his wife Dot and their children.

The son of missionaries to Brazil, Ken was always active in church life. In 1978, Ken was elected to serve as a lay member of the Board of Directors for the then Manitoba and Saskatchewan District. Following the retirement of the district treasurer, the board asked Ken to consider the position. Ken accepted and began full-time church work in 1981. He would be recognized for his service to the church in 1987, when Concordia College (Edmonton) presented him with the Distinguished Service Award.

Ken also served on committees leading up to the formation of Lutheran Church–Canada as an autonomous church body in 1988. At the opening convention, Ken was elected to serve as the first treasurer of LCC. Among his many accomplishments, Ken was instrumental in organizing the church’s Worker Benefits Plan and locating a permanent home for LCC’s synodical office in Winnipeg.

“As the first elected treasurer of LCC, Ken was responsible for setting up a national accounting system to provide for synod’s obligations in missions, higher education, communication, and administration,” said LCC’s first president, Rev. Dr. Edwin Lehman. “He always approached his work with enthusiasm, energy, and churchmanship.”

In 1997, Ken suffered a stroke and was confined to a wheelchair. He continued to serve as national treasurer until his retirement in 1999.

That year The Canadian Lutheran paid homage to Ken Werschler in a feature article entitled “A man of faith.” In the article, the late Rev. Dr. Roy Holm called Ken “a gift from God to His Church,” noting that “one of the ways in which God truly blesses His church is by providing skilled, dedicated leaders, full of the Holy Spirit and who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.” Ken, he said, was just such a blessing.

A funeral service will be held Wednesday August 22 at 1:30 p.m. at St. James Lutheran Church (Winnipeg).

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