Church: Owen – UCC Has New Pastor (Jul 1976)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Swanson

---------Source: Owen Enterprise (Owen, Clark County, Wis.) 21 Jul 1976

The Rev. Loren Swanson, pastor of the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Owen arrived here with his family on Wednesday, July 14, 1976. Rev. Swanson was formerly the pastor of a rural UCC Church in Marengo, Iowa, but was privileged to be one of the eight reserve chaplains in the United States to be called to active duty for eleven months at the U.S. Army Chaplain School at Ft. Wadsworth, New York.

Chaplain Swanson is a Major and will continue to serve in the U.S. Army Reserve Corps as soon as he locates a new unit. He was formerly one of the three chaplains for 103rd support Brigade in Des Moines, Iowa. While in New York City, Rev. Swanson was also enrolled in the New York Theological Seminary and received a Master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling and two quarters of Clinical Pastoral Education. He also completed Phase 1 of the Command and General Staff course while there. Sunday, July 25th he leaves for two weeks at Ft. Bliss, Texas, where he will complete Phase II.

In addition to his wife, Jeanne, who accompanied him, are daughters, Karen, age 20, Linda, age 17, Terri, age 15, and Sheila, age 13. One daughter is married to a farmer in Revenna, Nebraska, and one son is an M.P. in the Army in Hawaii.

Former churches that the Rev. Swanson served were in Nebraska, Oklahoma, where he completed Seminary at Phillips University in Enid, Kansas, and Oregon where he was a graduate of Northwest Christian College at Eugene.

The Rev. Swanson was born in Los Angeles, is an avid gardener, having had a large vegetable garden in his rural Iowa parish.

Last Sunday, July 18th, was Pastor Swanson’s first service at the United Church of Christ in Owen.