We are glad to welcome Pastor Gary Oehlerts as he serves Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Palestine. Pastor Oehlerts brings a lifetime of Christian faith, pastoral care, teaching, and service to our congregation.
Born March 28, 1951, Pastor Oehlerts grew up on a 400-acre farm near Luverne, Minnesota, where his family raised cattle, sheep, chickens, and pigs. Raised in the Lutheran Church from infancy, he learned early the good news of God’s mercy in Christ. After high school, he served four years in the United States Air Force as an air traffic controller at Beale Air Force Base in California and Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.
After his military service, he met his wife, Kathy, in California, and the two returned to Luverne. His work in insurance and information systems later brought the family to Grapevine, Texas, in 1991. While working as Vice President of Information Systems for a large financial company, he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Business and Management Information Systems from Dallas Baptist University.
Pastor Oehlerts entered Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1999 and graduated in 2003 with a Master of Theology and Divinity degree. He served congregations in Cameron, Missouri, and Las Vegas, Nevada, and began a mission church in Las Vegas in 2011 that grew from 15 people to more than 100 members. In retirement, he continued serving vacancy congregations in Missouri, Nevada, Waco, and Longview before coming to Bethlehem.
Pastor Oehlerts and Kathy have been married 53 years and are blessed with three children and grandchildren across Texas and Alaska. Their first child, Christopher, and his wife, Jen, live in Southlake, Texas with their two sons, Xander and Liam. The Oehlerts second child, Paul, recently retired after serving 20 years in the Marines, as an Arabic and Hausa Linguist serving 2 tours in Iraq and in the Air Force, as a Tac-P serving 2 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He and his wife, Julia, live in Palmer, Alaska with their four children: Tristan, Asher, London and Brynn. The Oehlerts’ third child, Julie and husband, Michael, live in Coppell Texas, with their child, Evey. In his retirement, Pastor Oehlerts and Kathy love to visit each of the family locations all over the United States.
Pastor Oehlerts enjoys reading, renovating his home, hiking, golfing, traveling, and motorcycle road trips together with Kathy including a ride to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. One of their highlights this summer was a European river cruise.
Please join us in welcoming Pastor Oehlerts by introducing yourself when you see him at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1515 South Loop 256, Palestine, TX 75801.
