Presbyterian minister s family likes small town
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Pastor Jeremiah Lange and his wife, Dani, lived in urban centers all of their lives until they moved to Marion in November. They have an 8-month-old daughter, Sadie.
Lange is the pastor of Marion Presbyterian Church.
"We love Marion," he said. "We are enjoying the pace and the people. They welcomed us with open arms. We like being able to walk places, like to the church and downtown."
Lange grew up at Tucson, Ariz. He was a minister of sorts at a young age, serving as a volunteer for six years in a junior high school ministry in Tucson.
While attending a church conference, he felt the call of God to be a full-time pastor.
He met Dani while attending Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., where he pursued a degree in religion and was a junior high school youth director.
The couple were married in May 2002, a day after he graduated.
Lange chose to get his postgraduate training at Fuller Seminary, a nondenominational institution in Pasadena, Calif.
"I chose it for the ecumenical atmosphere," he said.
During his time at Pasadena, he also served for two-and-a-half years as youth pastor at a Glendale church. He had the opportunity to do assistant pastoral work as well, such as preaching, visitation, counseling, and so forth.
Meanwhile, Dani taught fifth grade in nearby Temple City, Calif.
The couple's daughter was born in June 2005, two days before Lange graduated from seminary.
They were living in California when they received an e-mail from Kansas: "Would you actually be willing to come to Kansas?" it read. It was from Helen Beckham of Marion.
The Langes had never been to the Midwest but felt they should consider it. After several trips to Marion, they fell in love with Kansas and chose to make it their home.
"We wanted to be faithful to our calling," Lange said.
Pastor Lange enjoys working together with other spiritual leaders in the Marion Ministerial Alliance. He is a leader of the PBC Youth group, made up of youth from the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Christian churches.
He serves a multi-generational congregation with a membership of 126 and an average attendance of 65-80.
The Langes recently took a trip to his hometown of Tucson, where he was ordained.
"People asked us if it felt good to be back in Tucson," he said. "I told them it was great to visit but tomorrow we're going home. We really feel like we're home here."
