Pastor says farewell to OV church

It was a triple special occasion, marking Vadis' last sermon, the 40th anniversary of his ordination and Father's Day.

Vadis led Resurrection Lutheran Church, 11575 N. First Ave., for seven years. With his June 15 sermon, another chapter closed in the Vadis book of church devotion, an epic bound by multiple generations, its most recent pages scripted in Oro Valley.

"When I think about 40 years, I don't remember many sermons," said Vadis, 65. "You need an ending, and sometimes pastors don't like to end their sermons, but you can't keep farming with horses."

Pastor helped church mature

Vadis had 33 years of experience in strong preaching skills when he came to Resurrection Lutheran Church in 2001, and he helped move the church into a more mature direction with more programming, said Charlie Lentner, a charter member of the church.

"He's a very large man, booming voice, never uses notes, just stands and does it like that every week," Lentner said. "He speaks from his heart, and he's a dedicated servant of God. This has been his life's work and you can see why when you talk to him."

In his final sermon, Vadis spoke on the subject of paternity. He talked about his grandfather, John Gabriel Olson, who was a sometime-preacher as well as a full-time farmer. Vadis said his grandfather was broke twice because of bad farming conditions, but he still crossed the Atlantic Ocean seven times on missions.

The sermon was about earlier times, when people spoke of getting the harvest in, and they did so with dignity and propriety.

"That's what people talked about back then. It was an exciting time. Then machines came and you didn't need your neighbor," the towering Vadis said in his sermon. "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. That's the work of the church. We need laborers."

So that's what Vadis became. He graduated from Augsburg College, in Minneapolis, Lute Olson's alma mater, then attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and was ordained in 1968.

Life in Arizona a bit different

Vadis' career began in the prairies of North Dakota in Fortuna, about 100 miles from his grandfather's homestead. After three years in Fortuna, Vadis spent the next 30 years in Bemidji, Minn., a small town known for its big legends.

In Bemidji, Vadis said, he oversaw First Lutheran Baptist Church, which is six blocks north of statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, the legendary tall-tale characters who are rumored to live in Bemidji.

For fans of humorist Garrison Keillor, Vadis said, the imaginary town of Lake Wobegon is about 50 miles south of Bemidji. And though Lake Wobegon may be a town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average," Vadis said people aren't so different from state to state or town to town.

But when he moved to Arizona, Vadis found the trappings of Oro Valley to be different from the more staid communities he had served in Minnesota.

"It's a little different. Things didn't change a lot in Bemidji. Here in Oro Valley the community has exploded. Resurrection is a very welcoming congregation and a dynamic place," he said.

He was looking for a new congregation and a new challenge when Resurrection Lutheran, which was chartered in 1988, issued a call to him in July 2001.

Rich Melin was on the call committee. Vadis was recommended by four couples in the congregation, he said. "We were looking for a strong-preaching pastor with strong Bible-study skills," Melin said. "He's done a very fine job. He's a fantastic guy, a jovial Scandinavian."

Music added to services

Curt Balko, director of lay ministries at Resurrection Lutheran, said Vadis initiated many improvements at the church. It opened a 12,500-square-foot multipurpose building in 2004 and expanded its music program.

One of the biggest additions is a contemporary service that started about two years ago. The service employs the help of River, a band complete with a drummer, an organist, guitarists and up to eight singers. "Music has become such a big part of our church. We've added lots of musical presentations," Balko said.

Vadis said the surprises that Oro Valley has to offer will keep him here. After he visits his family in Minnesota this summer, Vadis plans to stay in Oro Valley with his wife, Anita, who works as a counselor for the Marana Unified School District.

Even though he's retired, he won't stray too far from his duties as a preacher. He plans to act as a "consultant" to his two sons and daughter-in-law, all of whom are Lutheran pastors.

"Sometimes they call me up and ask for advice, and I try not to give too much," he said. "I have no answers, but I will listen."