Over his 30 years at Worship Anew, Paul Melin has served as the director of video production and accessibility. But, for many, that title has meant something more. To them, he has been the provider of comfort in their time of need, the coordinator of song for their favorite hymns, an encourager for their family, the inspiration for their career, and the director who brought God’s Word into their home.

In 1995, Melin joined the ministry as a production engineer, and since then, he has helped to mold and shape Worship Anew into the much- beloved program that it is today.

“It was important for us to always try to use any form of media ministry for Worship Anew to be shared with the community,” Melin said.

Over time, Melin helped to shift how the program was organized, giving more time for the pastors to preach; he added subtitles and closed captioning to provide more accessibility for those who wanted to watch the program; and he has photographed—including doing drone work—countless churches and stained-glass windows to show as transitions on the program.

“In 1998, St. Peter, Minn., had an F5 tornado go through, and I saw a Catholic church where it had completely blown out the stained glass windows,” he recalled. “I thought to myself, at that time, I was going to start photographing stained glass windows and use those as transitions between the pastor and the choir.”

It was a way to give new life to those windows and to ensure that they would live on, regardless of what happened to the church.

He also worked with Ken Schilf, retired executive director of Worship for Shut-Ins (Worship Anew’s previous name), to take the program from being recorded at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., to its current home on the Concordia Theological Seminary campus.

“As the TV program kept growing … it was getting more and more difficult to schedule a choir or to do a Tuesday morning pastor production when there were activities out in the church, so we spent two or three years looking for facilities in Fort Wayne,” Melin said. “In the process of moving, the seminary people had also invited us to talk about using an empty dorm room or a dorm building. God led us in the right direction where He would want us to build a TV studio and work along with the Seminary staff.”

In time, he saw pastors, staff, and volunteers come and go, but he remained a constant for the ministry and for the viewers—something about which they have expressed gratitude.

This summer, Melin retired from the ministry to pursue other interests and passions, but his footprints will forever remain a part of Worship Anew. They are ingrained in every program that he directed, every team member that he inspired, and every viewer that was blessed by Worship Anew.

“We are filled with gratitude for Paul and for the incredible work he has dedicated over the years in support of the ministry,” said Matthew Leighty, executive director of Worship Anew. “Paul’s unwavering heart for serving others and his passion for sharing the love of Christ are gifts for which we will always be thankful.”

Watch this video in honor of Paul Melin and his service to the ministry.