PASTOR AHLERSMEYER HONORED FOR HIS MANY YEARS ON ‘WORSHIP ANEW’
By Ashley Wiehe
Director of Advancement
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Ahlersmeyer brings with him energy and joyfulness whenever he enters a room. The same is true whenever he enters the homes of all of the viewers of “Worship Anew.”
Pastor Ahlersmeyer has been warming the hearts of viewers since his start on the program nearly 20 years ago — always with a unique prop or song to share.
One viewer shared about one of Pastor Ahlersmeyer’s messages, saying how she and her husband “both liked the message and had a laugh about the movie topic.”
In recognition of Pastor Ahlersmeyer’s longtime service to Worship Anew, he is being awarded the Rev. Oswald Bertram Award.
This award is named in honor of the Rev. Oswald Bertram who conceived the idea of “Worship Anew” (then known as “Worship for Shut-Ins”) in 1965, when he was pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio. He continued the television ministry in Toledo until his death from cancer in 1979.
This award recognizes volunteers who serve their Lord by devoting their time, talents, and energy in assisting Worship Anew in its ministry.
“Pastor Ahlersmeyer has been warmly sharing the Gospel with ‘Worship Anew’ viewers since 2007,” said Matthew Leighty, executive director. “With energy, joy, and a gift for connecting God’s Word to everyday life, Pastor Ahlersmeyer has touched countless lives.”
Pastor Ahlersmeyer’s connection to Worship Anew began long before his first appearance on the program.
When he first became a pastor back in 1979, he met Pastor Bertram, and it fueled his interest in television broadcasting.
“I’ve always been intrigued by media. I was a rock ‘n’ roll disc jockey at one time and so the idea that I could be involved in a televised program was really kind of intriguing to me,” Pastor Ahlersmeyer said. “That just kind of lit my fuse. I wanted to be part of that.”
While serving as president of Concordia University-Ann Arbor, Worship Anew’s former executive director, Ken Schilf, approached him about being a guest pastor on the program. The program was still being recorded at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., at the time.
The Holy Spirit was at work, and in 2010, Pastor Ahlersmeyer accepted a call to Holy Cross as their senior pastor. Around that time, Pastor Ahlersmeyer was invited to appear regularly on the program.
“I have just been blessed to be part of the Worship Anew family,” he said. “I love the people that work there — the staff as well as the volunteers.”
He shared of warm memories and of a viewer encounter that has stayed with him.
“I was in Lowe’s with my wife,” he said, sharing that a man approached him, saying how much he loved “Worship Anew.” The man asked if he could call his wife so that Pastor Ahlersmeyer could talk to her.
“She answers and I go, ‘This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ And she starts to cry. … We had a little prayer with her,” he said.
He said that he treasures those moments because he knows that they connect brothers and sisters in Christ.
“That’s the miracle of media and the reason, probably the biggest reason, why I just love this (ministry). It is that we can just multiply the impact of Christ,” he said.
Pastor Ahlersmeyer was recognized with the Bertram Award during a special Appreciation Luncheon with volunteers and staff on June 9.