by Pastor Michael Salemink
Let me introduce you to a dear friend of mine. I fully anticipate he will become your friend as well.
Meet Dave Probst. Dave’s a lifelong Lutheran (see that last name?), and he was not only raised in a Lutheran home but attended Lutheran day school, high school, and university. He’s a St. Louis native who now resides in southern Indiana. His wife serves as a Lutheran preschool director, and they have two sons currently attending college (the same one!). Dave’s only sister, Julie, entered the glory of her Heavenly Father last year after succumbing to cancer. Though she lived with their folks due to a significant disability since birth, Julie was a woman of contagious joy and a beloved aunt to the boys. Now Dave, Mrs. Probst, and the kids share their home with his retired parents.
Mr. Probst worked many years as a director of Christian education. His wife did also, and they actually met through their program of training for that vocation at one of the LCMS Concordias (which shall remain nameless, as it differs from the one my wife and I attended). Their calling took them to congregations in Nevada (the state, not the Iowa metropolis where our magnificent ministry is headquartered) and Georgia before they landed at St. James Lutheran Church and School in Lafayette, Indiana. That’s where we had the privilege of meeting, while Dave coordinated the youth and I enjoyed the responsibilities of associate pastor, and we worked for ten years together. Our sons grew up side by side, and our wives remain close friends.
Not long after I came to Lutherans For Life, the Lord redeployed Dave as development director at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour, Indiana. Not coincidentally, LFL’s Y4Life director, Michelle Bauman, was teaching English there at the time. Michelle and Pastor Bauman have known and loved the Probsts since they were all earning their degrees at the same unspecified Concordia University. They participated in each other’s weddings. Michelle’s father, himself a former DCE, mentored Dave as the retiring development director at Trinity. Dave’s labors included managing several fundraising projects and making relationships with current and prospective donors. When his sister Julie fell ill, he decided to take a less involved job (in finance—he also has a college degree in that!) to assist her and his aging parents.
As of this very day, Mr. Probst has become Lutherans For Life’s new director of development. We envision this as a ministry position, and so Dave’s background in and passion for that field mean as much to us as his expertise in donor relations. He will work to bring us into closer contact with you, the precious people who make up our nationwide network, so that we may better equip you and your neighbors to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life. He’ll acquaint himself with your interests and abilities, your sorrows and celebrations, your history and your family, and he’ll advocate for you to us. He’ll connect you with the LFL areas and activities that you find most fulfilling and fruitful. We anticipate Dave not so much increasing the organization’s income as improving our fellowship with you and ensuring maximum impact for your investment.
You can expect to hear from Dave Probst by telephone, text message, e-mail, or in person. It may not happen immediately, as we consist of ten-thousands of donors and members, and though he’s amazing, he’s still only one guy. Still, you can feel free to reach out and request the pleasure of his company. He won’t approach you with any pressure or salesmanship; he really just wants to get to know you—maybe even arrange opportunities for me or other national staff to do so as well—and figure out how we can help you continue to cheerfully put your faith into practice. We hope Dave’s fresh perspective and energy will gladden you as much as it has us!
dprobst@lutheransforlife.org | 812.603.7970