MeetthePastor - Burt Presbyterian Church

Pastor Glenn, Diane, Ben and Joanna Wilson are Thankful to Live in Burt

Rev. Glenn Wilson is the installed pastor of the Burt Presbyterian Church and also of the First Presbyterian Church of Woden. Wilson is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church. Before coming to Kossuth County, he spent five years as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster, Wisconsin. He also served as a professor of religion in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Dubuque (UD).

Wilson is married to Diane DiPietro Wilson, an attorney for the Dotson Law Firm in Algona. They have two children, Benjamin, 10, and Joanna, 9, both of whom attend school in Algona.

Wilson is a master of divinity graduate of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, where he received the Bloesch Award as outstanding student in history and theology, and the Wallace Award for top achievement in Biblical Studies. He also holds a Master's in Educational Leadership and Administration from Nova Southwestern University, and an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Florida.

Diane DiPietro Wilson is a guitarist and soloist who once sang with the Florida Symphony. She is also a trained worship leader for churches and camps. The couple and their children make their home in the Presbyterian manse in Burt.

PASTOR WILSON AND THE PEACEMAKERS OF�THE FIRST CIRCLE�IN KAKE

Pastor Glenn WIlson (third from the left, back row) shown in 1998 at Peacemaking Conference

A formative time for the�spiritual growth and deepening faith of Pastor Glenn Wilson came during his time in Alaska.� This picture tells a part of that amazing story. Pastor�Wilson, (third from left, back row) moved to the Midwest from the Native village of Kake, Alaska, which is located on Kupreanof Island in the famed Inside Passage of Southeastern Alaska. A village of 800 people known for its fishing and logging industries, Kake is inhabited primarily by the Tlingit tribe of Native Alaskans, who have lived in the area for at least 10,000 years.

While serving as Pastor of the Kake Memorial Presbyterian Church, Glenn Wilson was twice adopted into the Tlingit First Nation of Kake. He learned many things that still resonate deeply in his life and the lives of his wife Diane and their two children, Benjamin and Joanna. Here Pastor WIlson is pictured with tribal members and friends in front of the largest Christian mural in the world that was drawn using traditional Alaskan Native art. Artist and Magistrate Mike Jackson (back row, seventh from left)�drew the symbolic tribal images of the two�moities, (all people born into�or adopted into the First Nation of Kake are in one of these two great groups), the�people of the Eagle and the people of the Raven.� The symbols of the people have crosses in thier mouth and over their hearts and on their wings.� Pastor Wilson often preached that the Word needed to not only be in the mouths of the people, but also in their hearts, and that they need to put that Word and the love associated with it into action.�Just as a bird�moves its wings to fly, so a Christian must put the Word to work in his or her life and soar on the wind of God's love and power.

One of Pastor Wilson's most powerful experiences was in playing a role as a founder of the Healing Heart Council of Kake, an organization dedicated to bringing healing to individuals and building a better community. Out of this effort, Pastor Wilson joined with Social Service Worker Dinah Aceveda, City Councilman Henry Smith and Social Service Worker Jada Smith (fourth, fifth and sixth people in the back row)and other village leaders to support Magistrate Mike Jackson (seventh from left, back row) and Organized Village of Kake historian Charles "Topsy" Johnson (first left in back row)in the development of Circle Peacemaking, a community- based, Native principled alternative justice system.

The program, fostered by the Organized village of Kake and endorsed by the City Council and the state court system, has been a great success. Mike Jackson was recently named Alaska's Magistrate of the Year for his pioneering efforts in leading the council to develop the Circle. Mike Jackson has become one of the fathers of Circle Peacemaking for Alaska and Native tribes throughout North America, and his daughter Dawn (fifth from left, front row, with son Schawaan), a brilliant leader in her own right, has helped him transform the project from a beginning dream into a powerful reality for the people of Southeast Alaska.

The initial training for the Circle Peacemaking was held at the Kake Memorial Presbyterian Church, with its breathtaking mural of Native Alaskan art painted by Mike Jackson in 1996 at the request of Pastor Wilson and the church. (Village Youth Ministers John White, Jon Schwartz, and the Paul Reese family assisted in the monumental project).

The above picture shows the first people trained in this special model for justice and peacemaking, standing in front of the famous mural of Native Christian spirituality, healing and wholeness. In Kake, Pastor Wilson learned far more than he ever taught.� He saw many miracles and wonderful things, and he�witnessed God moving in mighty ways in the hearts of the people. He came to see God's hand in nature in ways he had previously only dreamed about.� "I saw a�hundred sermons in every sunset, and a thousand hymns of praise when the northern lights danced across the shimmering Alaskan night sky," he wrote.

Pastor Wilson firmly believes the Native concepts of the Circle and Respect can be a great blessing for all people everywhere, regardless of ethnic background or geographic location.� He sees them as being in line with the great teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who treated outcasts with the same deep respect and love that He showed for his friends and disciples.

Pastor Wilson was adopted as a Raven, one of the two main moities of the Tlingit people. Diane was adopted as an Eagle. Pastor Wilson is a member of the Dog Salmon clan. Diane is a member of the Killer Whale clan. Kake remains very special to them and is certainly the hometown of their children, who know no other places than Kake, Dubuque, Lancaster and Burt..

Pastor Wilson is�a graduate of the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and has a Master of Divinity Degree, and won several key awards for his academic achievements. Before becoming ordained�he had over 12 years�of experience as a Lay Pastor, and four years of service as a student pastor.. He first went to Alaska as a Christian Camp Director for the Presbyterian Church. He has a background in camping and education and has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Florida and Master's Degree from Nova Southeastern University. He is an ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church. He served for five wonderful years at the First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster before coming ot Burt and Woden. He also taught three classes each semester as an adjunct professor of Religion at the University of Dubuque.� Courses taught by Pastor Wilson included: Survey of the Old Testament; Survey of the New Testament; The Theology of the Apsotle Paul; Judeo-Christian Journeys; and The Major Prophets.

His wife Diane, a former prosecuting attorney, is now a lawyer�serving in the Dotson Law Firm in Algona, Iowa. She has a Bachelor's degree form the University of South Florida, where she majored in music and political science,�and she has a doctorate in law from Stetson University. She is an ordained deacon of the Presbyterian Church. An accomplished musician and soloist, she is a also a trained worship and song leader. She acts as a Worship Leader for the Burt evening praise services.� The couple has two children, Ben (age 10) and Joanna (age 9).� They have an Alaskan dog named Ouida (age 7). The Wilsons love their new home in Burt and greatly appreciate the warmth and caring of the people of Burt and Kossuth County.