In the latter part of 1996, Bishop Howie Wennes and Pastor Paul Halvorson, Mission Director, of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, approached Pastor Tim Selbo.
They said that it was time for the ELCA to develop a new congregation
in the Pinnacle Peak area of Scottsdale, and asked Pastor Selbo to
consider the possibility of becoming the developing pastor. After much
deliberation, prayer, and conversation, Pastor Selbo accepted the Call
from the ELCA to be pastor/developer of this north Scottsdale mission.
 In May of 1997, Pastor Selbo resigned his position as pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Phoenix and began as developer. Knocking on thousands of doors, handing out brochures, and issuing invitations were the first orders of business. Much of this was done even before a place of worship was established.
With the new elementary school opening at Grayhawk in the fall of 1998, a place of worship was secured at the school. However, there was a small group ready to begin worship and so it was agreed that this group would begin at the Terravita Activity Center, about eight miles north of the school, until the school was open.
The first worship service was held on Christmas Eve, 1997, with 81 people in attendance. The first Sunday morning worship was on January 3, 1998, with 85 people present, including twenty members of the Prince of Peace choir.
In October of 1998 Living Water moved into Grayhawk elementary school, more centrally located amidst the new housing developments.
The Charter for membership was opened on March 7, 1999, and closed in the year 2000 with a total of 150 names. A strong word of thanksgiving goes out to Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Mt. Olivet was the Mission Founder congregation for Living Water, providing salary support for the first few years in order to help get this new congregation off the ground. A wonderful relationship has been established between these two congregations and we look forward to many more years together. Mission Partner congregations, St. Timothy’s in San Jose, and Prince of Peace in Phoenix, have also provided financial support as needed in these first years. Living Water could not have had its fine beginnings without the support of all these congregations.
 We held our first service in our new buildings on Palm Sunday, 2003! The congregation continued to grow and the need arose for the calling of a 2nd pastor. In October of 2005 Pastor Marcia Kifer joined the staff as Associate Pastor, with responsibilities largely tied to the continued development of Youth and Family Ministries. Living Water continues to be a strong and vital community of faith, with an emphasis on reaching out locally and globally in the name of Jesus.
PASTOR TIMOTHY SELBO OUR MISSION FOUNDER AND FORMER PASTOR AT LIVING WATER LUTHERAN
Pastor Tim Selbo grew up in San Jose, California. He ventured to the
Midwest for his college and seminary education, graduating from Luther
College in Decorah, Iowa with a degree in English Literature; and from
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a Master's of Divinity
degree.
Ordained in 1990, Pastor Tim served as Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran in
Santa Rosa, California (1990-1993), and Prince of Peace Lutheran in
Phoenix (1993-1997). Since 1997 Pastor Tim served at Living Water,
first as Mission Developer, and currently ios Sr. Pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Tim and his wife Lorrie have two teen-aged children, Sarah and Ben. His hobbies include reading, hiking, and golf.
|