Praise Lutheran Church

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The Reverend Paul B. Dancy was born June 23 in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Bethlehem Lutheran Church and School in Roseville, Michigan.  He graduated from Lake Shore High School of St. Clair Shores, Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan and from Concordia Teacher’s College, River Forest, Illinois, where he met  his future wife, Heidi.  They were married one week prior to enrolling at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne.  Paul vicared at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Independence, Missouri, and graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from the seminary in 1980.  In 1993 he earned the Doctor of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Donaldson, Indiana.
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Paul’s first call into the pastoral ministry was to Trinity Lutheran Church in Pontiac, Illinois, a small rural town in the central part of the state.  During his almost eight years in Pontiac Paul also served for several years as the chaplain in a local group home for developmentally disabled adults, and part-time as the Lutheran chaplain at a local state maximum security prison.  Paul was also on the founding board of directors of the Christian Action Council in Pontiac which developed a Crisis Pregnancy Center for Livingston County.
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In 1988 Rev. Dancy accepted a call to serve as Associate Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Chicago Heights, Illinois.  His training in Lutheran elementary education proved helpful since St. Paul’s supported a large parochial Day School where Heidi taught the second grade.  His puppet, Cecil, became very popular with the children during weekly chapel services.  Besides the regular pastoral duties of Word and Sacrament in the congregation, Paul ministered heavily in the areas of pre-marital, marital and family counseling, and discipleship and church growth.  He served on the Program Committee of the Northern Illinois District Pastoral Conference (1986-1989), on the committee for Pastoral Continuing Education for the Northern Illinois District (1987-1990), as the Spiritual Advisor to Synod’s Deaconess Program (1990-1993), and as a member of the Board of Directors of Luther East High School, Lansing, Illinois (1996-1997).
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In February of 1997 Paul accepted the call to serve as Pastor of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Armada, Michigan.  While he was there he led the congregation into a building program to add a large multi-purpose gym / worship center, along with additional classrooms. His wife, Heidi taught various grades at the church’s Christian Day School.
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In the fall of 2006, Pastor Dancy accepted a Call to serve as Sr. Pastor of Praise Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which he began on January 1, 2007.  Besides Word and Sacrament ministry, Paul helped the congregation revive its building program, which added sanctuary space and a large youth room to the present facility in 2010.
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While his vocation is primarily in pastoral ministry, Paul’s avocation is found in Christian music.  Paul’s love for sacred music began while in high school and college, singing internationally in church and college choirs.  As a guitarist and songwriter, Paul has written over 50 contemporary songs which he sings in a congregational worship setting.  He has also performed original pieces for youth and singles in circuit conferences, in high schools and at district workshops and conferences.  His interests also include woodworking, collecting antiques, hunting and travel.
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Heidi, a Lutheran elementary teacher specializing in remedial reading and learning disabilities, has interests also in gardening, antique hunting, sewing, reading, quilting and writing.  Paul and Heidi have been blessed with three adult children.