| Pastor Castillo was born in Beaver
Dam and grew up in Hustisford, Wisconsin. He was confirmed in his Christian
faith and graduated from Bethany Lutheran School in 1962. He went on to
attend Northwestern Prep in Watertown, graduating in 1966. He continued
to prepare for the ministry by attending Northwestern College in Watertown,
from which he graduated in 1970.
While in school, Pastor Castillo enjoyed participating
in football, basketball and baseball team sports during these education
years. He especially appreciated the opportunity to play baseball at various
levels under the excellent coaching of his father. He then attended Wisconsin
Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, graduating in 1974. His vicarage year was
spent at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. He served
as Home Missionary Pastor of Hope Lutheran Church, Louisville, Kentucky
from 1974-1977. He then served as Associate Pastor of Peace Lutheran Church
in Hartford, Wisconsin, from 1977-1995. He served as Visitation and Outreach
Pastor of both Bethany Lutheran Church, Hustisford, and St. Paul Lutheran
Church, Slinger, from 2000-2001.
Pastor Castillo and his wife Sherry live in Slinger. Together their family
consists of 6 children and 4 grandchildren. He considers it indeed a privilege
to serve here at St. Paul and especially to serve with his friend and
partner, Pastor Cooper.
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Pastor Cooper has called many places home in his lifetime. In his youth he lived in various Wisconsin cities, North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois and Texas. The joke in the family was that when his father sold a long-distance network for AT&T, the family had to move to the other end to make sure it worked!
After high school in Houston, he attended Northwestern College in Watertown
and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Thiensville. His intern (vicar) year
was spent in California serving Prince of Peace (Yucaipa) and Saint Paul
(Riverside). Upon graduation from the seminary in 1985, he was called
as a mission explorer to begin a congregation in Jupiter, Florida. Shepherd
of the Palms was organized and constructed a worship facility during his
ministry in Jupiter. In 1990, he began serving Christ the Lord in Clearwater,
FL. In 1995, he returned to the Midwest, to serve Saint Paul congregation
in Slinger.
Over the years the Lord has given Pastor Cooper the privilege of serving the wider church as well. He was the chairman of a computerization task force of the Home Mission division of the Synod during the 80s. He has served as the National Pastoral Advisor to the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society. He has also served as the National Pastoral Advisor to the Lutheran Boy Pioneer ministry.
In May of 1999, Pastor Cooper suffered a severe stroke. With much prayer and hard work the stroke has been overcome. The recovery has truly been a miracle of God. This experience has deepened his ministry of “care” for others suffering from physical maladies.
A side effect of the stroke was the loss of his singing voice… our new contemporary services allow his love of music to continue as he now leads the praise band of the congregation and plays guitar/bass.
Pastor Cooper and his wife Susan live in Slinger with their 5 children.
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