Pastor Bill and Carlene Embree
Pastor Bill Embree of Exira has agreed to begin duties on February 29 and will conduct church service on March 2. Pastor Embree is now an Intentional Interim Pastor after finishing his call at Exira Lutheran Church.
My early life was spent in southern California. I was born in Pasadena, a city near
Los Angeles, and grew up in a small beach town near San Diego. The town, Encinitas, was
home to the largest flower growing industry in the world! The climate and soil conditions
allowed for a great variety of flowers and the low hills were covered with blankets of
every color of the rainbow. My father grew carnations.
Interestingly my father could sell his flowers at five cents a bloom and by the
time it left a florist shop that same bloom cost one dollar.
I was the middle of three boys. We lived 2 miles outside of town on 2 ½ acres,
surrounded by chaparral and flower fields. Horned toads (a type of lizard, actually),
snakes of various brands, quail, tarantulas, scorpions, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes and
many more of God’s critters shared the territory and we three boys and our friends
bothered them in numerous ways.
My father had been a professional baseball player early on and each son played some
but my size and skills made football the sport that occupied my time.
After graduation from high school, I shipped off to California Lutheran College
(now University), played football and earned my bachelors degree in psychology.
I attended seminary at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley,
California and completed and internship on Long Island, New York. I was ordained, with my
younger brother, John, in 1974. My first call was to Christ Lutheran, Downey, California
(near Los Angeles).
I have also served churches in rural northwestern New Jersey, metropolitan Orange
County and suburban Vallejo in California, and currently serve Exira Lutheran Church in
Exira, Iowa. Someday I’ll figure out where God wants me to live and I’ll retire
there. Until then I’m enjoying the trip.