Pastor Daniel B. Ward

The Reverend Daniel B. Ward was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on December 11, 1951. He grew up in Grand Rapids and was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Daniel and Susan (nee: Fahling) were married in Grand Rapids on June 16, 1973. They will be celebrating thirty years of marriage this year. The Wards have a son, Mitchell, who is attending Arlington High School.

Pastor Ward graduated from Michigan State University from 1970-1974, earning a B.A. Degree in Social Science Multi- Discipline in March, 1974. In his third year of seminary, he served as the intern at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie, New York. After completing four years of seminary training, Daniel graduated with a Masters of Divinity Degree from the Lutheran School of Chicago in June, 1978.

Returning to Michigan in 1978, Pastor Ward served the following Lutheran congregations: Augsburg Lutheran Church and Epiphany Lutheran Church in the Metropolitan Detroit area; Immanuel Lutheran Church in Allegan, Michigan; and Faith Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also served for five years (1995-2000) as an Assistant to the Bishop with Bishop Gary Hansen of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod located in Lansing Michigan. On August 6, 2000, Pastor Ward and family returned to Poughkeepsie, New York where he accepted the Call to serve as Senior Pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, located at 55 Wilbur Boulevard. Having been present as a seminary intern when the congregation celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 1977, Pastor Ward was blessed to participate in the 100th Anniversary of St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church in October, 2001.

Since arriving in the fall of 2000, Pastor Ward has been actively involved with the Poughkeepsie Area Clergy Association and the Hudson Conference of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has served on the Board of the Dutchess Interfaith Council since 2001 and has participated in many of its activities including the Annual CROP Walk for the past two years. Pastor Ward also serves on the Spiritual Care Committee of Wartburg Lutheran Service, the parent organization of the Lutheran Care Center at Concord Village located on Route 44 in Poughkeepsie.