Pastor Daniel B. Ward

The Reverend Daniel B. Ward was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on December 11, 1951. He grew up as a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids. Daniel and Susan (nee: Fahling) were married in Grand Rapids on June 16, 1973. The Wards have one son, Mitch, born on July 23, 1987.  Mitch works in the area as an auto mechanic.  Susan is employed as an Administrative Assistant at the Learning, Teaching and Research Center at Vassar College.  
 
Pastor Ward attended Michigan State University from 1970-1974, earning a B.A. Degree in Social Science Multi-Discipline. In his third year of seminary, he served as the intern at St. John's Lutheran Church in Poughkeepsie, New York. Daniel graduated with a Masters of Divinity Degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at 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 serving 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 the Pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, located at 55 Wilbur Boulevard.
 
Pastor Ward is actively involved with a number of Poughkeepsie area organizations including the Hudson Conference of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Board of the Dutchess County Interfaith Council, the Board of the Lutheran Care Center and the Long Range Planning Committee of Dutchess County.