Concordia Seminary Newsroom
For the ‘Least of These’
Pastor's passion is for people with disabilities
The man’s name was Tom. He was about the same age as Rev. Paul Klopke, who was serving as pastor of Living Christ Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Tom had Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes developmental disabilities and nerve-related symptoms. Tom didn’t attend church but his family asked Pastor Paul to visit Tom at home weekly to do some show and tell time with him. So that’s what Pastor Paul did, for 15 years.
“I would tell him, ‘I want to share some songs with you on guitar,’” he remembers. “By the time we got to the songs, he was clapping and smiling. He might say one word or two words from the songs we did like ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.’ I also would do picture time. I would show him a picture of Jesus, a picture of the cross. I would show him a picture of our sin; people hurting each other, stealing from one another. I found out later that he was getting all the rudiments of the catechism through the stories, songs and the pictures I would show him. He developed a love for the Gospel.”
Rev. Paul Klopke, right, participates in a Voice of Care-led worship service at Deer Path, an assisted living facility, in Huntley, Ill., in June 2016. Photo: Courtesy Lori Solyom and Voice of Care
Pastor Paul received the call to Voice of Care in 2013, just after preaching Tom’s funeral. He says Tom died of a broken heart after the sudden death of both of his parents. “Pastor Klopke brings a passion for disability ministry and a pastoral heart together,” Voice of Care Executive Director Melvin Faulkner said.
“I’m this shepherd, caring kind of pastor who intentionally works with cognitively disabled people,” Pastor Paul explains. “I count Tom and any other man or woman who has cognitive disabilities who confess a faith to be a brother or sister in Christ. We are coworkers in the kingdom work. Everyone has disabilities. We are all broken, defective and sinful.”
Serving as a chaplain, Pastor Paul visits group homes and day programs in the Indianapolis area. He leads devotionals, small groups and Bible studies. He even helps with proms for people with disabilities. A “Night to Remember” is what they called a recent prom. He also helps out with pulpit vacancies in area congregations from time to time. “I’m all over the place.”
Born in Oak Park, Ill., Paul grew up the second oldest in a family with three girls and one boy. Their father worked in the wire industry, the son of Lutheran German immigrant parents. Paul’s mother was a Catholic-turned-Lutheran. One notable tidbit: James Edward Quigley, a Canadian-born prelate of the Catholic Church and bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the late 1800s and early 1900s, was a relative on his mother’s side of the family. Maybe this is where the ministry tug originated, he wonders. “I remember praying and asking God, ‘How do you want to use me? I want to serve,’” he says. “That was when I was just out of high school. I knew God was calling me to some sort of ministry but I didn’t know what. I was scared of being a pastor.”
Indianapolis Fire Department Officer Chris Bauer (left) and Rev. Paul Klopke grab a photo at Voice of CareFEST July 23, 2022, at St. John Lutheran Church and School in Indianapolis, Ind. Photo: Courtesy Lori Solyom and Voice of Care
His first call after Commencement was to a dual parish in southern Illinois. He was angry at God after hearing his assignment on Call Day. “I thought I deserved better,” he says. “I thought I should have been called to a larger church because I had had vast experiences in larger church settings.”
Professor Arthur Graudin, who recently died at the age of 95, told him at the time: “Heaven rejoices when one soul is saved.”
“I said, ‘OK, there must be a soul or two in southern Illinois. I’m going,’” Pastor Paul recalls. “It was probably the best thing for me and my family at the time. I learned a lot about what it was to be a dad and a parish pastor.” After serving six years in southern Illinois, he also served as sole pastor at Living Christ from 1997-2013 and as associate pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in Arlington Heights, Ill., from 2013-20.
For those who are considering pastoral ministry, he has some words of wisdom. Not everyone should be a parish pastor, he notes. Ministry can take many different forms. “Everyone has different gifts and abilities,” he says. “God can use you. You don’t have to be the best preacher in the world or the best administrator. Find out what your sweet spot is and go for it. Be yourself. Don’t be anyone else other than who God has wired you to be.”
That’s exactly what Pastor Paul has tried to do throughout his ministry and life. His wife, Julie, is principal of St. John Lutheran School in Indianapolis. They have two grown children, a son and daughter, and three grandsons. When he’s not ministering, Paul enjoys gardening and sports of all kinds, particularly basketball, and playing lawn games with his neighbors.
Retirement is not on his mind. “I’m like 30-something years into being a pastor,” he says. “I still want to do what I’m doing. I still like being engaged with the special needs community. I still like the one-on-one encounters that I have. There’s always one more soul that needs to be won for the kingdom.”