Arno Q. Weniger, Jr. with the Lord
When I was a kid, Doc Weniger used to come over for dinner and take us for rides in his Fiat Spider. He was a good friend of the family and instrumental in my father’s salvation and spiritual growth. I’m thankful that he’s now at peace and with the Lord.
a factor in the stabilization of MBU after the retirement of Dr. Cedarholm.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
Dr. Weniger taught me so much—both directly and by his example—that I could not adequately summarize it here. He was dedicated to excellence in serving the Lord, and he made an indelible impact on many young lives.
I will never hear the words “college president” without thinking immediately of him—and the standard that he set for all Christian leaders.
Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry
https://www.proclaimanddefend.org/2018/09/12/remembering-arno-weniger-f…
Dr. Arno Q. Weniger Jr. passed into the presence of the Lord on September 9, 2018.
We remember his effective pastoral ministries at First Baptist Church in International Falls, Minnesota, and Calvary Baptist Church in Normal, Illinois. Under his leadership, many were saved and Calvary Baptist Church developed great influence in the state and across the nation.
We also remember his outstanding ministry as an educator. The church in Normal had a large Christian school. Dr. Weniger became a leader in Christian education, both in Illinois and in the American Association of Christian Schools.
Dr. Weniger’s last ministry was as president of Maranatha Baptist University. He led the University for fifteen years. The academic programs experienced significant development; several buildings were added to the campus, and many young people were trained for effective service in local church ministries, both in the United States and around the world.
I first met Bud by coincidence. I was a student at Pillsbury College, working on the summer maintenance crew. He pastored a church in International Falls, Minnesota (1960-64) and was completing his B.D. work at Central Seminary. Central offered a summer school course on the Pillsbury campus, and we met at that time. That was probably in the summer of 1962.
Dr. Weniger’s pastoral ministry is a matter of record. God greatly blessed his ministry in Normal and the church grew exponentially. The church’s ministry impacted many churches in Illinois. Under his leadership the ministry hosted an annual state wide youth conclave in the fall. Hundreds of young people attended that one day meeting and many made decisions for Christ.
Calvary Baptist Church developed a vision for world evangelism. Under his leadership the church commissioned several families for foreign missionary service and financially supported many others.
I was elected to the Baptist World Mission board in 1972. Dr. Weniger was elected to that board in 1979. (The BWM office can give you the year he resigned.) I worked with him as a board member for two years.
In 1981 I was elected Assistant to the General Director at Baptist World Mission, and named Executive Director in 1984. For several years I worked closely with Dr. Weniger in that relationship and appreciated his heart for the Lord, his love for missions, and his exceptional administrative acumen.
Dr. Weniger exhibited a genuine love for Christ. He also loved the souls of men and worked to bring people to Christ. He was a gifted preacher and excellent administrator. He worked tirelessly to preach the Word in the United States and around the world.
Fred Moritz
September 7, 2018
Thank you Dr. Moritz for the tribute to Dr. Weniger; very well written. I never knew him on a personal level until he was president of Maranatha and I was at Detroit. For several semesters a Detroit prof would go to Maranatha to teach a module; I recall teaching Dispensations and the Kingdom. Dr. Weniger attended our MACP conferences in one capacity or another, and was in our home on occasion. Dr. Clearwaters always had a soft spot in his heart for “Bud.” I don’t remember him saying a cross or unkind word about him, although Doc and the Wenigers in general were not always on the warmest of fraternal relationships.
Thanks Jim for posting the article.
Rolland McCune
Dr. McCune, I was one of those students in the dispensations class. All of that seems like such a long time ago now. But I appreciate Dr. Weniger and the role he had while I was a student at MBU and then later while on staff. Many students will remember how he would give snowmobile rides around the campus to cheer some of those dark cold days in the winter.
As I understand the situation, Doctor Clearwaters was unhappy with the founding of San Francisco [Conservative] Baptist Theological Seminary. He thought Central was the school for the West. Personally, as a San Franciscan, why should I go someplace where I can’t get Dungeness crab off the boat. I learned that while at MBBC.
[Rolland McCune] SNIP although Doc and the Wenigers in general were not always on the warmest of fraternal relationships.Thanks Jim for posting the article.
Hoping to shed more light than heat..
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