Bobby Walston was born on April 18, 1979 in Fort Worth, Texas where he spent his childhood and teen years with his parents Greg and Kathy, older sister Nichol and younger brother Mark. Bobby enjoyed playing sports, working in lawn care and being a part of his high school youth group. Bobby graduated from Burleson High School in 1997 and moved to Austin, Texas, to attend Concordia University, originally as a Business/Finance major.
As God began working in his life, Bobby took a break from school in 1999 and after some wandering he was encouraged by his home church (St. Paul Lutheran, Fort Worth) to pursue a year long internship in Student Ministry. It was during this internship that a new path for his future became clear (and he met his future wife, a TCU student named Angie Meland who was active in the college ministry at St. Paul). After this experience Bobby returned to Concordia Austin in 2001 and completed a degree in Christian Education. He took his DCE internship placement to Homer, Alaska in 2003. Bobby and Angie began dating long distance in 2003, were engaged during her first visit to Alaska, and married in 2004 after Angie completed her Master’s degree in Family Studies from the University of North Texas. Angie then joined Bobby in Alaska as he received his first call and was commissioned as a DCE at Faith Lutheran (Homer, AK). Bobby and Angie remained in Homer until February 2006.
After their time in Alaska, the Walstons returned to the church where they met Saint Paul Lutheran in Fort Worth, Texas where Bobby received a call to be the Associate Director of Student Ministries. He focused his time on high school and college ministry. Angie worked at TCU’s Institute of Child Development and The Parenting Center during their time in Fort Worth. Their first daughter Madeleine Jean (Maddie) was born January 10, 2009, with daughter number two Cadence Anne (Cady) arriving only 17 months later on June 9, 2010. Serving at St. Paul was very special and allowed for much growth, it also allowed for more exploration into pastoral roles of preaching, worship leadership and planning and multisite ministries. Bobby had originally intended to enroll in Concordia Seminary’s SMP (distance pastoral education program) but during the summer of 2010 he and Angie were able to take some time together while on vacation to process where we felt the Lord calling us. It was clear that the Spirit was speaking powerfully to both of us calling us to full time seminary study in St. Louis and pastoral formation.
This next chapter is our lives is about just that, formation. We do not see this as a departure from “full time” ministry. Rather we view this as continued ministry in a new setting in order for Christ to take us into deeper obedience to Him and greater glorification of Him. God continues to work powerfully in this process, leading us to consider church planting as a potential calling upon leaving this place. We were blessed with the birth of our third daughter, Eleanor “Eley” Vaughn, on January 12, 2013! We look forward to this new chapter in our family’s life.
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