Dalton J. Noack

1. 5/20/1935, Lamesa, Texas USA

 

Spouse/Family

Wife: Deanne Kappler Noack, b. 3/21/1938 McAllen, Texas USA, m. 6/12/1960

Children: Dorinda Rachelle (Werner) (1961); Michael Raymond (1966);

Joseph Edward (1968); Carol Ann (Fenoglio) (1969)

 

Dates of Service Field Call Assignment

1959-60 USA – St. Paul, Thorndale, TX Teacher Grades 3,4 and 5

1960-62 USA - lstLutheran, Ponca City, OK Principal/Teacher/Music Director

1962-66 USA - St. Paul, McAllen,TX Principal/Teacher/Music Director

1966-72 India Teacher of Missionary Children

1972-74 USA – Mt. Olive, San Antonio, TX Principal, Teacher/Evanglism/Music

1974-77 USA - OSU/SIL Preparation Ed.Adm.Degree/SIL/Jungle Camp

1977-81 Brazil with LBT and WBT Teacher of Missionary Children

1981-91 Worldwide with LBT/WBT Administrator for 6000 children

1992-94 Sri Lanka Theological Education by Extension

1994-2001 Ghana, West Africa Theological Education by Extension

 

Biographical Summary

Dalton Noack was baptized in June 1935 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sparenberg, Texas, and confirmed in June 1949 at Grace Lutheran in Lamesa, Texas. After completing high school at

Concordia Lutheran Academy, he started his college training at Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebraska, graduating in 1959. He met his wife Deanne while doing research in the library of one of the college buildings at Seward, and “we were blessed to be in ministry together all of these years.” They were married in 1960 and were joined by daughter Dorinda in 1961.

 

Once Dalton had graduated from Concordia Seward, he was assigned to return to Texas to teach in the town of Thorndale for one year. From there the family moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma where Dalton served as principal, teacher, and music director at First Lutheran Church. In 1962 they returned to Texas, and Dalton had the same responsibilities at St. Paul Lutheran Church in

McAllen.

 

In 1966 Dalton received a call from LCMS World Missions to serve as a teacher for missionary children in India.  Initially both he and Deanne taught the children of Lutheran missionaries living on the Loch End Compound in Kodiakanal, South India.  Their students were in first through eighth grade, and they divided the subject matter into areas of interest. The students were attended to and instructed at Koehne Memorial School. Because Kodaikanal School, across the street from Koehne, educated the high-school age missionary children and because Dalton was placed by the mission on the governing body of Kodaikanal, he was keenly aware of their staff needs and shortages. Giving consideration to the needs of Kodaikanal School as well as Koehne Memorial School, a decision was made for the schools to merge, provided that Dalton taught religion in the elementary grades of Kodaikanal School. He became the Elementary School Coordinator of Kodaikanal School, and Deanne taught first grade. In addition to teaching religion, Dalton taught elementary music and remedial math until the Noacks’ final year, when he was asked to replace a missionary who was going on furlough as the Vice-Principal of Kodaikanal School.  Besides his duties in the elementary program, much of his time was spent working with house-parents of the dormitories, discipline issues and participating in chaperoning hikes, dealing with policy matters and other administrative duties.

 

As the Noacks returned home after a 5 ½ year term, the governing body of the school asked Dalton to evaluate the International Baccalaureate Program out of Geneva, Switzerland as a possible program for use by the school.  His report and recommendations were positively received; the program was adopted and is still very successfully being used today by Kodaikanal International School.

 

After returning from India, Dalton and Deanne were blessed with three children (brothers and a sister) by adoption: Michael, born in 1966; Joseph, born in 1968; and Carol, born in 1969.  Their departure from India happened in 1972 during the India – Pakistan conflict.  After arriving home and beginning a study program in counseling with the goal of returning to India and serving as School Counselor after a year furlough, they received notice that the school enrollment was rapidly declining as the war intensified and that a school counselor would not be needed.  The Board for Mission Services happily allowed Dalton to continue his studies as desired, but told the Noacks to prepare for stateside ministry.  They did that and once again received a call from Mount Olive Lutheran Church and School in San Antonio, where Dalton served for two years as Principal/Teacher in the school and worked in Evangelism for the church.

 

It was during this period that Lutheran Bible Translators (LBT) got in touch with the family as they were looking for a teacher to serve missionary kids in Sierra Leone, West Africa. This invitation gave Dalton the inspiration to complete his Masters Degree in Educational Administration and to learn about the Bible Translation Ministry by studying at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Dallas, TX.  By the time he had completed this training, the Sierra Leone position had been filled, and he was asked to consider serving LBT in the literacy field.  Since LBT did not have a position open for teaching children of missionaries at that time, Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) told Dalton of several options where his skills were needed.  Two of these locations were in Australia and Brazil. God led the family to Brazil for a 4-year term, where Dalton served as School Coordinator for the Brazilian Branch of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguists.  He was Principal and teacher of the Linguistics Center in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso State.  In addition, he was responsible for the educational needs of families serving in the Linguistic Centers of Belem, Manaus, Porto Velho and Brasilia.  He coordinated the hiring of staff from the USA and orienting them to the centers where they would serve.

 

After four years serving in this capacity, the Brazil Branch asked Dalton to serve as Manager of the Linguistics Center in Belem.  However, at the same time the Summer Institute of Linguistics (International and sister organization to Wycliffe Bible Translators) asked him to work as an Assistant Superintendent with responsibility for 6000 Missionary Kids around the world.  He accepted the position with WBT, which was based in Dallas, and served for 10 years recruiting and orienting staff for positions all over the world.  Dalton and the WBT staff did all that they could to find appropriate curricula for children representing the different nationalities in the organizations. During these ten years, they prepared for and helped implement three International Conferences for Missionary Kids, known as ICMKs, in the Philippines, Ecuador and Nairobi, Kenya.

 

After these ten years of service as representatives of WBT and LBT, LCMS got in touch with the Noacks and requested that Dalton serve again on the mission field, training national leaders through a Theological Education by Extension Program (TEE).  He agreed to serve in Sri Lanka for two years.  When the family was unable to re-enter Sri Lanka after a furlough because of political reasons, the Board for Mission Services called Dalton to serve as Director of the TEE Leadership Program to fill a need for developing a TEE program in Ghana, West Africa, from scratch.  He received training at Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne from key people in the Synod, Dr. Eugene Bunkowske and Dr. Robert Newton.  He spent six years working with eager and gifted local church leaders throughout the country and missionaries who wrote and taught a

36-course curriculum requested by the ELCG (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana) to teach over 100 students in six learning centers that were established during that six-year period.

 

In 2001, the Noacks retired and became involved in volunteer work.  They have been serving with the organization “The 72 – Partners on the Road.”  Through this organization they have served congregations including: Zion, East Moline (IL); St. Phillips, Compton (California); Messiah, St. Louis, (Missouri); Grace and St. John, Long Beach (California); and Peace, South Gate (California).  Their last three-week assignment was in February, 2009 with God’s people at St. John Lutheran Church in Lariat, TX.  Their other volunteer work of significance is with the Jesus Is Lord Mission Society (JILM).  JILM is strictly a volunteer organization focused on raising funds for LCMS World Mission.  Dalton was elected to the Steering Committee after returning to the USA and in 2008 began training to be the coordinator of JILM by Dr. Glenn O'Shoney.  The Noacks remain involved with the church and continue to share God’s Good News through their volunteer work and in their lives.

 

Nota Bene

The website of Kodaikanal International School has this to say about Dalton’s contribution to the establishment of the International Baccalaureate program at the school: “Council representative, Dalton Noack, visited the International School Geneva (ISG), an earlier IB school, to investigate. He found that only 76 of the 601 candidates across the world were taking the full Diploma Program and examinations; that it was possible to choose between certificate exams in selected subjects or the full Diploma Program. This flexibility in the IB program appealed to the Curriculum Committee members because it allowed for a ‘common basic curriculum that allows different students to prepare for different exams at the end without either multiple, separate streams throughout the high school or only one common narrow stream and one exam for everyone.’”

 

Phase 2 Information

 

Biggest missiological issue faced?

Dalton writes that the biggest issues were as follows: “Harmony among God’s people when it comes to goal setting, interpretation of those goals and practical ways for using the gifts in God’s church to accomplish His divine purposes in reaching those goals through His chosen people.  “Money issue to accomplish goals in which the national and international mission communities find balance in their contributions so that eventually the mission church becomes independent of the mother church. The challenge of the missionary to stay out of ‘money matters,’ or if forced to be in, to be a good example for those involved to follow.

 

“Gift recognition from God’s people to be led by the Holy Spirit using their gifts for the advancement of God’s kingdom in their part of His world.

 

“Leadership selection and resistance to political pressures harmful to God’s plan. (Selection in leadership positions of untrained personnel in a specific ethnic group, versus selection of leadership of trained/experienced and respected personnel among pastors and evangelists who may be of a different ethnic background.)”

 

Most significant contribution during missionary service?

Dalton writes, “The demonstration of care for missionary kids and their families via my administration and teaching roles.

 

“Curriculum development for the TEE program using with confidence the national church leaders and their giftedness to write and teach their people in their heart languages.”

 

Connection to today’s mission?

Dalton’s work with missionary children allowed missionaries on the field to perform their work and prepare national church structures and leaders. He has helped advance the TEE program through his work in Ghana and Sri Lanka.

 

The Noacks remain regularly in prayer for deaf, blind, sighted and hearing ministries. They belong to “The 72 – Partners on the Road” and also volunteer for the Jesus Is Lord Mission Society (jilmission.org). They continue to share who Jesus is with their neighbors and family.

 

Lessons Learned

• One must be intentional in sharing Christ’s love throughout the world. Live by receiving Christ’s love and forgiveness and sharing that same love and forgiveness wherever God places us in His world.

 

Best Practices

• Giving your life away so that others might be blessed and learn who the awesome God is who created, redeemed and inspires one to serve the nations.

 

Phase 3 Information

 

Inspiration for entering foreign missions?

From Dalton: “In an interview before Call Day, the interviewer asked if I would consider serving abroad, perhaps in Africa. We had a call to India, an invitation to serve in Sierra Leone, an invitation to go to Australia and Brazil. A 10-year window of opportunity to recruit staff, work on various curricula, send supplies in support of missionary families of 6000 kids throughout the world with International Conference Planning and Execution of plans in the Philippines, Ecuador and Kenya. Calls to serve as Theological Education by Extension Director for two years in Sri Lanka and six years in Ghana, West Africa. Being in the USA and the privilege of continuing to be a part of the Jesus Is Lord Mission Society (JILM) to raise funds for LCMS World Missions and to help people have accurate information via the JILM web site at jilmission.org and via an informative JILM DVD. Being team members of ‘The 72 – Partners on the Road’ to help congregations wanting help with reaching out in their neighborhoods has been very stimulating and encouraging.”

 

Quotation by/about or brief story:

 

Dalton writes,

• “People from other cultures have definitely been blessings in our lives. To witness God’s blessings through the deaf, blind, sighted and hearing eagerly open to learning and sharing God’s love was our privilege to witness often. How encouraging for us who came to help these precious people of different cultures, realize in effect that they are helping us in our lives and walk of faith through who they are.”

 

• “We had some very great mentors and caregivers that God gave us, to stand by our sides and guide us in the challenging situations that appear when in a strange land.”

 

• “Resources in the Synodical Office in St. Louis include videos about ministry in Sri Lanka and a DVD from Ghana reflecting on God’s blessings called ‘Joyful Celebration.’  There is also a video interview that was done by an Iowa Banker who found his niche in the hearts of many a farmer so that they would have the opportunity to be involved in God’s mission through the sharing of their financial resources.”