Staff photo by Fritz Busch St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Pastor Don Sutton is retiring after more than 20 years at the church. A reception will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and at noon Sunday following the morning service.

NEW ULM — After 23 years of serving St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Pastor Don Sutton is retiring.

Congregants will be able to say goodbye to Sutton at receptions with cake and coffee at the church from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and at about noon Sunday, following the morning service.

Born in Ladysmith in northwest Wisconsin, Sutton’s father was a supervising principal (which is equal to a school superintendent) at the public school in Winter, Wi.

“We lived right on the edge of the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation, so I was used to rustic living,” Sutton said.

As a seminary student, Sutton worked at a summer youth camp near Grantsburg, Wis., and was offered a job with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), but he continued to study for the ministry.

Sutton studied Hebrew, Greek, and theological German and Latin, earning a bachelor of arts degree at Northwestern College in Watertown, Wi.

“It laid a good foundation for thinking and writing,” Sutton said.

Prior to coming to New Ulm, Sutton served a number of churches, including Shepherd of the Hills, Lansing, Mi., Hope, near Portland, Mi., and St. Mark’s in Watertown, Wis.

Coming to St. Paul’s in New Ulm in 1998, Sutton worked as a ministry coordinator.

“I wore a lot of hats for a while as we built our ministry staff,” Don said. “As a ministry coordinator, I helped everybody carry out their ministry assignments, their calling, supporting and encouraging them.”

Sutton said he supported the congregation, setting direction and pursuing it. He also worked with member care and the board of gifts and talents, which he said was basically stewardship.

“I’ve pretty much done everything there is to do in my ministry,” Sutton said.

“I’ve been the lone ranger, a single pastor in small parishes including a new start in Fort Myers, Florida before graduating from seminary. My wife and I visited there a few years ago. I remembered starting in a community center. Now it’s a pretty large church.”

Sutton attended Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis.

“New Ulm has been a clean, safe, healthy place to live,” Sutton said. “We’ve enjoyed the people here. There are good hard-working people here, the salt of the earth. It’s been a good place for my wife (Joanne) and I. She’s enjoyed working as a Registered Nurse at the hospital (New Ulm Medical Center).”

“I fondly call this place the celestial plains of Minnesota,” Sutton said. “I’ve enjoyed living and working here.”

Two of Don and Joanne’s sons have gone into the ministry. Nathan, his oldest son, is a pastor in San Antonio, Tx. Their third son Joel is a missionary in Paraguay. The other Sutton children are in the medical field.

“While I’m looking forward to spending more time with family and relaxing more, I’ll miss serving the people and with the ministry team here,” said Sutton.

In retirement, he’ll continue to work part-time with Grace in Action, a ministry consulting group.

“We plan to stay in New Ulm for the time being, at least until my wife retires. She’s not sure when,” Sutton said. “My wife is high octane, working many years as a nurse. She enjoys what she does.”

Sutton’s hobbies include reading, golfing, hiking and yard work.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@

nujournal.com).