Someone to talk to
BY ASHLEY THORPE
Reporter
The McLean County Jail printed an advertisement earlier this year looking for a chaplain, someone to sit down and talk with the inmates a couple times a week about Bible studies and personal struggles.
In late February, Pastor Roy Erdahl responded.
“It had been advertised in the paper, and I knew one of the deputies,” Erdahl said. “I applied for it, and they chose me. I thought it would be a great opportunity to minister to people who are in need.”
Erdahl has been a pastor for 45 years. He grew up in Ferndale, Washington, and studied seminary at Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minn., where he graduated in 1972. Erdahl’s first pastorate, which is a period of office of a pastor, began in Montana. He then moved to Minot for his second pastorate, then Bottineau. After spending some time in Texas, he traveled back to North Dakota for a pastorate in Minot for four years before retiring in December of 2015.
“I’m retired, but I wanted something to do,” Erdahl said. “This gives me a great opportunity to use the skills I have and have something to look forward to. Retirement isn’t quitting; it’s doing something different than what you did before.”
