Former Casselton Reverend a WWII Veteran

By Brad Tastad

The Reverend John Mehl spent 10 years serving at the Martins Lutheran Church in Casselton from 1977 to 1987. During that entire decade virtually no one in his parish of nearly 1,000 people knew that Mehl served for three years in the Army, seeing heavy action in the front from 1943 to 1945 during World War II.

“Nobody knew,” commented Casselton citizen Ken Habiger, a long-time resident of Casselton. “I didn’t know until I attended a meeting of World War II veterans in Fargo many years ago. As I was sitting there, I saw this man who looked very familiar to me. I remember asking myself, ‘is that John Mehl?’ And sure enough, I went over to talk with him, and it was the reverend.”

Habiger and Casselton citizens not only found out that Mehl, who today lives in Fargo and spends winters in Arizona, was a combat veteran, but that he was also seriously injured during one of his war-time missions. An injury that easily could have killed Mehl.

Something is cooking at the Casselton United Methodist Church in Casselton

By Jacqueline M. Dotzenrod

Something is cooking at the Casselton United Methodist Church in Casselton.

The UMC youth group, TLG (Teens Living for God) is putting together a Valentine’s Day dinner that is open to the public.

“When we talked at the beginning of the year about things that they wanted to do for fundraisers, they asked if they could cook,” youth group leader Becky Dunker said. “I threw this idea out at them and they were all over it.”