Meet Thelma Breen

Thelma Breen grew up on a farm in NW Minnesota until she was 13 and her family moved to Minneapolis at age 15.  She was baptized at 3 weeks old and confirmed in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church and remained a Lutheran most of her life.  She has been singing since she was 6 yrs old in church and school choirs.  She was a featured soloist for many of those years. Music and Bible study have always been a very important part of her life.  She was brought up with a love of hymns, country Gospel music and light opera.  She learned to read music in school and taking a year of piano lessons. She never had formal voice training, but received informal training tips from accompanists who were vocal coaches.  When husband Jim retired from the Minneapolis  Police Department they retired to Bella Vista, Arkansas in 1990.  She was trained as a worship leader in praise music and started a praise service in their smaller church for a number of years.

When they started coming to Arizona for 6 months and joined Mountain View Lutheran Church  in 2000, she joined the choir.   She directed the choir for 2 months when the choir director returned to his home in Illinois for the holidays. In 2003, Pastor Mitteis asked her to lead the sing along which became a great joy for her over the years.  When Pastor Mark became Pastor at MVLC, Thelma was asked to start a Praise service.  She assembled all the music, chose the service music, led  the music as worship leader and later did the same for the Country Gospel and the music for the Polka Praise services. Thelma served as the Music Director, with other duties and also as Stewardship Chair for two years, writing those programs.  She has led the Beth Moore Bible studies for the past 5 years.  She feels God has always prepared her and given her all the abilities she has had in her varied ministry duties in several Lutheran churches throughout her life.  With a sad heart she resigned her Music Director duties in April 2018 due to Jim's declining health.  She and Jim will be returning to their home in Bentonville, Arkansas and await God's plan for the new "season of life" ahead.