Rev. Dr. Paul Biber was born in Buffalo, NY. When he was 4 years old, his family relocated to Riverside, Calif., 60 miles east of Los Angeles. He attended the University of Southern California (USC) and earned both B.A. and M.A. degrees in Theoretical Mathematics.
It was during his college years that Biber felt God’s call to the ministry, so after graduation he went straight to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. There he met his wife, Rebecca, who worked at the Seminary as a graphic designer, and they got married after he graduated. They have three children: Eli (20), Grace (19), and Hannah (15). Rebecca currently serves as an art teacher at St. Peter, Hemlock. The family lives in Saginaw, and Paul commutes to Ann Arbor as needed.
Biber’s first call was to Pentecost Lutheran Church in Racine, Wisc., where he served for 5 years. After that he served for about 10 years at St. Lucas Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Mo., followed by Good Shepherd, Saginaw, where he served for the last 10 years until receiving the call from the Michigan District, LCMS. In 2013, Biber earned a D.Min. degree in missional leadership.
One side project that is near and dear to his heart is the support of a daycare in an impoverished area of Southern Brazil, which he first got to know in 2009 during a trip with his Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) class. The following year he brought a group of seven people from his church in Missouri so they could help finish the daycare building, and has been taking groups of various sizes ever since. They have held VBS programs for the daycare kids as well as for an orphanage in a remote area; built the second floor of the daycare building; and in the latest trip, just this year, they spent 3-4 days painting the building and strengthening relationships. In one of the trips, Biber also taught a 3-day course at the local Lutheran seminary.
His hobbies include distance running and biking. One year he rode a cumulative 5,500 miles—the distance between Saginaw and São Leopoldo, Brazil—to raise money for the daycare. The last leg of that effort was the 150-mile ODRAM (One Day Ride Across Michigan). For his 50th birthday he ran 50 miles, raising funds for the same cause. Other hobbies include building stadiums out of Legos, and cross-stitching—a hobby he picked up from his mother and that feeds his mathematical mind. His current project is a 5’x7’ panel depicting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
When asked what he’s most excited about his new role at the District, Biber said it is the possibility of working on multiple levels of leadership development, especially lay leadership, and helping build up workers for the Church.
Welcome, Rev. Biber!
Photo by Adele Werner/Michigan District, LCMS
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