Pastor happy to fill in where he is needed
Rev. Fretham, of W’bago, serving 2 churches in Blue Earth area

Rev. David Fretham, and his wife, Darlene, left, are both accomplished musicians.
Like many ministers who “retire,” Reverend David Fretham is still very busy teaching and preaching God’s word.
Fretham, or Pastor Dave as he was known by his congregations, and his wife, Darlene, moved to Winnebago in 2019, after Fretham made the decision to retire. The last congregation he served as a called pastor was in Springfield.
But, Pastor Dave’s journey through life, which led to him and Darlene settling in Winnebago, had many stops along the way.
“I was born in St. Paul in the month of November and was adopted the following April,” Fretham says. “My family originally moved to rural Waseca, but we did move around a bit in that area. My high school years were spent in Owatonna.”
He attended college at Waldorf Junior College in Forest City, Iowa and at Wartburg College which is located in Waverly, Iowa.
“I met Darlene at Waldorf,” Pastor Dave comments. “We both played saxophone in the college band.”
And, the couple continues to make beautiful music together.
“We play in the Albert Lea Community Band, the Minnesota Over-60 Band, and we help out by playing in the Martin Luther High School Band when they are short of saxes,” Pastor Dave says. “We have also played for many musicals in the pit which is one of the more challenging things we have done.”
Darlene normally plays the tenor saxophone but also plays the alto sax.
“I play whatever they need me to play,” Pastor Dave adds. “I can also play soprano sax, baritone sax and I play guitar.”
Darlene’s musical talents are not limited to the saxophone.
“I play piano and organ also,” she shares.
Back to the Frethams’ journey, Pastor Dave attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri for two years beginning in 1975. He did his vicarage in Lisbon, North Dakota, and then finished his schooling at Luther Seminary in St. Paul.
After becoming an ordained minister, Pastor Dave took his first call to Griggs County in North Dakota where he served two parishes and five churches over a nine-year period.
Other parishes he served were in Ruthton, one north of St. James, Jackson, Silver Creek and his final parish in Springfield.
” When I was in Ruthton I had two of the Bauman boys, Todd and Troy, in my confirmation class,” Pastor Dave says.
Todd would go on to play for a few NFL teams, including the Vikings.
“Those boys were very talented and very athletic,” Pastor Dave recalls.
By the time he retired from serving his last parish, Zion Lutheran Church in Springfield, Pastor Dave had served as a Lutheran minister for 40 years.
However, to be clear, Pastor Dave does not view retirement to mean that he stops serving.
“I have already served as a vacancy pastor in Truman, at St. John’s Lutheran Church north of Elmore and am now serving as a vacancy pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran in Blue Earth and Immanuel Lutheran Church, Emerald Township,” he says. “And, I still help teach confirmation in Springfield.”
Darlene has also been busy and has helped out as a substitute organist in many of the area churches.
After moving to Winnebago, the couple became members of The Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Winnebago, although the couple has been so busy serving in other churches they are not always able to attend services at Our Savior’s.
The couple can also be seen attending many local sporting and musical events.
“Our children were 3-sport athletes but were better known for their musical abilities,” Pastor Dave comments. “We enjoy both sports and music and it also gives us an opportunity to connect with young people and adults in the area. I love to interact with the kids who are in confirmation.”
He shares being a vacancy pastor presents its own unique set of challenges.
“I’m your pastor but I’m not your pastor,” Pastor Dave explains. “People are glad to have me serve. But, sometimes they struggle with how much to include me. It does help that I live locally in Winnebago and that I served at St. Johns previously. Pastor Mike Klatt of St. John’s is a good friend. We sit at basketball games together and he shares his tremendous knowledge of the game.”
As to why the couple decided to settle in Winnebago, Darlene mentions they chose the city for family reasons.
“Our children and grandchildren all live in Iowa but we did not want to leave Minnesota,” Darlene says. “We have a son who is in Decorah and a daughter in Fairbank, which is near Waterloo. We wanted to get closer to them who live on the eastern side of the state without getting further away from our other son, who lives in Orange City, which is more on the western part of Iowa.”
Pastor Dave had surgery to remove a cancerous prostate gland last year but hopes he can resume running and other activities once the weather gets nicer.
“I have learned to relax more and enjoy life,” he notes.
But, he still wants to serve in any way he can.
“Like the song says, ‘I love to tell the story of Jesus and his love,’ and I want to continue sharing that story,” Pastor Dave concludes.