Dr. Michael Heeley Wenning (July 5, 1935 – June 28, 2011) was a South African-born American Presbyterian

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. He served as the senior pastor at the

Bel Air Presbyterian Church Bel Air Church (also known as Bel Air Presbyterian Church) is a Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian church located in Los Angeles, California. Its campus is located on Mulholland Drive in the Encino, Los Angeles, California, Encino neighborho ...

from 1995 to 2001. He gained national prominence when conducting President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

Early life

Wenning was born in Cape Town. He was educated at Texas Christian University (

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

) in Fort Worth, Texas and New York University (master's in both psychology and counseling).

Career

From 1969 to 1977, he was pastor of a Presbyterian church in Durban, South Africa. In 1977 he returned to the United States where he worked for the next three decades as a pastor in various Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations. He served as the senior pastor at the Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church in

Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania Pleasant Hills is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,504. Pleasant Hills is a suburb of Pittsburgh. History The borough was incorporated into Allegheny County in 1947. Geography Pleasant ...

more than nine years, between January 1977 and August 1986.

Reagan funeral

He was notably the senior pastor at

from 1995 to 2001. There he developed a close relationship with church members

Ronald Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'',#H2, Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; #H1, Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English ''Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised ...

and

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

. He notably conducted President Reagan's interment service on June 7, 2004 following the latter's death and state funeral.

Death

Wenning died in 2011, just one week before his 76th birthday, at his home in

Mission Viejo, California Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...

from kidney failure resulting from leukemia. He is survived by his wife Freda and his two daughters.

References

External links

Michael Wenning - November 2010
- YouTube * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wenning, Michael 1935 births 2011 deaths American Presbyterian ministers New York University alumni People from Cape Town Texas Christian University alumni Presbyterian Church (USA) teaching elders South African emigrants to the United States Deaths from kidney failure Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in California