777 - From Wagon Train to Airplane

Eighteen and a half years. 777 episodes. And one unforgettable farewell.

In this milestone WELSTech episode, Martin Spriggs and Sallie Draper mark the end of an era as Sallie shares that she will be retiring from WELS — and from WELSTech. Episode 777 is their final show together as co-hosts, and they spend it doing what they do best: looking back, laughing, and pointing to the God who blessed every episode along the way.

The discussion

Sallie and Martin take a walk down memory lane across 18+ years of ministry technology. From the early days of helping congregations build their first websites and learn Shepherd Staff, to the pandemic, the conferences, the RV years, the interviews in the hundreds, and the AI season — they reflect on how much has changed and how much has stayed the same.

The biggest takeaway? It was never really about the technology. It was about the people. 

Ministry resource

Taste of Missions

• June 13 at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
• Register by June 7 - Cost is $15
• There's also a live streaming option

Picks of the week

• Google Calendar & the Christian Worship lectionary (2021 | 1993)
• Velcro Tags

Community feedback

• AI backlash and a Monet painting

The poem

For Sallie, After 777

Back in oh-eight, when the podcast was new, 
We hit record, not quite knowing the view— 
A pastor-turned-techie, a math teacher too, 
Just two willing voices with much work to do.

Seven hundred and seventy-seven shows in, 
We've covered it all, from the Cloud to the bin: 
The apps and the gadgets, the Chromebooks, the Gems, 
The AI, the websites, the hard-won "amens."

You taught with a patience the rest of us lack, 
You wrangled the software and answered each "back- 
up your files, please!"—you never once tired 
Of helping the cautious feel slightly less wired.

You knew that the tech was a tool, nothing more— 
That the gospel's the treasure we're really here for. 
You kept us all grounded, no app could replace 
The Word and the Sacrament, mercy, and grace.

So here's to the picks and the feedback and fun, 
To episodes finished and segments well-done, 
To laughter recorded and bloopers we'd keep— 
And the patience you showed me when I'd go off-deep.

The mics will feel quiet, the studio strange, 
There's no Find-and-Replace for this kind of change. 
But the work that you did, friend, will ripple and spread— 
Through schools, through the synod, through all that's ahead.

You've earned every bit of the rest up ahead, 
And I'll miss our recordings far more than I've said. 
So thank you, dear Sallie, for all that you do— 
Seven hundred-plus shows, and each better with you.

Next time

WELSTech will be taking some time to figure out what comes next. If you have thoughts about the future of the show, Martin wants to hear from you. 

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