MISSING PASTOR FOUND ALIVE; AREA CLERGYMAN HAD SPENT 3 NIGHTS UNDER TREE IN FREEZING COLD.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Daily News Staff Writer

``Praise God! He's alive.''

That cry went out across telephone lines Wednesday morning as the congregation from Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Santa Paula received word that its pastor, missing since Sunday, had been found safe after spending three nights under a manzanita tree in snowy Cleveland National Forest.

Pastor Ron Dybvig told police he was ``overwhelmed by his life,'' and had contemplated suicide when he slipped out of his Ventura home before dawn Sunday, headed down the highway and ended up walking into the wilderness of a state park about 65 miles east of San Diego.

The small congregation had held vigil Tuesday night for its leader, who wandered - dazed, cold and thirsty - onto a school campus near a park ranger station.

``That's the first thing out of (everybody's) mouth: `Praise God!' '' said church member Larry Brogdin, whose wife, Kari, is the church president. ``Praise God! He's alive.''

Treated by school and parks personnel, who wrapped him in blankets and gave him water before he was taken to a hospital, the 55-year-old clergyman told rescuers, who had begun searching for him Tuesday evening, that his myriad duties left him little time to care for himself.

``He said he was overwhelmed by his life,'' said San Diego sheriff's Lt. R.W. Curry, who interviewed the pastor after he was found. ``He's been taking care of people and didn't have time for himself . . . It just built up to where he had a meltdown.''

Curry said the pastor told investigators he had started out for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park early Sunday, but was told he needed a pass for admittance. Dissuaded, he continued south, possibly along Interstate 5, until he found the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park listed on a map at a roadside rest stop.

Once there, he parked in a turnout along Highway 79 and simply set out walking.

``He didn't say he was going to commit suicide, but he didn't say what he was going to do,'' Curry said.

The pastor, who left home without his eyeglasses or wallet, was found without any means to harm himself, police said.

``He said he had thought about it at some point,'' said Curry.

Police believe Dybvig started walking sometime Sunday afternoon, before a snowstorm hit. A parks worker spotted him that day, and workers noticed his car parked in the turnout.

But as evening fell, the pastor told searchers that he could no longer see his way and rested on a bed of leaves beneath a manzanita tree.

He remained there for the next two nights, Curry said. Snowfall had blanketed the area, covering any tracks from his car to the wilderness and sending overnight lows into the high 20s, officials said.

``He thought that God kept the ground warm for him,'' said Curry.

Police have ruled out foul play and believe there was no criminal activity involved in the pastor's disappearance, said Ventura police Lt. Brad Talbot.

The congregation Dybvig founded 10 years ago after relocating from Torrance had been wrought with concern since its leader, who members call Pastor Ron, failed to arrive for Sunday services.

``Everyone was so worried about him,'' said Brogdin, who said a telephone tree was initiated Wednesday as soon as the pastor was found.

Brogdin, who said he has had breakfast with the pastor every other week for the past two years, said he had no indication that the man he thought of as a ``pillar of strength'' harbored troubles.

``If anyone would have seen anything like this coming, we would have done anything we could to help,'' he said.

The church had made arrangements Wednesday for the area bishop to step in to provide services Sunday.

The pastor disappeared about 6:30 a.m. Sunday after his wife, Mary, heard him leave the Ventura home where they live with their daughter, Shannon, 18, and son, Nathan, 16. She expected him to return.

But after the congregation realized he was was going to miss services, they said prayers for him and conducted a make-it-up-as-you-go service, members said. The Ventura Police Department was notified and the family printed up fliers with his photograph to distribute to the community.

On Tuesday, his snow-covered car was identified along Highway 79, and a search was initiated with more than 65 rescuers, including San Diego sheriff's deputies and search and rescue personnel, San Diego Mountain Rescue and the U.S. Border Patrol, who scoured the area until 11 p.m.

The search resumed at 7 a.m. Wednesday until the pastor - wearing the zip-up jacket and black running shoes he had on when he disappeared - wandered into the Cuyamaca Outdoor School, a county-run environmental camp for youngsters who visit for a few days with their classes.

``He just looked dazed,'' said Curry.

The pastor was cared for by counselors and park workers stationed nearby.

``He came walking in,'' said Park Superintendent Jim Burke, who helped the pastor. ``We're just extremely happy he showed up and he showed up in good condition.''

Dybvig's clothes were cold and wet, but officials said he was not suffering from hypothermia. After he changed into dry clothes and had his feet wrapped in plastic, they said he warmed up and did not require emergency treatment.

After being interviewed by police, he was taken to Grossmont Sharp Hospital in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Jensen declined to release information on his condition.

Friends still were trying to understand the situation and how they could ensure the pastor's young church will continue.

``We need to be sure to be there for him, do whatever we need to do,'' said Brogdin. ``If the pastor needs to take time off, myself and other members of the congregation will step in.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Map

PHOTO (Color in Simi and Conejo Editions only) Santa Paula pastor Ron Dybvig was cold, dazed but OK, officials said.

MAP: Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

Car found on Tuesday

Pastor found on Wednesday