It is a great privilege to serve as the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, and to be a part of the ministry we share. One of my favorite images for the church is that the church is a Family of Faith, and that is very true of Trinity.
TLC is a warm and welcoming congregation, and there's a warmth and vitality here that is very apparent. Trinity is a church where all people are welcome. Trinity is made up of people from all walks of life-there are young families and there are elders who have the wisdom of years; there are people from all economic strata. There are people from a variety of backgrounds; we are rural and we are urban. Some have been life-long members here, and some are newcomers. But no matter where we come from or who we are, Trinity is a church where there is a genuine sense of community and belonging.
For those who may be curious, here is some background information about me.
I was born in 1951 in Peoria, Illinois, and I have two grown sons. Evan lives in Seattle, and Joe lives in Des Moines. My wife Kim and I were married in 2001, and our family includes 17 year old daughter Hilary, and two dogs, Tucker and Sophie.
I felt called to ministry as a second-career person, so I went to seminary at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and graduated and was ordained in 1987. The first church that I served was Zion Lutheran in Clinton, Iowa. I served there until the end of 1992, and left ministry for a time. After a few life changes, I returned to pastoral ministry in May of 1998, and was called to serve for one year as an interim pastor of Zion Lutheran in Iowa, City. I was called to serve as pastor of Trinity, and came here near the end of June in 2001.
Life is a journey that can take us in many different directions-sometimes the way is smooth and straight, and the path is clear, and other times the way is winding and uphill. But no matter how we experience it, it's a tremendous gift that we are given. Faith is remembering that we don't make the journey alone. In all the paths we walk, our Savior walks with us, and the Spirit of God is always ready to be our Guide. I consider it a gift that my journey has brought me here, and I trust that God will continue to guide me.
For me that is the basis of my own personal mission statement, and something that speaks of what ministry is: We are blessed to be a blessing.
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