From the Pastor’s Desk

I am retiring at the end of this month and so was drawn to Trinity Lutheran Seminary’s online posting. This is the seminary from which I graduated, and so it is interesting to me to keep up with who is still there in leadership and who is not there anymore. It has been over twenty years since I first darkeneded their doorways, and so I could certainly expect that many have changed positions or retired.

It was surprising to me, however, to see that one of my favorite professors, Rev. Dr. Joy

Schroeder, is going to retire. Dr. Schroeder was one of the reasons that I have enjoyed

leading worship throughout my pastoral career. Thank you, Dr. Schroeder, for your

leadership! By the way, the Dean, Rev. Dr. Kathryn Kleinhans, is also retiring. If you are at least in a small way interested in Lutheran theology, she has written extensively and

accessibly. Another of my favorite professors, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Peterson, left last year to take a position at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. She has written a wonderful, scholarly, yet reader-friendly book about the Holy Spirit and the Lutheran Church.

These are musings of a soon-to-be retiree. However, this brings me to my continual reflection about what I was trained to do at seminary, what I have been spiritually gifted to do, and of which I took ordination vows, versus what I have actually been able to comprehensively accomplish during the past three years in the parishes. In a previous newsletter, I wrote about how my Word and Sacrament ministry is coming to an end. This is a discernment truth from God in both venues, and so I want to reiterate what Word and Sacrament ministry is. It is presiding worship and communion and preaching, but more—it is teaching Bible studies, Sunday school classes, and Catechism; it is strategic visioning for the future, through prayer and leading brainstorming; it is visitation at home and hospital, providing not only home communion but pastoral care to families, learning about and being with families while sharing in their milestones; it is keeping those things in families confidential that should be kept so as to preserve the pastoral relationship, which is a special relationship; it is presiding funerals and presiding weddings; it is baptizing; it is serving

first communions; it is premarital counseling; and it is the commendation of the dying. Thus, the timing of my retirement is right, and I am excited for the new ministry God keeps now unfolding and will continually unfold for me to glorify God and serve others in the future.

Lastly, there will be a reception on May 18 after a joint worship service at 10:00 am at Gethsemane at Lexington. At that time, I will bestow my best wishes on both congregations. But I would be remiss if I didn’t take time here in this newsletter to encourage you to leave a legacy. What do I mean by this? Leaving a legacy for Christians is sharing their faith in Christ. I can see some of my legacy now as a pastor, but I will not fully realize all of it until I get to heaven and see the folks that my spiritual gifts impacted—their faith in Christ and their faith formation. And so, I press on

to share the Gospel, hoping to leave that legacy to as many folks as I have earthly breath. After Iam not your pastor anymore, I would encourage you to keep thinking about your legacy and what you, personally and as a church, want to leave after you are gone.

Always with Hope and Confidence in Christ,

Pastor Jerri ╬

pastorlexfrank@gmail.com, 859-230-9012