Our Pastor 

Dear friends,

 As you may know, the Church Council has asked me to serve Nathanael Lutheran Church on a contract basis during this time of transition.  And I am delighted to be here!  You have been so welcoming and gracious during these first few weeks and I look forward to the coming days with great excitement and anticipation.  In addition to Sunday worship, my responsibilities will include Confirmation, visitation, pastoral care, and whatever other needs may arise.

 Allow me to tell you a little about myself.   I graduated from Luther Seminary in May and eagerly await my first call and ordination.  At age 52, it feels really great to finally figure out what I want to be when I grow up!  But the road to the ministry was anything but a direct route.  I have had numerous careers, including 9 years in the medical profession, 5 years as an office manager for AAL, and I even tried my hand at door-to-door sales of encyclopedias.  After finishing my undergraduate degree in psychology at USD in 1994, I took a few masters classes in counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, then served as office administrator at my home congregation, Holy Cross in Sioux Falls.  Those 4 ½ years provided invaluable insight into the internal workings of a congregation, and it was there that I finally realized I could no longer deny God’s call to ordained ministry.  In the fall of 2000, I began commuting to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, making it home most weekends.  My internship year was spent serving a two-point parish in Colton, SD, where I came to love small town and rural ministry. 

 Many of you have met my husband, Doug, to whom I have been married 25 years.  Doug works as mailing division manager for the Shopping News.  His passion is playing the trumpet and undoubtedly he will be bringing it along on another Sunday soon.  Doug grew up in New Jersey and Boston, graduated from college in West Virginia, spent four years as a Navy musician in Virginia and now can not envision living anywhere except the prairies of South Dakota!

 We have two children.  Our daughter, Dawn, lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  She works in the mental health field, is an artist and writer, and will be spending 10 weeks this fall studying near Mexico City.  Our son, Chris, recently graduated from Augustana College with a degree in religion and philosophy and currently works taking school photographs. He is considering graduate school in the future but isn’t quite sure in what field that might be.   (Hopefully, he won’t need as many years as his mother did to figure out his future!)

 I look forward to getting to know each of you and learning your stories.  My schedule will include office hours most Mondays and Wednesdays.  If you have any pastoral needs, please feel free to stop by or call to set up an appointment.  You can reach my at home in Sioux Falls, 361-0150, or through Jayme in the office.   

 Knowing that times of transition can be unsettling for many people, let me close with this:             

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among

you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6

 Blessings to you as we journey together in the coming days.

 Pat Lehrer