I'm thanking the Lord and all of you for the opportunity to serve Stavanger congregation as a part-time senior pastor. This first year has been a great experience for me.

    For those of you who don't know too much about me, here is a little personal history. I grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, graduated from Hillcrest Academy and later Lutheran Brethren Seminary, both here in Fergus Falls. In between those two, I graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a degree in math and economics. In my first career, I served for 15 years as senior pastor of Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

    I then served five years at the Church of the Lutheran Brethren headquarters. Among my duties, I edited a monthly magazine for the CLB. Currently, I'm in my fifth year teaching math at Hillcrest, editing the same (now bi-monthly) magazine, and serving with the pastoral team at Stavanger.

    My wife of twenty-five years is Ruth, who now serves as a school counselor both at Hillcrest and at Henning Public School. Our two sons, Aaron and Daniel, are both college students, while our daughter Hannah is a junior at Hillcrest.

    It has been a pleasure to serve the Lord at Stavanger. My new and good experiences here include teaching the confirmation class, working with church chairman Rick Stras and the Stavanger deacons, and getting acquainted with many of you.

    I especially enjoy my co-workers, Caleb Larson, Jeremy Wilson, and their families. I believe the Lord will bless us as a team through one another, and will use us to minister to you.

Pastor Caleb Larson

My name is Caleb Larson, and I am currently in my final semester at the
Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. My wife Sarah and I
have been married for four and a half years, and have one daughter, Kaylen. I
have been serving as Associate Pastor of Stavanger Lutheran Church since June
2012.

I graduated from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2009 with a
Bachelor’s Degree in History. I have always enjoyed being involved in theater
and music, and love to read, watch films, and play games of all kinds. I am
currently in my final semester at the Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls.

Pastor Jeremy Wilson

It is truly a blessing to be involved in God's ministry at Stavanger Lutheran Church.  As a 2^nd year Seminary student, the experiences and involvement I am enjoying are immeasurably valuable during this time of learning.

I grew up in the city of Brockville in Eastern Ontario.  After moving to Sioux City, Iowa to attend college, I met my wife, Shannon.  We settled into Eastern Iowa to be close to family and to start a family of our own.  Through the process of adopting our daughter, Anora, God threw open our hearts to His Word and His plan for our lives.  We got involved in DeWitt Lutheran Fellowship, a Lutheran Brethren congregation.  It was through the miracle of seeing Shannon come to faith and witnessing hers and Anora's baptism that I became passionate about studying and teaching God's word.  As I was given opportunities to teach and preach, I felt God's unmistakable tug on my heart to enter the ministry.

In 2010, we moved to Fergus Falls.  I finished my Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion with Faith Evangelical Seminary and began working toward my Master of Divinity degree with the Lutheran Brethren Seminary.  Since then, I've been blessed to have worked with Christ Community Church in Pelican Rapids, Riverview Heights Assisted Living, and Bethel Lutheran Church in Antler, ND.  I am excited to see what it is that God has in store for me, and I'm particularly excited to find out how my story and Stavanger's will intersect over this period of our lives.