By LOIS KINDLE
After two years of searching, the faithful at Calvary Lutheran Church finally have their new shepherd.
The Rev. Nathan Strong, 40, started June 1, and the congregation couldn’t be more pleased.
“We got close a couple of times but were disappointed,” said Mike Driscoll, vice chair of church governance and a member of the call [search] committee. “We actually got to a point where we decided to pause and pray.”
After a two-year search, Calvary Lutheran Church in Ruskin has welcomed The Rev. Nathan Strong as its new shepherd.
It was during that pause that the committee learned about Strong, when Pastor Nicole of the Florida Bahamas Lutheran Synod called to suggest committee members take a look at him. They did, and there was an immediate and mutual attraction.
“One of the first things he asked was about outreach in the community,” Driscoll said. “He was also very interested in our youth program.
“We definitely found our new shepherd, and we feel our church will grow under his leadership,” he added. “The excitement is palpable again at Calvary Lutheran.”
Paula Sabo longtime congregant and fellow search committee member, agreed.
“I was very impressed with him,” she said. “He has a good preaching style, lots of ideas and he’s receptive to suggestions. I love his energy and passion.
“He’s easy to talk with and very open. He’s a wonderful fit for our church,” she said.
Ordained as a Lutheran minister in 2011, Strong’s calling to the church started early in life.
“I always felt a nudge to be part of the church,” he said. “It’s always been a part of who I am. I grew up in the church my grandparents built in Freemont, Nebr., (which brought together Swedes, Germans, Norwegians and Danes who wanted to worship in the common language of English) and was in the church choir and Sunday School my parents taught.
Strong said he sensed the call to serve the church, while he was studying at Augusta College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
He originally planned to earn a degree in computer engineering but then realized he wanted to work with and serve others. So during the summer I became a youth counselor with Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries at an ELCA [Evangelical Lutheran Church in America] church camp.”
From there Strong’s life belonged to God.
He graduated from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 2011. He first served two congregations in rural North Dakota, then three churches and a nursing home in the state.
“The lessons I learned from them have shaped me into the pastor I am today,” he said. “The care, compassion and true sense of family connections among the people there reminded me greatly of what it means to be the church.”
In 2017, he was called to a large congregation in Carrollton, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. There he “found God at work in a new way” through “still wonderful people with good hearts, striving to care for those around them,” he said. “We strived for new adventures in technology and being digital disciples.”
Now Strong is starting yet another adventure as senior pastor at Calvary Lutheran Church in Ruskin.
The pastor said he’s been truly impressed with the Angel Attic and Community Cupboard community outreach ministries and others like the Teddy Bear ministry and the willingness of others to reach out where there is need.
GRACE WALSTON PHOTOS
Calvary Lutheran Church’s new senior pastor, The Rev. Nathan Strong, is seen here during a celebration of the Eucharist. Communion and baptism are the two formal Holy Sacraments observed by Lutherans.
“There’s a true sense of community here,” he said.
Strong said his next steps will include meeting with church leaders and congregation members before he establishes specific goals.
In his spare time, the pastor, who is single, enjoys reading and writing about the church, its leadership and practices; finance; woodworking; carpentry; and being a life coach [visit StrongInsightCoaching.com].
Calvary Lutheran Church is at 1250 College Ave. E, Ruskin. Sunday worship is at 9 and 10:45 a.m.
To learn more about the church, its values and missions, visit http://www.calvaryalive.org/, email info@calvaryalive.org or call 813-645-1305.
To contact The Rev. Strong directly, email nathan@calvaryalive.org/.