Resurrection Votes to Call Pastor Jedidiah Scharmer at a

Special Congregational Meeting May 2, 2010

In a unanimous decision, Resurrection voted at a special meeting of the congregation on May 2 to adopt the Call Committee’s recommendation to call Pastor Jedidiah Scharmer as our lead pastor.

Pastor Jedidiah has the balance of leadership, ministry and administrative abilities that the Call Committee was seeking. Pastor Jedidiah’s unique background includes serving as the Director of Wilderness Canoe Base in Grand Marais for the past four years where he managed and trained a staff of 38, oversaw the camp budget and operations, and nearly doubled the number of campers during his administration. During the winter months, he served as an associate pastor at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church in Minnetonka. Here, he honed his preaching and worship skills and also focused on youth and retreat ministries. He has a heart for evangelism and mission and interned at a Spirit-filled mission congregation to reach the inner-city poor in San Antonio, Texas.

Pastor Jedidiah has been married to Andrea for six years and they have two children, Wilhelmina, 3, and Silas, 1. They plan to sell their home in St. Louis Park and relocate to Monticello as quickly as possible. Pastor Jedidiah said in his roster profile, “I hope to be integrated into a community that truly wants more of God – who want to move in risky, ever-changing ways that lean hard into the power of the Lord.”

At the meeting, the Call Committee outlined the details of the call process, the job description of the lead pastor and the roles of the Council, Minneapolis Synod and the Call Committee. The Call Committee shared its challenges in finding a pastor that was the best fit for Resurrection. As one of the larger ELCA churches in Minnesota, there were few pastors who demonstrated the ability to pastor and grow a church of Resurrection’s size and also possessed the needed administrative and leadership-equipping skills.

More than 150 members and friends attended the meeting to hear the Call Committee’s recommendation.

When asked at the meeting what specific attributes the Call Committee found in Pastor Jedidiah that made him the right choice for Resurrection, Call Committee Chair Liz Leitch Sell responded, “We did not pick Jedidiah, God did.”

Pastor Jedidiah will start at Resurrection on June 1, and he will attend the Wednesday evening BBQ and summer service June 2. His first day preaching and his installation service will be Sunday, June 6 which will include a reception following the 10:30 a.m. service.

Special thanks to the Call Committee: Jean Aamot; Brian Holte; Liz Leitch Sell, chair; Jon Murray; Larry Sornsen; and Carol Stice.

Praise God as Resurrection moves forward with a new leader at the helm. Together, we will continue our mission of meeting people where they are in their faith walk with life-transforming experiences that help mature them as disciples of Christ!