From the Pastor

Dear Members and Friends of Valley of Peace Lutheran Church,

Thank you so very much for your very warm welcome on Ash Wednesday evening and Sunday, February 21. It has been so good to begin to get to know you. I am very much looking forward to beginning to work as your half-time interim pastor the week of March 8. Your lay leaders and staff have been wonderful to work with. I see that even getting better as the weeks and months go by.

My spouse Kathy and I moved to Eden Prairie during December of 2007 after both of us retired from positions at the ELCA Church wide offices in Chicago. We had been there for ten and 1/2 years following 27 years of ministry in the Rocky Mountain Synod, mostly out of Denver. In Chicago Kathy worked for Global Mission in International Personnel and for the Lutheran World Federation as the North American Regional Officer for LWF. I headed up the former Division for Outreach and helped create and then lead the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit which started new congregations and worked with congregations in transformational ministry along with several other areas like evangelism, stewardship, Christian Education, etc.

We moved here because it was coming home again and to be close to our four grandkids and their parents in Mankato. We travel to Seattle periodically to see our youngest grandson and his parents so that we don't miss these formative months in his life. Retirement has been wonderful and having limited amounts of work like this interim with you has made it even more meaningful.

Once the interim begins I will be in the office most Wednesdays and Thursdays and with you on Sunday mornings. I will post office hours once there for times when we could visit about whatever you might want. I look forward to getting to know you and to being in ministry with you during these months of transition.

It is clear to me that you have had wonderful pastoral leadership and that you are well led by your elected leaders and staff. These will be important months as you look to the next chapters in ministry. May God's peace, love and power be with you during these days.

Pastor Dick