Rev. Jason Cunningham Called as Pastor
May 2, 2013
Greetings from your Pastor Nominating Committee,
Last month I told you that we were well into phase four of our four phase process of finding a new Pastor. Well, I wasn’t lying. On Sunday, April 28, 2013, the congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Luverne, voted 171 (yes) and 1 (no) to approve the nomination of Reverend Jason Cunningham to fill our vacant pulpit. By accepting the ‘Terms of Call’, Pastor Jason, he will become our new Teaching Elder (Pastor) effective June 9, 2013.
Pastor Jason Cunningham visits with Linda Moeller at fellowship meal
Pastor Jason currently lives in Brookings, South Dakota, and is serving the First Presbyterian Church there. He has served the First Presbyterian Church in Brookings for the past eight (8) years, and First Presbyterian Church, Amboy, MN, for five (5) years prior to his call to Brookings. Pastor Jason grew up in Worthington, Minnesota, and attended the Westminster Presbyterian Church located in Worthington. He attended and graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD, with majors in Political Science and Accounting (Pre-Law emphasis). Pastor Jason attended and graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity in 2000. He enjoys reading, bicycling, baseball, and spending time with his family.
Pastor Jason has a beautiful family including his talented wife, Annalisa, and their four children, Carissa 12, Graham 10, Pierce 8, and Colberg 3. The Pastor Nominating Committee was impressed with the musical talent that they all possess. All of the children are inquisitive and had a lot of questions for committee members when we had the pleasure of meetingthem and touring the church.
Pastor Jason and Annalisa Cunningham greet the people after the Congregational Meeting
Annalisa was born in Milwaukie, Oregon and was raised in Wasilla, Alaska. She returned to the lower 48 states to attend Augustana College where she met Jason. Annalisa majored inbiology and nursing. During their time in Brookings, Annalisa continued her education and received her Master’s Degree in Nursing and is currently a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP). She currently works part-time at the Sanford Clinic in Brookings. Annalisa enjoys several hobbies including music, piano, cooking, gardening, and sewing. We were impressed with how approachable she is and how easy she is to visit with. Lastly, Annalisa is teaching her children how to play the piano and gives piano lessons in her spare time.
Carissa, age 12, is completing her 6thgrade. She is considered the athlete of the family and enjoys sports and outdoor activities. She enjoys baseball, softball, and basketball. She also enjoys baking cupcakes, actually anything related to cupcakes. She plays the French horn.
Graham, age 10, is completing his 5thgrade. He loves to read and is a big fan of Tolkien’s “the Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings.” Graham is currently in Boy Scouts. He enjoys Lego’s and is learning to play the Trombone.
Pierce, age 8, is completing his 3rdgrade. He is considered the jokester of the family. Pierce is learning how to play chess and is very interested in the game. He also loves baseball. He is also learning to play the violin. Like his brother, he also enjoys Lego’s.
Cole and all the children seemed to feel right at home.
Colberg (Cole) is 3 years old. He adds a lot of energy to the family dynamics. He is also learning to play the violin. He enjoys everything that 3 year olds enjoy. He was especiallyimpressed with the elevator in the church and enjoyed riding in it.
Your Pastor Nominating Committee has completed its work and was dissolved at the Congregational Meeting held on April 28, 2013. We are very pleased with the result of our search and the acceptance of our candidate nominee by the congregation. We feel that we have exciting days ahead. Please look for an announcement regarding an ‘Installation’ service for Pastor Jason. This will be planned by our Committee on Ministry and Presbytery to be held in the near future. We will announce the date as soon as we know when itwill be held.
The Pastor Nominating Committee would like to say thank you to our Administrative Assistant, Becky Sehr, for the extraordinary job done during these past eight months while our pulpit was empty. Lacking an Interim Pastor, Becky carried the burden of making many decisions that are normally left to the Head-of-Staff. Becky made this a smooth transition. We also would like to say thank you to all who stepped up to different challenges and gave a little more effort knowing that there was an added burden on their shoulders as well. It was the incredible effort from so many people that kept our church running smoothly. Although our pulpit and the Pastor’s office are once again occupied, we would encourage everyone to continue to give that same effort in the days to come.
A full Pastor Nominating Committee Report was handed out prior to the Congregational Meeting on April 28. If you happened to miss it, you may pick a copy up in the church office. Since this is the last Pastor Nominating Committee edition for the Visitor, your Pastor Nominating Committee would like to thank you for your support and prayers as we managed our way through this process. We are happy with the result and hope that you are as well.
Your Pastor Nominating Committee,
Terrie Gulden (Chair), Dan Iveland (Vice Chair),Becky Eeten (Secretary), Katie Eeten, Ann Robinson,Amanda Van Maanen, Erin Sandstede, Phil Voigt,Todd Wessels, Kathy Knips (Committee on Ministry Liaison)
MAY – Newsletter – “Visitor”
May 1, 2013
CLICK HERE FOR 2013 May “Visitor” Newsletter
CALENDAR – MAY 2013
May 1, 2013
CLICK HERE FOR May 2013 Calendar-FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Luverne MN
APRIL – Newsletter – “Visitor”
April 1, 2013
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CALENDAR – APRIL 2013
April 1, 2013
CLICK HERE for 2013-April-FPC-Calendar First Presbyterian Church, Luverne MN
MARCH – Newsletter- “Visitor”
February 27, 2013
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CALENDAR -FEB-2013
February 27, 2013
CLICK HERE -2013 March-calendar FPC Luverne
PRAY for SAMANTHA ~ CaringBridge Link
February 24, 2013
Please continue your Prayers for Samantha VanMaanen at Sanford Children’s Hospital. Her CaringBridge site may be reached by clicking on this link: SamanthaLeeVM
Pray as well for: parents, Amanda and Justin; big brother, Jackson (almost four), and grandparents, Sam and Barb Berghorst.
Many of you on our Prayer Chain were asked on Friday morning to begin prayers for 15 month-old Samantha. She suffered a “very scary complex febrile seizure brought on by influenza B.” The quickest way to find updates on her condition is to go to the CaringBridge site for Samantha at SamanthaLeeVM.
On Thursday evening as I was called to gather with the many family members who came through a howling snow storm to the ER and Neo-Natal Intensive Care Units , it was difficult for us to find “good news” about this sick little girl. The three day since shown some “baby steps” out of the woods. See recent updates:
Amanda opened her daughter’s Caringbridge site with these words:
Welcome to Samantha’s caring bridge site ! Samantha turned 15 months on valentines day she is a happy, loving, fun little girl who has an unbelievable sweet tooth, smile, and laugh. She also loves to get her own way about basically everythingvia dolorosa! Big brother Jackson is almost four and mom and dad are Amanda and Justin. We are at the Sanford children’s castle fighting to get our little girl back to health after a very scary complex febrile seizure brought on by influenza B. This was complicated by a large emesis that was aspirated into her lungs. It was further complicated by bad weather and roads. Please keep praying for our little princess, our whole family and the amazing team who is caring for her!
NOT Samantha’s foot BUT a reminder of Jesus’ Blessing and Love for children.
via dolorosa
Please continue your prayers for Samantha and the entire family.
Also give thanks for:
- Luverne volunteer EMTs, firemen, and all who support their work.
- The Medical teams at Sanford and all our regional hospitals who respond and wait on stormy nights to help save lives (young and old).
- Donors (both poor and rich) who give to provide equipment and facilities that are already there when tragedy strikes. (As I entered the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit, I saw the names of Mike and Jennifer Miller on a donor plaque in the hall way. I saw hundreds of other donor plaques as well, from people who CARE.)
- City, state, federal, business, citizen, tax-dollar funds that create the safety-nets that rush into place when we dial 911 on a phone.
- People of Faith, Hope, and Love who create communities and nations that do the same.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Dan Leininger
FEB. — Newsletter “Visitor”
February 2, 2013
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CALENDAR — FEB 2013
February 2, 2013
