A Portal of Peace & Prayer

Written by Gregory Favre Doctor or Pastor? What will it be? A young Scot Sorensen tangled with that decision for several years. His father Vern served on church councils and call committees and his mother Patsy headed the altar guild for 20 years. The family, including Scot and his older brother Marc, was in church every Sunday (read more about Scot's family here) . And the Lutheran pastor was a close family friend. But so was the family’s doctor. One way to decide was to have a small, but effective, experience of both professions. Scot as a high school junior joined an occupational program where after school you could work in a hospital. His assignment was in the emergency room where he could see up close and personal the relationships between doctors and nurses, and patients in need of immediate care. Then he spent the summer in a Lutheran camp in Idaho and spent time with pastors. Doctor or Pastor? What would it be? Help heal the body or help heal the soul? He had completed his personal homework, and he felt “my skillset was a right fit to be a pastor.” And then later on, “I felt the call.” After graduating high school, he enrolled in California Lutheran University, majoring in history, graduating cum laude. He also played varsity volleyball and served as student body vice president. He kept his desire to be a pastor to himself during his four years there because he didn’t want people “to put me in a box, as they often tend to do.” But those years at Cal Lutheran helped spark his passion about wanting to help congregations move from an inward focus to an outward one where members would live God’s love in actions outside of the sanctuary. That was the beginning of a journey starting 45 years ago that took him to the Lutheran Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and then on to an internship at a church in Davenport, Washington. “It was farm community,” he recalls. “There was one flashing red light in the county and five or six churches, each a different denomination. Just about everyone in town attended one or the other. I really liked the Northwest. I learned many things during that internship, which lasted an extra two months, 14 in all. “One thing I learned was to carry work clothes at all times. Often, you would have to go out with the farmer to help him, such as feeding the cows in the winter.” He was ready for his first call, and it came from a church in a location as different from the farmlands of Washington as possible, to Mount Carmel Church in San Luis Obispo, California. He was brought on as an associate pastor assigned to the youth of the church and to the campus ministry at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. “It was a great first call that lasted from 1984 to 1989,” he recalls with a smile. “I learned a ton, especially from all of the mistakes I made.” But there was also another reason why that call was so memorable. In 1988, Scot went to the Lutheran Youth Gathering in San Antonio. There, he met a woman named Kathy Hassell. “Scot and I were both working the 1988 Gathering in San Antonio as staff. He was a hotel pastor at the Travelodge on the River and I was a Youth Coordinator at the Hyatt,” Kathy recalls. “At the training for the hotel staff, we sat across from each other and I thought he was pretty cute. My hotel pastor knew him, and when I asked about Scot, he said, ‘Scot Sorensen is a flaming heterosexual.’ It took me a moment, then I realized, hey that totally works for me! We had our first date at a restaurant on the river as well as our first kiss.” Scot and Kathy became engaged and Scot moved to Dallas without a call. “I don’t advise that,” he says now. But it worked out just fine. He and Kathy were married in Dallas in 1990 and Scot was called to be a pastor on the staff of King of Glory Church as Director of Family Ministries. “It was a message from God,” he labels it now. Three years later, he joined the staff of Zion Lutheran Church of Helotes in San Antonio, and Kathy continued her work toward a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dear St. John’s Members and Friends, As my time as your Senior Pastor draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the many seeds we’ve planted together in this community of faith. Before I go, I’d like to plant one more— an invitation to consider making a Legacy Gift to St. John’s . A Legacy Gift is a one-time current or future gift offered in addition to your annual pledge - the “life-blood” giving to the General Fund that sustains our ministry yearly. While a Legacy Gift can be made right now, many choose to include a gift in their Estate Plan. Rhonda and I did this last month, revising our Trust to benefit St. John’s when we pass away. It was simple to do, and it gave us joy knowing we could continue to support this church we love, even after we’re gone. Legacy Giving to St. John’s can take many forms. Rhonda and I chose to make our gift unrestricted, entrusting the leadership of St. John’s in any era to utilize our gift in the most impactful way. It was quite easy to revise our estate documents, and I hope that is true for you too. If you feel called to direct your gift toward a specific area, please know that the St. John’s Church Council has approved (or blessed continuance of) several restricted funds to target your Legacy Gift. These allow you to support particular aspects of our ministry and mission, and are:

This past Sunday, June 15, the St. John’s Church Council and St. John’s Senior Pastor Call Committee held a Congregation Matters meeting. The meeting began with Associate Pastor Jon Haug reading the letter announcing his departure from St. John’s and new call to Chaplaincy , coupled with responding to clarifying questions from the congregation. If you continue to have questions regarding Pastor Jon’s departure, please reach out to Pastor Jon directly at jon.haug@stjohnslc.org - he would love to talk with you! Andrew Ford, Council President, discussed the timing of the pastoral transitions and confirmed the Council’s desire for Pastor Jon to remain in his current position until a new Senior Pastor starts. After a new Senior Pastor begins, a new Call Committee will be formed to seek a new Associate Pastor. From there, St. John’s Senior Pastor Call Committee Chair, Chris Dawson, shared an update on behalf of the Call Committee. After Listening Sessions with the Congregation and interviews of staff, the Call Committee collaboratively drafted the Ministry Site Profile (MSP), which describes our Congregation and the candidates we seek. The MSP was reviewed and approved by the Congregation Council at its May meeting. The MSP is now live on the ELCA Mobility Database and visible to rostered ELCA ministers who are seeking a Call. Now that the MSP is live, our Synod Liaison (Pastor Charlane Lines, Assistant to the Bishop) will receive inquiries from interested pastors, do an initial vetting, and provide a slate of candidates to the Call Committee after the July 4 holiday. The Call Committee expects to conduct interviews over the summer months, with possible site visits later in the summer or fall. The Call Committee feels like they are still on track to have a candidate to present to the St. John’s Church Council in the fall, around the time of Pastor Frank's retirement. They have put St. John’s in the best position to do so, but remind everyone that we need to have the grace and patience to understand that our next Senior Pastor may not be revealed in the first group of candidates. Upon Pastor Frank’s Retirement on September 7, a Bridge Pastor will walk with the St. John’s congregation from September through Advent, and into 2026 until we welcome our newly-called Senior Pastor. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to the St. John’s Church Council or St. John’s Senior Pastor Call Committee. If you would like to connect with the Church Council, you can email Andrew Ford, Council President, at thecouncil@stjohnslc.org. If you would like to connect with the Call Committee, you can email them at callcommittee@stjohnslc.org.

It’s hard to believe that this August marks 10 years since I was called as your Associate Pastor here at St. John’s. When I arrived in 2015 as the Director of Congregational Life, my oldest child was beginning first grade. This summer, we’ll be touring colleges before she enters her junior year of high school! My call to St. John’s was clear enough to uproot my family from the Midwest, moving us even further from extended family, to serve as your pastor. I came to this call with a sense of wonder: might I someday be called to serve as a senior pastor in a large ELCA congregation? Working alongside Pastor Frank, who I often say is the best boss I’ve ever had, has given me a front row seat to the role of Senior Pastor and aided my discernment. Over the past three years, I have gained clarity that I am not called to serve as a senior pastor in a large congregation in this season of life. In fact, I have increasingly felt God leading me in a different direction. Last fall, I asked the St. John’s Church Council to bless my work and time as a chaplaincy student at Sutter Roseville Medical Center as part of my continuing education. This program has affirmed the call that God is moving me towards becoming a hospital chaplain as my next career move. After 15 years as a congregational pastor, I’ve grown immensely and am deeply grateful for all that I’ve learned. However, if I’m honest, this work has always pressed the boundaries of my family life. I have continued to be drawn toward work that honors the best of my pastoral skills, while allowing me to be more present as a father and husband. As such, I will complete my chaplaincy training and apply for chaplain positions beginning in February 2026. I will depart St. John’s as your Associate Pastor upon accepting a new call as a chaplain. St. John’s has graciously supported me in integrating chaplaincy education into my work here. I feel immense gratitude towards St. John’s for this and so many other blessings you have given me and my family throughout the years. As I continue this chaplaincy education over the next eight months, I remain committed to supporting a healthy leadership transition. Only God knows when a new senior pastor will begin at St. John’s, but know that the leadership is committed to remaining a two-pastor church. My hope is to model, with you, a meaningful ending. We trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us! Pastor Jon

Every year, St. John's recognizes outstanding graduating high school seniors who all have one thing in common - exemplary commitment to the St. John's mission of living God's love in the world. 

This past Sunday, May 4, the Church Council and Call Committee gathered the St. John's congregation for a Congregation Matters Meeting. This meeting was divided into two parts - an update from the Church Council and an update from the Call Committee. Here are the key takeaways from the Church Council update: The new Director of Administration, Kat Thorp, has hit the ground running and is working closely alongside new Treasurer, John Bailey. The Church Council recently approved the installation of new HVAC units in the Gathering Place and 3rd floor music room - all of which were in critical condition. The Property Committee is spearheading this project, taking into consideration energy efficiency, cost, environmental impact, and longevity. These needed repairs are possible thanks to a generous bequest to St. John's! The Church Council and Property Committee are in conversation around ongoing maintenance needs for the countless stained glass windows onsite. Following multiple lease violations, St. John's has terminated our lease with Sal's Kabobs & Gyros at the 1725 L Street property. The Church Council is in the process of preparing the space for a new tenant, and exploring shifting property management responsibilities away from current St. John's staff. In preparation for Pastor Frank's retirement, the Church Council is in conversation with the Sierra Pacific Synod office around an Interim Pastor - more information to come this summer! Here are the key takeaways from the Call Committee update: Following a couple months of listening sessions and interviews, the Call Committee is currently developing St. John's Ministry Site Profile (MSP) - a Senior Pastor job description and overview of St. John's. The MSP must be approved by the Church Council, likely to happen in May or June, and then will be made "live" by the Sierra Pacific Synod Office to share with potential pastoral candidates nationwide. The Call Committee is expecting to begin interviewing potential Senior Pastor candidates beginning this summer. Interviews are confidential! Please do not ask a member of the Call Committee to disclose information about the interviews - they won't! As always, both the Church Council and Call Committee have an open ear to hearing your joys, worries, questions, or insights about the mission and ministry of St. John's. If you would like to connect with the Church Council, you can email Andrew Ford, Council President, at thecouncil@stjohnslc.org . If you would like to connect with the Call Committee, you can email them at callcommittee@stjohnslc.org .

As a key part of our discernment process, the Call Committee has been engaging in a series of Listening Sessions with committees, worship groups, members of the staff, and the congregation at large. At each of these sessions, our prompt has been simple: “Please tell us what you think we ought to know about who our next Senior Pastor should be.” We’ve done our best to reach all the members of St. John’s, but if we’ve missed you, please reach out to us at callcommittee@stjohnslc.org . We would be happy to meet you in person, by phone or Zoom, or to receive your input by email. We’ll also have one last congregation-wide Listening Session later this spring. What we’ve heard during these Listening Sessions has told us volumes about the deep love that our members have for our congregation, our community, and our current pastoral leadership. While recognizing the challenges that are part of this transition, we’ve heard your expressions of faith, hope, and optimism that the next chapter for St. John’s will be bright. The task we turn to now is completing the Ministry Site Profile (MSP), a key document in the process of calling a new pastor, which describes the congregation to interested candidates: Who we are, including demographic data and trends of the congregation and of our surrounding community. Our vision for mission within the community and in the Church–our purpose, our values, and our gifts. What we are looking for in the person who will be our next Senior Pastor. As the Call Committee discerns and concentrates its work on the MSP, we will continue to update the Congregation on our progress and next steps. As always, you are welcome to reach out to the Call Committee at any point in the Call Process at callcommittee@stjohnslc.org.

Throughout the Call Process, the Call Committee is committed to transparency and sharing information with the St. John's community. As the Call Process is a deliberative process of discernment, each step is completed in the time it takes, and so it is not subject to a hard timeline. We will be giving updates on its progress through various church communications platforms and during Congregation Matters Meetings throughout the Call Process. Here is a recap and update on the work that the Call Committee has done so far. October/November 2024 Following Pastor Frank Espegren’s announcement that he will retire in September of 2025, the Congregation Council formed a Call Committee of the following members, which will be responsible for finding our next Senior Pastor: Piper Brostrom Chris Dawson Gary Ely-Grisham Lynne Gilbertson Kim Hendricks Joel Kimmelshue Bridget Malme Pam Roberts Karen Ross Pr. Susan Scott (Chaplain) December 2024 The Call Committee met for briefings with the Congregation Council and members of the Transition Committee; envisioned its schedule and elected Chris Dawson as Chair. January 2025 The Call Committee met with the Rev. Dr. Charlane Lines, Assistant to the Bishop, to gain an understanding of the role of the Synod in supporting the Call Process. Ongoing Work & What’s on the Horizon The Call Committee has been meeting regularly to engage its process of study and discernment, as it prepares the Ministry Site Profile for St. John’s, a key document in the calling of a new pastor. The Ministry Site Profile (MSP) is a document that describes the congregation to interested candidates. The MSP describes who we are, including demographic data and trends of the congregation and of our surrounding community. The MSP describes our vision for mission within the community and in the Church–our purpose, our values, and our gifts. The MSP describes what we are looking for in the person who will be our next Senior Pastor. In order to ensure that we accurately prepare the MSP and to ensure that it has heard from the Members of St. John’s on what is important to us, the Call Committee is engaging in an on-going series of Listening Sessions. In each Listening Session, our prompt is wide open: “Please tell us what you think we ought to know as we call our next Senior Pastor.” We have held two congregation-wide Listening Sessions before and between services on Sunday February 9 and 23, with attendance both in-person and via Zoom. We plan to have a third congregation-wide Listening Session on April 27. Please join us then, especially if you have not been able to join our previous Listening Sessions. We are also engaging in Listening Sessions with many of the committees and ministry groups that engage in “God’s Work – Our Hands” in our church and our community, including: Luminaria, Justice Making, Direct Services to the Unhoused, Worship Leaders, and Music. The Call Committee is interviewing key members of the Staff of St. John’s to gain their valuable insight. If you belong to a SJLC-affiliated group, and the Call Committee has not yet reached out to you, and you would like to schedule a Listening Session with us at your next meeting, please contact any of our members or send an email to callcommittee@stjohnslc.org. You are welcome to reach out to the Call Committee at any point in the Call Process at callcommittee@stjohnslc.org .

The leadership of St. John’s is pleased to announce that Katherine Thorp has accepted the position of Director of Administration, effective Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Thorp brings over ten years of professional experience in leadership and accounting, holding a Bachelor of Business Administration. Most recently, she served in a healthcare administration capacity, and we are confident her expertise will contribute greatly to the St. John’s community.  “I am really happy that Katherine is coming to St. John's as our new Director of Administration. Not only does Katherine have all the background experience we could have hoped for to run the small business enterprise that is "St. John's," she also is a delightful person, with strong communication and people skills. I have every confidence that Katherine will continue the excellent administration and financial reporting that keeps St. John's strong, trustworthy and vibrant,” writes Frank Espegren, Senior Pastor. In her role as Director of Administration, Thorp will be responsible for overseeing all Financial and Administrative aspects of the organization, including, but not limited to: Manage purchase orders, invoices, payroll, staff benefits, and monthly financial reports alongside the Remote Bookkeeper, Church Treasurer, and Finance Committee Assist the Senior Pastor and Church Treasurer in the drafting and preparation of annual budget Provide congregation member financial support Manage Property Staff & collaborate closely with the Property Committee, overseeing the upkeep, maintenance, and external usage of the property Support internal operations through calendar management and document and meeting organization Complete purchasing, manage contracts and relationships with vendors and service providers to address the administrative and property needs of the church Maintain, file, and manage access to church-wide policies, procedures, and documents “My goal [in this new role] is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone, while applying my existing expertise and developing new skills along the way. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who played a part in welcoming me to this role. I am truly excited to be here and look forward to getting to know each and every one of you!” writes Thorp. Outside of work, Thorp finds joy in spending quality time with her son, singing, writing, meditating, and staying active. She has a passion for creative pursuits, such as painting and experimenting with the guitar, but is still honing her skills. Thorp joins the St. John’s staff as a full-time Director and will predominantly work in the St. John’s office weekdays from 9:00am-5:00pm. Please join the leadership of St. John’s in welcoming Katherine Thorp to the St. John’s community!