The Retirement of Pastor Scot Sorensen

July 22, 2025

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.

After six years at Zion and 10 years in Texas, he was open for a new call, and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento was searching for a new senior pastor. After interviewing him, seven members of the call committee flew to San Antonio to hear him preach.


“It was pretty obvious that Sunday,” he said. “They sat in groups of 2, 2 and 3. None of them looked like locals. We went to lunch together after service and they said they would like to call me.” After 15 years as a staff pastor, he moved into a senior pastor position. It was April 1999.


He arrived in June with knowledge of various worship styles from “High Mass” to contemporary, and with a love for music at services. A few years later an ideal partner, Steven Johnson, became St. John’s music director. 


In his first St. John’s sermon (read the full sermon here) based on Roman 5, verses 1-8, how we are justified by faith, Pastor Sorensen devoted just three paragraphs near the beginning to speak about being there:


“Wow! It is good to be here. I am humbled, I am excited, I am honored to be called to share in ministry with you.


Over the coming years and decades, you will come to learn more about me, and I will learn your life stories and faith stories. Ahead of us I know God is preparing a glorious future for St. John’s. Just as God has been faithfully leading this congregation in bold acts of witness and ministry, God will continue to guide us.


In time, we will learn plenty about each other, and there will be plenty of opportunities for sharing. But today I would rather speak about something else. Something much more interesting than me. Today, and for years to come, I will have the privilege to speak to you about my first love, our Savior Jesus Christ.”


It was in his second sermon titled “No Fear” that he spoke of his vision for St. John’s, a vision based on three bold words that appeared then in the church’s mission statement: Worship, Grow and Serve. He spoke of his vision of “a thriving downtown ministry, in the heart of Sacramento, with a heart for Sacramento.”


And he closed with these words:


“It is a journey before us that is fraught with fear. Naysayers from within and without will try to say that thriving, Gospel-driven, purpose-filled downtown congregations are as extinct as dinosaurs. But that is fear talking, not the love and power of the gospel.


Let us boldly claim the future God has in store. Remember what Jesus says, "Have no fear."


There are only two feelings: love and fear.


There are only two languages: love and fear.


There are only two activities: love and fear, only two motives, two procedures, two frameworks, two results: love and fear. 


And the choice before us is which shall we choose.”

Now, Pastor Sorensen says that sermon laid out where he believed St. John’s was at that moment in its history, afraid and nervous, and a little cheerleading is sometimes needed.


One thing for sure, the call committee had found a pastor who could preach. And that was recognized every Sunday he stood in the pulpit. But that gift to hold an audience, hundreds in the pews or 35,000 at an ELCA Youth Gathering, took work and dedication and preparation. 


At Cal Lutheran, Scot had taken some journalism courses and learned that writing in journalism style was very helpful. Not long prose, but shorter sentences and paragraphs, the way most people talk to each other. 


“The gospels were meant to be told, not to be read. They need to be live conversations,” he says. “Preaching is both arts and science.” And he attended speech camps in Colorado twice to learn more about how to do it as well as he possibly could. He also happened to be the only Lutheran there.


“You have to do homework,” is his advice to his colleagues. “Sundays come every week, so don’t put it off. You know what text you will need for the next three years. Many pastors find excuses as to why they haven’t been working on their sermons. My sermon writing work starts weeks and weeks ahead because I never knew when an illustration would cross my desk and will fit in one of the six or seven sermons I was working on at the same time. 


“But you also have to be in charge of your own time management because there will always be emergencies.”


For many St. John’s members, it was his sermons on special days in the year, such as Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday, that remain in their book of memories.


A deeply dedicated student of the bible, Pastor Sorensen would memorize the text and tell it to the people in each character’s voice as he walked around the altar, bringing to life what happened all those hundreds of years ago. Those of us in the pew could imagine for a handful of moments that we were there in their presence. 


But obviously, there are many other things on a pastor’s plate, some that can challenge the stability of the congregation if not handled in a sensitive and wise manner.


For example, in 2009 the Churchwide Assembly passed the ELCA Social Statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. It didn’t cause as much anxiety at St. John’s as it did as a number of other congregations. 


“I felt that while there was a majority of the congregation at that time who was fully in favor of full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ as clergy persons and staff, as well as same gender marriage,” Pastor Sorensen said when asked to comment on how he imagined St. John’s members would react to the statement. “Our theologically conservative members also felt like St. John's was their home, too. Openly gay active members made the issue personal and kept anyone from using pejorative stereotypes and generalizations.”


But to make sure that everyone had the opportunity to fully understand what the Assembly had done, he conducted a series of gatherings to explain and to answer any questions regarding it.


Meanwhile, St. John’s continued to grow and to be acutely involved in the community, members helping to build homes with Habitat for Humanity, raising money to build dormitories for school children in Rwanda, providing critically needed overnight housing in Goethe Hall (now known as The Gathering Place) for the homeless on bitterly cold or hot nights, providing food for the hungry and in other areas where support was needed.


Scot joined the Downtown Rotary Club, and years later served a term as its president, as well as being associated with interfaith activities throughout the Sacramento area. He and Kathy welcomed a son, Kai, in July 2003.

As the years passed there were staff changes. In 2007, a new associate pastor was needed and the call committee selected Pastor Frank Espegren, a Sacramento native who was a practicing attorney before entering the seminary. He was quite familiar with St. John’s going back to his high school days. And during his first year in the seminary,  St. John’s was his Teaching Parish.


Pastor Espegren would go on to become senior pastor and serve in that capacity for 13 years before announcing his retirement. In a letter to the congregation, he wrote, “St. John’s has blessed my life; serving as one of your Pastors continues to be my greatest vocation call.”


Together, the two friends led St. John’s for 25 years.


Then, the Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin, was seeking a new senior pastor and Pastor Sorensen was on its call committee’s list of candidates.


Why would he entertain a call to Bethel? “There were only two congregations I knew I would ever consider,” he replied. “Bethel was one of them. A downtown church with a passion for social justice, a tradition of worship, and anchored in the community. So, when the phone call came and I was asked if I would be open to talk, I asked myself, what would God expect me to do?”


The initial conversation with the Bethel folks grew into a call to leave St. John’s and Sacramento, where his family had become entrenched, Kathy as a teacher and leader at the American River Community College and Kai as an elementary school student and active youth at St. John’s. 


The Bethel committee came, heard him preach, took him to lunch and eventually offered him the post, and he said yes. It was in November of 2011, a dozen years and six months after coming to St. John’s.


“It wasn’t easy,” he recalls. “It was a truly difficult decision. But I believed that what we had built and achieved through the years that the congregation would be able to do new things and continue to grow without me in the picture. I knew St. John’s would continue to thrive, and thrilled that it has happened.”


Madison became the Sorensen’s home. Kathy worked as Coordinator of Part-Time Faculty and as Associate Dean of the Business and Applied Arts for almost four years at the Madison Area Technical College. Kai attended an elementary school.


But Pastor Sorensen learned that Bethel was not St. John’s in some important ways, and in his words, “I wasn’t able to do at Bethel what we were able to do at St. John’s.”


After four years, Kathy had a job opportunity at Consumnes River College.

 

So, it was time to return to the city they loved. 


Scot was offered and accepted a five-year contract to direct a brand new venture at the established Saint John’s Program for Real Change. It was created to assist women offenders in acquiring a path back into society. “I opened it and served as director for five years and then secured another five-year contract for it to continue,” he said. “It was more of a 24-7 job than being a senior pastor.”


Kathy returned as Dean of Science, Math and Engineering at Cosumnes. Three years later, she moved to American River College and for years held various Interim Dean and Dean positions. Now, she is Vice President of Instruction at Woodland Community College. In that role she supports the president in visioning for the future for the college and its students.
 

“Our goal is to end poverty,” she explained. “To that end, my primary duties are working with faculty and staff to support students in the classroom portion of their college experience and help them reach their educational goals. This is concentrated on hiring, scheduling of classes, and evaluations of faculty.”


Kathy serves as the Accreditation Liaison Officer as the college goes through accreditation this fall and works with faculty on a number of initiatives touching instruction.


When asked what advice, if any, she would pass on to other spouses of pastors, she replied, “So, the advice I was given prior to our marriage was, support Scot in whatever he wants to do as a pastor. Clearly, that person didn't know me very well. I think my advice would be the same for anyone deciding to get married - recognize that marriage is a constant re-negotiation of terms. You will not be the same person in five years (or 10 years or 20 years or 35 years), neither will your partner. You have to be intentional about moving into the future together, or you won't. So, be honest. Don't play games. And start from a place of love...even when you're really ticked off.” 


Or as Scot says, “Kathy doesn’t like to fit into the image of what others think a pastor’s wife should be. She has her own ministry outside of the church.”


Kai returned in the middle of his 7th grade year and enrolled at California Middle School. From there, it was on to McClatchy High School where he excelled as a long distance runner on the track team for three years. He is now in his fourth year at Pacific Lutheran  University.


“I am studying business with a concentration in accounting,” he explained. “I will be pursuing graduate school next year, but as to which specific degree I will pursue, I am unsure. My hope going forward is to run with my last year of track eligibility while getting my master's degree at whichever school I decide to go to. Long term, I hope to be a CFO.”


“This year will be my last year of cross country competition,” he continued, “but I will not compete for PLU during the track season to save that eligibility for next year. I was on the McClatchy High School team from sophomore through senior year. I have a partial scholarship, all of it is under the academic aid umbrella, due to the fact that Division 3 schools aren't allowed to offer athletic scholarships. What I have learned the most is that the people will truly make or break your experience wherever you go. Outside of a select few universities, the name on your diploma won't matter all that much, but 30 years down the line, you will remember your experiences and how the people you surrounded yourself with made you feel.” 


And what would he tell other pastors’ children? 


“I would say try to do your best to keep church politics out of your life as much as you can. There will always be people who disagree with what your parent is doing from the pulpit, and that isn't your problem. Live your life as a youth in the church, just like all of your peers, and enjoy each day in the light of the Lord.” 


Scot, after his time serving Saint John’s Program for Real Change, chose to work as an interim pastor, serving at three different California churches - Shepherd of the Hills in Vacaville, Christ Lutheran in Visalia, and Our Savior’s Lutheran in Lafayette.


“Congregations love their interim pastors,” he observes. “I had a wonderful experience in all of them. An interim can be a calming presence in a time of anxiety, a time of change, of ensuring the members that there is a future.”

Now, 45 years after entering seminary, 40 years as a serving pastor, Scot is really retiring. He can look back at that long-ago struggle - doctor or pastor - knowing it was the correct one.


Obviously, he has accumulated a list of high points and low points. No one in any profession could serve people as he has done without them. 


Here are just a few from the St. John’s years:

  • The entire process of upgrading the sanctuary, including the generosity of the members, the gatherings in Goethe Hall, now known as The Gathering Place, for Sunday services, sitting in folding chairs and getting to know each other better than before and some for the first time.
  • Working with members to create a new Mission Statement, “To Live God’s Love in the World,” as well as new Vision and Value statements.
  • Getting to know Pastor Robert Romeis, who led St. John’s for 40 years, and his children and grandchildren. “Pastor Romeis and I had a great relationship,”  he said. “He and his family would have us over for Christmas dinner. He was a great Lutheran and a really good preacher. I used to kid him about the 8 o’clock service. He did it without music. I added music and I would tell him attendance didn’t change with music. I wish he would have lived much longer.”


          In his last sermon before leaving for Bethel, he included a memory of Pastor Romeis:


“I remember an October Sunday in 2003  when Kathy and I stood right there, in front of that font  and Kai was baptized “There were years when Kathy and I never thought such a day would come….but it did. I almost made it through that baptism without crying…almost.


I remember other baptisms, too. There was Bobby Cloninger’s baptism. Bobby’s full name is Robert Sebastian. He is named after his Great Grandfather, Robert Sebastian Romeis. Pastor Romeis was senior pastor here at St. John’s from 1943 to1983. And after that time, he served as Pastor Emeritus.


It was my great joy to know Pastor Romeis, a great sadness when he died. But since Pastor Romeis’ death, it has fallen to me the privilege to baptize his great grandchildren. I remember holding little Bobby in my arms walking him down the aisle. And the tears started streaming. 


Those were tears neither of joy or sorrow, rather I was overwhelmed, simply overwhelmed by the power and Presence of God. There in my arms was the legacy of faith that is handed down generation to generation, and we got a front row seat to watch God at work. I had hope that day, just as I have had hope at every other baptism.”

  • Being able to spend more time with the lay leadership of the church, invest in them, and then serve with them.
  • Working with St. John’s members to build homes for Habitat for Humanity and  providing shelter and food for the unhoused.
  • Raising the money in the congregation to build a dormitory for children in Rwanda and being there with three members for its dedication.
  • High on the list, the congeniality of colleagues through the decades and the lasting friendships in the cities where he has served.
  • Beyond St. John’s, there was the special memory of the 2000 ELCA Youth Gathering, thousands of young people to hear him tell the gospel.
  • Telling the gospel to the people in the pews or in the chairs.
  • The two Easter services at the Memorial Auditorium, especially the one in 2008. It was eight days after Pastor Sorensen’s mother, Patsy, had died. But let Pastor Sorensen tell it as he did in his farewell sermon at St. John’s (full sermon available here):


“I remember my sermon quoting a children’s book by Walt Wangerin which was a favorite bedtime book I read to Kai.


“Listen, before the hoot owl cries

Before the monsters roll their eyes

Before you fly above the skies,

Or robbers bother with alibis,

I’ll sing you the bestest lullaby

Of all!


Faster that I am, and higher than the stars

Stronger than you are in both of your arms,

Here in your room all night while you’re sleeping

Kinder and wiser and best for safekeeping is God.


That’s the name My Baby true!

That’s the one. Oh, God loves you.


From the brown of the ground to the blue of the sky,

From the golden dawns to the grey of goodbye,

From ear to ear a million years,

And butterflies both your eyes

God loves you; God loves you, even better than I.”


Now, Pastor Sorensen is retiring and he does so with a cathedral of memories collected 45 years after he made his decision - doctor or pastor - memories of baptisms and confirmations and marriages, of deaths and funerals, of preaching and counseling. Memories that will be retained by Scot and the many who interacted with him.


Speaking of which, just days ago, he received a call from a friend who had a message for him. Someone in a conversation had mentioned an illustration Scot had used in their wedding 32 years ago. 


Who knows? Perhaps he will create some new memories with his guitar as he becomes a full-time member of St. John’s.


“I will just be a regular member,” he says. “I will be part of the band at 11:30 a.m. when it plays. I will not attend congregational meetings and any comments I may have will be shared only with the Senior Pastor, just as Pastor Romeis did with me.”


He has returned to his old church, which brings back the closing paragraphs of his sermon celebrating the church’s 150th anniversary.


“I know that St. John’s has its imperfections over 150 years. Yet, for all her struggles, she, the church, has a lot going for her. Let’s never forget that. She - we - are still something for which we might very well stand in awe. Not because of what we bring to the table, no. But because of what God has done to us through us in Christ.


I give thanks to my God always for you because the grace of God has been given to you in Christ Jesus.


May God’s grace, God’s gifts in abundance and God’s guarantee for our future continue to guide St. John’s through the next 150 years.”


It’s been a long journey since that first day in the seminary. 


But there’s no question now, an older Scot Sorensen can whisper to a young Scot Sorensen, “you made the right choice.”

A New Approach to Unhoused Guests on Sunday Mornings

By Catherine Slabaugh • February 10, 2026
History + Values: For over 40 years, and likely before then, the community of St. John’s Lutheran Church has engaged thoughtfully with individuals experiencing homelessness here in Sacramento and beyond. In the 1980s, the congregation responded to these needs by launching Saint John’s Program for Real Change – now a flourishing, independent nonprofit that has equipped over 35,000 women and children with the tools needed to transform their lives. Since then, St. John’s has provided direct service support here on our campus – through the Afternoon Snack Stop, Pilgrimage Meal, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Midtown HART Respite Center – as well as supported ministries accompanying unhoused individuals beyond our four walls. The St. John’s community deeply values the fullness of a diverse community; being a welcoming environment for individuals to feel seen, cared for, and welcomed. While results from the 2026 Sacramento County Point-in-Time (PIT) Count have not been released, organizations serving unhoused individuals in Sacramento County, particularly in the Downtown/Midtown region, have noticed anecdotal shifts in the culture over the last two years. Unhoused individuals who primarily reside in Downtown/Midtown are often experiencing the compounding effects of substance abuse disorder and severe mental health struggles, leading to chronic homelessness. The St. John’s volunteers who regularly serve in our direct service ministries have noticed an increase in attendees over the past two years, a greater number of severe mental health disorders, and the need for greater county resources. This is coupled with a greater cost of living, rising housing costs, limited social service resources, and fewer shelters being built here in the city. Churches and direct service nonprofits are left to fill the gaps, providing basic resources for people in need with limited government or private funding, and a shrinking capacity paired with ever-growing needs. As such, the unhoused crisis grows. We at St. John’s are no stranger to the shrinking capacity and resources conversation. For the past six months, the church council charged a Discernment Taskforce to look at direct service ministries here at St. John’s and discern questions like, “Are our direct services sustainable?” “Do we have enough funding, property, volunteers, etc. to continue these ministries as they stand today?” “How can we better serve our unhoused neighbors in need?” Fruitful, difficult, and powerful conversations ensued amidst this discernment group. The findings of this Taskforce led to the 2026 St. John’s budget incorporating all direct service operating expenses, around $34,000, rightsizing operations for a few of these ministries, and continuing to wonder about our property and long-term direct service viability. However, one statement remains true – the community of St. John’s will always provide direct services to our neighbors in need. Growing Concerns on Sunday Mornings: The work of the Discernment Taskforce primarily focused on Monday-Thursday ministries, when all of our direct services are provided. However, we noticed a gap in the conversation and an area needing attention: Sunday mornings at St. John’s. Like many ELCA congregations, St. John’s embodies the value that “All are Welcome” on Sunday mornings. We believe that worship and communion are for the people of God and as such we invite all to the gathering. For years, the worshiping community of St. John’s has welcomed individuals experiencing homelessness. We’ve welcomed unhoused members into our Luminaria class and walked with them as they’ve become full members. They attend adult education classes and share in countless cups of coffee and cookies together in the courtyard. These moments of welcome and connection help us live out our values and show us the richness of the body of Christ. This practice of welcome was doable with a robust staff and a handful of unhoused guests; any behavioral complications while in community were handled with direct attention and care. Over the past couple of months, we have become a magnet for Sunday morning coffee and cookies, and public restrooms. Some Sundays see dozens of unhoused individuals arriving at 8:00am to rest in our courtyard, use the bathroom, and drink coffee. A few attend worship or adult education classes, but most seek the safe respite we offer. However, St. John’s is not positioned to serve as a respite center on Sunday mornings, as we are positioned Monday-Thursdays. During the week at our direct services, we have a staff of robust, trained, and equipped volunteers whose only intention for being present is to care for these individuals in need. We have an endless supply of coffee, open restrooms, clothes and toiletries to distribute, and exquisitely prepared warm meals. On Sundays, our staff and volunteers are fully focused on worship and the accompanying classes and community-building activities. Our property is wide open, children are playing, and around 250-300 worshipers are onsite. St. John’s is not able to offer the same level of accompaniment on Sunday mornings that we are able to offer at our direct services throughout the week. The good news is that we do not do this work alone. There are nonprofits providing respite for unhoused guests in our neighborhood on Sundays. First United Methodist Church (2100 J St) distributes burritos from 8:00-9:00am on the last two Sundays every month. CAFFE Breakfast distributes breakfast every Sunday at 8:00am at Cesar Chavez Park (910 I St). Loaves and Fishes serves a hot meal every Sunday from 11:00am-12:30pm at 1351 North C St. Food Not Bombs serves a vegan meal at 1:30pm on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month on the corner of 10th and J St., near Cesar Chavez Park. New Approach: With the growing number of unhoused individuals seeking respite at St. John’s on Sundays, decreased number of staff members, and lack of volunteers positioned to accompany unhoused individuals, conversation has ensued about re-setting some boundaries for Sunday mornings. With this new approach, our attention centers on the worshipping community of St. John’s on Sunday mornings. You may have noticed a few of these changes already, and more will be rolled out in the coming weeks: Signage will be placed outside of the red gates and office gates saying, “Welcome to St. John’s! No respite services available today.” The red gates in the parking lot will be closed, not locked, when worship begins. Coffee and cookies will relocate to Oehler Hall and be for the worshiping community of St. John’s. Brunches and lunch-and-learns will be for the worshiping community of St. John’s. It’s important to raise the fact that every Sunday, we welcome two or three unhoused guests into worship. As mentioned above, we practice the value that all are welcome in worship on Sundays. And, we know that being in a quiet, full, sometimes new space for someone experiencing homelessness, substance abuse disorder, or mental health struggles can be challenging. As such, we will launch an accompaniment model, led by volunteers, to ensure guests needing extra support are accompanied and welcomed into the worshiping community, if they desire. This Accompaniment model looks like: Three St. John’s volunteers serving as “Accompaniers” on Sunday mornings, with the sole focus of accompanying unhoused individuals in worship. Accompanying might look like directing them to a safe space where they can leave their belongings before entering the sanctuary, sitting next to an individual in worship, taking a break with an individual if they become agitated or disruptive in worship. Accompaniers will make rounds around the property periodically, sharing a “street sheet” with unhoused guests seeking respite that has information on respite centers happening at that time. Accompaniers may continue to accompany an unhoused person who attended worship into the 10:15am hour space. As named above, the worshiping community of St. John’s is welcome to coffee and cookies, as well as brunches and lunch-and-learns we might host. You may see unhoused individuals in these spaces after they’ve been in worship with us, accompanied by a St. John’s volunteer, if needed. An Invitation to the Congregation: To begin the Accompaniment model, we need volunteers to serve as accompaniers! We invite you to prayerfully discern whether this might be a new ministry area you feel called to serve in. Prior to serving, Accompaniers will go through an in-person training session, organized by Catherine Slabaugh and Joel Barkel, and led by a licensed Social Worker. Trainees will learn more about the landscape of homelessness, some of the situations you might encounter, and best practices for communication with someone maybe experiencing substance abuse disorder or mental health challenges. Our intention is that Accompaniers will serve: With a diverse team of three people – particularly diverse in gender and age. Once a month, for a ~2 hour shift. Shift 1: 8:00-10:30am Shift 2: 10:30am-12:30pm If you are interested in serving as an Accompanier or have questions before making your decision, please email catherine.slabaugh@stjohnslc.org . Accompanier training will be offered in-person and via zoom on Sunday, February 22 at 12:30pm in the Gathering Place. Please RSVP here if you are able to attend. The St. John’s community has a collective responsibility to care for its members. We cannot always serve both our members and unhoused neighbors, simultaneously and in the same ways. The body of Christ is for the world, but in order to be for the world, the integrity and well being of the body require attention and care. We feel called to enter into this difficult reality and not ignore it. We are deliberating the best thing to do at this moment, knowing whatever we do is going to be imperfect and likely require adjustments. We invite you to a Congregation Matters meeting on Sunday, March 22 at 10:15am in Oehler Hall where staff and council members will be available for questions and conversation.

Imposition of Ashes - Ash Wednesday

By Catherine Slabaugh • February 2, 2026
A Change of Practice This Coming Ash Wednesday An Explanation by Paul Baglyos, Bridge Pastor As in past years, the St. John’s community will gather for Ash Wednesday worship at 12:00pm and 7:00pm. This year, we will not be offering ashes to-go for public passers-by outside the sanctuary. In deliberation with staff, I proposed that we forego this practice for the following reasons: Offering the imposition of ashes outside a larger context of preaching, teaching, and worship suggests that the practice has a spiritual value in and of itself. Lutheran understanding contradicts that suggestion. The imposition of ashes is not a sacramental means of grace, and even the sacraments – baptism and communion – are always celebrated within a larger context of prayer and biblical instruction, rather than performed as isolated rituals. The symbolism of ashes expressly relates to the fallenness of humanity. The accompanying words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” quotes Genesis 3:19 where God diagnoses the human condition affected by sin. This is the condition for which Jesus died upon the cross and the condition he addressed when he said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Those words from Jesus, however, come after a relationship with him as disciples has already begun. He teaches these things to deepen the understanding and the commitment of his followers. Likewise, the imposition of ashes is intended to deepen understanding and commitments that have already begun, to further the maturing of faith that has already germinated. The imposition of ashes is not intended as an introductory call to discipleship. The imposition of ashes invokes a grace it cannot by itself impart. Christians face the truth of their fallen condition when receiving ashes upon their foreheads because they know that God’s grace is the remedy for and the redemption of that condition. Ash Wednesday is perhaps the supreme occasion when Christians ritually celebrate the affirmation that “God proves [God’s] love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The mission of the church is to proclaim boldly in word and deed to all people the wondrous good news of God’s love. Surely there are better ways to do that than besmudging the foreheads of our neighbors and telling them they are dust. Surely our public witness to passers-by outside the sanctuary can find ways to offer genuine treasures of grace rather than ashes. Members of the congregation who are unable to attend either services, but who want to begin their Lenten discipline by receiving the mark of ashes, are invited to receive the imposition of ashes in the sanctuary from 8:00-9:00am or 4:00-5:00pm. We welcome all to begin this forty-day journey toward Easter with a day of fasting and repentance.

Annual Meeting Recap + New Council Officers Elected

By Catherine Slabaugh • January 27, 2026
On Sunday, January 25, the St. John’s congregation gathered for our Annual Meeting! Chaired by Andrew Ford, the Council President, the congregation heard an update from the Call Committee and received reports from Directors.

The 2025 Santa Lucia: Bella Manley

By Catherine Slabaugh • December 2, 2025
The leadership of St. John’s Lutheran Church is delighted to announce that Bella Manley will serve as the 2025 Santa Lucia. A lifetime member at St. John’s, Bella was baptized here at six months old, sang in the music class in elementary school, completed Confirmation online during COVID, volunteered for countless Thanksgiving Meals, regularly serves as a Lector, and is now approaching her final months as a high school senior. Amidst it all, Bella has led with her heart and carries our mission of living God’s love in the world with her in all that she does. A senior at St. Francis High School, Bella is active in the school’s Tech Club – leading behind-the-scenes stage production, building sets, managing sound, and helping bring different shows to life, Into the Woods being her favorite. She has also been shaped by her religious experiences at St. Francis, most notably, in her junior-year Moral Ethics and Catholic Social Teachings class, where she explored the connection of theology to moral principles and how she might carry these teachings into her own life experiences. Outside of school, Bella is a devoted Girl Scout, having recently completed her Gold Award Project right here at St. John’s. This spring, after volunteering with Tuesday’s Midtown HART Respite, she saw a need for clothing and toiletries for unhoused men and organized a drive to collect these items. Her nearly decade-long involvement in Girl Scouts has given her a wide and meaningful group of friends, broadened her hands-on life skills, and provided ample opportunities to make an impact on her community. Bella has also served throughout high school as a member of the Sierra Pacific Synod Youth Committee (SPSYC), leading retreats for elementary through high school aged youth at Mt. Cross multiple times a year. Initially drawn to this leadership position after attending retreats growing up, Bella has developed deep friendships with fellow Lutheran youth across Northern California and gained valuable hands-on leadership experience with kids – something she loves deeply. To Bella, SPSYC is an extension of church. Being named this year’s Santa Lucia is a tremendous honor to Bella, especially after watching her cousin and close friends receive this recognition in recent years. She looks forward to sharing her light with all who attend this year’s festivities. The annual Santa Lucia Service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 14th in the Sanctuary at St. John’s Lutheran Church, followed by a Festival at 5:00 p.m. in The Gathering Place. Come celebrate Bella and the Santa Lucia court!

Welcoming Bridge Organist Dan Nguyen

By Catherine Slabaugh • November 10, 2025
St. John’s is delighted to welcome Organist Dan Nguyen to worship over the next couple of months! Dan will serve as the “Bridge Organist”, allowing us space to conduct a national search for a permanent Organist. Dan Nguyen was born in Sacramento. As a child, he studied piano under several local teachers—most especially Dakin Chamberlain, a student of Richard Cionco. His formal organ studies began with an American Guild of Organists (AGO) scholarship through which he studied under local harpsichordist, organist, and music professor Nancy Metzger; during this same period, he served a tenure as Organ Scholar at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Houston where he studied organ and harpsichord under Robert Bates and Matthew Dirst. He recalls with great gratitude all of his teachers, especially the late Norma McIntyre (1925-2023) who offered him elementary organ lessons before entrusting him to the tutelage of Nancy Metzger. Dan has over ten years experience working in various professional capacities related to liturgical music. He has concertized in California, Oregon, Texas, New York, and Vietnam; he has an abiding passion for mediaeval and early music as well as twentieth-century and contemporary liturgical music. His liturgical compositions include several choral settings of mediaeval Latin hymns as well as four neo-Gregorian settings of the Vietnamese translation of the Roman Catholic mass. He is currently studying Carpatho-Rusyn chant (prostopinije) through the Metropolitan Cantor Institute of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. After several years based in New York City and Hanoi, Dan has returned to Sacramento where he is joined by his wife, Leonie, and his son, Placidus, as well his immediate family. Dan is a Ph.D. Candidate at Columbia University where he is jointly affiliated with the Departments of History and East Asian Languages and Cultures; he currently teaches Chinese history at Sacramento State. Welcome to St. John’s, Dan!

October '25 Update from the Call Committee

By Catherine Slabaugh • October 29, 2025
During late summer and early fall, the St. John’s Call Committee interviewed the slate of candidates initially provided by the Sierra Pacific Synod Office of the Bishop. The Call Committee followed up with the references that the candidates provided. Guided by the input that you, the people of St. John’s, provided throughout the series of listening sessions earlier this year, the committee engaged in deep discussion, discernment, and prayer. As a result, no candidate from this first slate was called. The committee knows it has to be a good fit for St. John’s and for the next Senior Pastor who will be called to guide St. John’s to be the church God has in mind for us. Following this first phase of interviews, the Call Committee is now momentarily paused as the Office of the Bishop prepares a second slate of candidates. Following the retirement of Pastor Frank Espegren, and grateful for the strength and vitality of our congregation, St. John's has welcomed Pastor Paul Baglyos as our bridge pastor. Pastor Paul’s enthusiasm to lean into his role and thoroughly engage in the community of St. John’s is an indicator of why we can walk into the future with full confidence in God’s love for St. John’s! The committee is appreciative of Pastor Jon and the entire St. John’s staff for their support to help Pastor Paul and his wife Sharon as they become fully immersed in the life of St. John’s. As the St. John's community prepares for the busy season of Advent and the traditions of our church, the Call Committee has full confidence in the careful transition plan that was developed by our Church Council and in the leadership the Council is providing to St. John’s in this interim period. The committee is also filled with gratitude for the implementation of the vision for more lay leadership in all aspects of worship, faith formation and service. We are blessed with a strong congregation. Our pews are full on Sundays; education programs and opportunities for volunteers in direct services are expanding; and, we are in good financial standing – all positive signs for St. John’s during this phase in the call process. If you have any further questions or would like to connect with the Call Committee, you can email them at callcommittee@stjohnslc.org .

Introducing Bridge Pastor Paul Baglyos

By Catherine Slabaugh • August 18, 2025
Beloved people of St. John’s, My name is Paul Baglyos and I am delighted to begin serving as your bridge pastor on October 1, 2025. My journey to St. John’s has been a bit serendipitous – more of that later in this letter – but today I write to share a little about my wife and myself as we prepare for our cross-country move to Sacramento next week. I was born on August 10, 1958, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and was baptized and confirmed at Christ Lutheran Church in Schoenersville – now home to the offices of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA. In 1980, I graduated with my bachelors degree in philosophy from Muhlenberg College, and in 1984, earned my Masters of Divinity in Old Testament from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (now part of United Lutheran Seminary). My wife Sharon and I were married on September 6, 1980 in southeastern Nebraska, where she grew up as the third of four children in a dairy farming family. Our daughter Gretchen was born in 1983 and now lives in Oakland, and our son Nathan, born in 1988, now lives in Los Angeles. I was ordained in 1984 and began ministry as associate pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1988, we moved to Chicago, where I began Ph.D. studies at the University of Chicago. While serving Zion Lutheran Church of Penbrook in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I completed my doctorate in the History of Christianity in 1997. My later calls included campus pastor at Thiel College from 2001–2007 and director of the Center for Theology and Land at Wartburg Theological Seminary from 2007–2009. Following a financial retrenchment at Wartburg Seminary, I worked as deployed staff for the ELCA until 2021, when I became pastor at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick, Maryland. About two years ago, Sharon and I began wondering about retirement and how we might move closer to our children in California – close enough for regular visits, but with enough space for everyone to breathe. During a holiday visit to Oakland with our daughter and son-in-law nearly two years ago, we decided to take a day-trip to Sacramento to explore possibilities. My wife and I researched the local ELCA congregations and were immediately drawn to St. John’s, thanks to your robust online presence. From that first New Year's Day visit, Sharon and I fell in love with the city of Sacramento and have made an effort to visit the city every time we’ve visited family in the bay area. Sharon and Gretchen even attended a service here and brought me back your 2024 Annual Report! Our original plan upon retiring to Sacramento was simply to join St. John’s and be active members. We looked forward to joining your vibrant and varied worship, diving into the life of a city church, and sharing in your expansive mission. After informing Bishop Jeff Johnson about our impending move to Sacramento and my willingness to serve in an interim or bridge capacity, I received a query from the bishop’s office about whether I might serve as a bridge pastor at St. John’s. This felt like a biblical miracle. I was already drawn to the congregation and eager to join the community – serving as your bridge pastor in this season of transition was icing on the cake! St. John’s is a vital, thriving congregation with strong forward momentum, faithfully living out Christ’s call in Sacramento and beyond. I understand it has been some time since St. John’s has had a bridge or interim pastor, so I want to be clear about my role. A bridge pastor is not to spin new dreams and visions, but rather to help ensure that the current dreams and visions do not diminish in energy or enthusiasm as we live in this period of interim. The interim period is important – when transitions occur in the life of a church, the congregation needs an opportunity to gather as companions of grief. People need to accompany one another in this grief and experience their continued walk together as a community of faith, now with the absence of their beloved former pastor. Over the interim period, the spirit of God will begin to move hearts and minds to turn to what is coming, rather than what has been. My role as your bridge pastor is to provide pastoral leadership and care as the spirit is helping this congregation make shifts to prepare for new leadership. Beyond ministry, I’m an enthusiastic, if modestly skilled, guitarist – composing and recording original instrumental music in my home studio and posting to SoundCloud. I love nearly all genres, especially Beethoven, the Rolling Stones, Motown, soul, funk, jazz, and blues. I also enjoy chess, reading history, theology, literature, and forensic investigation, and I aspire to improve both my chess and harmonica skills. Sharon and I look forward to meeting you this fall. My first Sunday with you will be October 5, and I am eager to worship together, share in fellowship, and join you in the mission we hold in common.Thank you for your warm welcome, generous hospitality, and commitment to this mission we share. Yours in Christ, Pastor Paul Baglyos

A Letter from Organist Ryan Enright

By Catherine Slabaugh • August 4, 2025
A Message from Steven Johnson, Director of Worship & Music: Ryan has truly been a gift to the St. John’s community for over a decade - a mastermind organist elevating our worship experience and a trustworthy colleague and friend, he will be missed dearly. We look forward to these final months of sharing music together and hearing his powerful playing, and look forward to welcoming him back to California for kayaking, hiking, and music anytime. We will keep everyone informed as the search begins for an eager and gifted successor. Steven Johnson

A Letter about St. John's Legacy Gifts

By Catherine Slabaugh • July 8, 2025
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:

June Congregation Matters Meeting Recap

By Catherine Slabaugh • June 17, 2025
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.
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