Go Northwest, Middle-Aged Man

Something different for post 1,200…

There’s an old saying: “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” As I sit in my new study at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Marion, Iowa, I can tell you for a fact that I’ve made God laugh a lot lately. 

At some point in the last six months or so, I had a phone call from a congregation in Iowa, asking if I’d be willing to interview for the position of Associate Pastor for their congregation. It was not the first such phone call I’d received in 2023, nor was it the last. I didn’t think very much about it. In over 13 years as a pastor in Southern Illinois, no congregation had interviewed me and then asked me to be their pastor. We had our phone interview, which seemed to go okay—I’m a horrible judge of such things. Time went by, and I was interviewed by yet more congregations. In the meantime, Faith and I were digging in for the long haul in Southern Illinois. And God started laughing.

And then, right around Thanksgiving, I received the phone call I was not expecting: the Circuit Visitor from St. Paul’s Circuit in Iowa District East was calling to let me know that St. Paul’s was extending to me the Divine Call to serve as their Associate Pastor. Now, as I said, I had no plans on going anywhere; Faith and I were making our plans to secure our future in Campbell Hill. But when a pastor receives a Call, unless he has a very good reason to decline immediately, it is his duty to give the Call his prayerful consideration. We all know I'm a faithful son of the LCMS, so, even though I had no intention of going anywhere, of course I would consider the Call I received. This being an associate pastor position, and knowing how things went with my previous position as an associate pastor, I couldn't just look at the paperwork and make my decision. I had to meet the senior pastor, discuss our roles, try to determine if we'd be able to work well together. So Faith, Molly, and I went to Marion in the middle of a December week to visit the church and meet the pastor. And as we traveled, we still thought this would be merely a courtesy visit, because we had no intention of going anywhere. And God laughed even harder. 

I had a phone call with the District President. I had hoped he'd be a jerk to me, or insist that I take personality profile tests (as other DPs had in the past), or do something else that would make the decision to say “no” the obvious one. He was kind, spoke well of the congregation and senior pastor, spoke well of my own DP, and left a very good impression on me. So I hoped the senior pastor would be a jerk, or sound like he intended me to be his yes-man, or that he would be theologically incompatible with me. He was not; it seemed our personalities would work well together, that he would view me as an equal partner in ministry. So we hoped the congregation would be unwelcoming, that they would have practices so objectionable that saying “no” would come naturally. None of that was the case. They welcomed us warmly, and nothing jumped out at me that said, “This church will take one look at your teaching and practice and seek to get rid of you.”

So we had a hard decision to make: Do we stay where we've been loved so thoroughly, where we've put down roots and have become comfortable personally and professionally, where we've come to call home? Or do we head to Iowa and take up new challenges, make a new home? Every piece of information we received seemed like the Lord smacking me over the head and saying, “It's time to go.” So with heavy hearts we announced to my congregations in Southern Illinois that I was accepting the Call. It was a tearful day, made doubly so by having to make the announcement twice. 

So we began to pack the house and my two studies. It was a tedious process (and there is still more being done as I type this). When all was said and done, we had packed a twenty-six foot truck with entirely too many boxes along with furniture and other items. 

And it finally became time to say our farewells. I preached my last sermon, distributed the Sacrament one last time for both congregations, and then they banded together to hold a farewell party for us. There was laughter and tears; there were stories and hugs; there was, of course, a lot of delicious food. 

And then we drove away. It was extremely difficult for any number of reasons, but it was time to go. We made the six-hour drive to Marion, Iowa, which is right next to Cedar Rapids. Faith had secured housing for us in Cedar Rapids, and so we began to unload the moving truck and started to move things into at least temporary places. It will be a long process to get everything where we want it both at the house and in my study. In the meantime, we started meeting members of the congregation, finding our way around Cedar Rapids, and began the seemingly impossible task of making a home for ourselves like we had in Campbell Hill. Yeah, I know: “Trust in the Lord.” I don't know about you, but I'm a sinner; that trust thing doesn't come easy for me.

 

Finally came the day of the Installation. Pastors from near and far came to participate, and President Saunders from the Iowa District East office came to officiate. My Senior Pastor, Andrew Noble, preached a lovely sermon. And then I became, officially, the Associate Pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Marion, Iowa. 

And the work begins. I preach my first sermon this evening for the Ash Wednesday Divine Service. And I make my first shut-in visits on Friday. It's going to be strange learning a while new congregation, but it's good work, and the Lord will bless it.

Thank you to the members of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Campbell Hill and Bethel Lutheran Church in Du Quoin, Illinois, for so wonderfully demonstrating the love of Christ to the Kornacki family for the past 13 years and more, for being the kind of place where a pastor would want to stay for the long haul. You continue to be in my prayers and in my heart. God will continue to provide for you.

Thank you to the members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Marion, Iowa, for daring to believe that I would be a good fit to serve with you and Pastor Noble. Thank you, Pastor Noble, for being the kind of man I want to serve with. Thank you to all the pastors who came to participate in my Installation. I look forward to serving with all of you, pastors and congregation, for as long as the Lord keeps us together.

Thank you to Faith, my beloved, and dear Molly, for daring to take this new path on our road together. God is good, and He will continue to sustain us through whatever comes next. Thank you to Alexis, who we leave behind in Illinois, for your continued love and support. Thank you to Kathy and Deborah, our mothers, who have visited with and helped us during this time of transition.

As Mario says, “Here we gooooooooo…”