Dresser

Internship has started. I am now officially serving at Peace Lutheran church in Dresser WI. Dresser is a small community sandwiched between the larger (relatively speaking) communities of Osceola and St Croix Falls and is located along the St Croix river which separates WI from MN. It is approx 50 miles from St Paul and since Deb and I have not moved I make this commute 5 days a week. Although the community is rural, our church has only 2 farmers in it. The rest of the community is made up of professional people who work in the community or commute to the Cities. There is one other tidbit of info about Dresser. It has a sister city in Illinois, Armoire.

I have a new identity as well. I am no longer Bob, but am now referred to as "Intern Bob". In a way it feels weird to have lost my surname and picked up this other moniker. Of course I also have to dress the part as you can see by the picture below.

Pastor Wayne Deloach and "Intern Bob"

Pastor Wayne has been a part of this church for the last 33 years. I am the 20th intern that he has supervised. He is knowledgeable about the church , the community, and the impact that an intern can have on a faith community. Although you see only the building, this church has an average worship attendance of 270 in two services. The 1st service is the larger of the two, with both services following a standard liturgy.

The entrance to the building. The tower houses the two bells from the previous churches when they merged in 1978

The Sanctuary

The fellowship hall

My office. I think that it is obscenely large!

I am sorry that I do not have pictures of the staff. Suffice it to say, They are great! Pat the secretary has been here for 6 years and knows everything! There is a parish nurse, Diane who many things to assist in the healthy living for the community. She even trims toenails for many of the seniors. That is servant hood! Rhonda the education director, also does duty as the pianist every other weekend. And Sonja the youth director is a blessing to the young people of this community.

The one challenge will be learning names and faces! I am continually referring to the pictorial directory, but still have a hard time. And although I feel like I have been preparing for this time my whole life, I still feel unprepared. As my friend Pastor Sue said, "Welcome to the club!"