New Interim Pastor
Holy Cross recently received a new interim pastor as of November 12, 2017. We are excited to welcome Dennis Sepper to the staff! Below is his article he wrote for the Winter Newsletter:
Winters Greetings!
There is an old folktale that goes something like this: an elderly farmer faced the dilemma of deciding which of his three sons should inherit the farm. The farmer decided to assign a task and whoever most completed the assignment would be the one to inherit the farm. His challenge was to fill the family barn. The eldest son filled the barn with livestock but there was still plenty of room. The middle son filled the barn with hay almost to the roof but again there was room. Finally, it was the youngest son’s turn. This son simply walked into the barn with a candle and a match. Setting the candle in the middle of the barn, he lit the match and candle…suddenly the entire barn was filled with light and the winner became obvious to the farmer.
We all know how these winter months can be months of darkness. We rise in darkness and drive home in darkness. The environment reflects the seasons of the Church year. In Advent, we consider the darkness of the world and our lives and how much we need someone to lighten that darkness. At Christmas God gives us the greatest gift—Jesus, the Light of the World which brings about twelve days of celebration. Finally, as the days grow longer we enter the season of Epiphany as Jesus is revealed as the Savior of the world. God’s blessings to all of you as together we journey through these seasons of the Church year!
For those of you I have not had the pleasure to meet, I am Pastor Dennis Sepper the Interim Pastor here at Holy Cross. I am a semi-retired clergy currently living in Burnsville with my spouse, Nancy Connor, and our spoiled 11 year-old Shih Tzu, Chloe Dakota. I am originally from Detroit, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I then went to Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio where Nancy and I met. After our ordination, we spent five years in Cincinnati, Ohio serving two separate congregations. In 1985, we were called to congregations in the Minneapolis area. Nancy served at Central Lutheran Church downtown, and I served at Resurrection Lutheran in Blaine. In 1995 we were called to two positions as the University Pastors at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. After 20 years of service at PLU, we retired and returned to Minnesota where we have family and many friends.
Nancy and I enjoy the theater, walking around the many Minnesota lakes, and travelling. I am an avid ice hockey fan, having played from the time I was eight until into my forties. I am also a bit of a news buff still subscribing to the daily newspaper and watching the evening news.
I am excited to be here and look forward to working with you as you transition to a new pastor.
Blessings!
Pastor Dennis