Pastor Jay is blessed to have a congregation such as Oak Knoll. His coming sabbatical will be a blessing both for him and the congregation. While he is away, Pastor Michele will be serving at the head while I step in a supportive role on a quarter time basis.
The goals for a bridge interim ministry, such I have been asked to do at Oak Knoll, are to provide worship leadership and pastoral care, while supporting the ongoing ministry of the congregation.
Toward these goals, I will normally be in the parish on Thursday and for worship on Sundays. I will also be on call Fridays for emergencies, and other times as the needs of the congregation demand.
While our time with you will not be long, I did want to share a bit of who we are. My wife, Diane, was born in Montreal, Quebec and I am a native of Minnesota. We met in university and were married the year Diane graduated.
We have two boys, Peter and Brett, who are both married. Together they have gifted us with 5 grandchildren ranging in age from a recent college grad down through 10th grade.
Diane and I started our ministry back in 1975 when I took a position as a youth pastor. In one form or another we have served the church ever since. As a pastor for the last 40 years, I have had the joy of planting a new church, redeveloping another church, and serving as the senior pastor of 3 other churches.
For past times, Diane enjoys running marathons and half marathons, a hobby she took up at age 65. We are both avid readers and love traveling to explore God’s creation. Along the way the highlights are visiting family and friends. We also enjoy live theater and movies.
As for our ministry, it has been a great joy. That is why, even in retirement, we continue to accept interim calls to churches such as Oak Knoll. As an interim pastor, here are some things that you can do to help us serve well.
Please remind us of your name. We try to remember, but after 40 years of service in 5 regular calls before retirement and 5 interim ministry calls since retirement, that is thousands of names to remember.
Feel free to call, text or email me. My cellphone number is 320-296-6294. My email address is steven.olson2004@gmail.com.
If you know of anyone who is sick, or in need of pastoral care, call us. I would rather hear about a person seven times than not be there for them in a time of need.
If you know of someone new moving into our community, call me. I have a deep love for sharing the good news and helping people find a church home, be it here or in another church in our area.
Pastor Steve Olson
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