Greetings in the name of Jesus! I’m greatly honored to have received and accepted the call to be your assistant pastor. I’m looking forward to meeting you and partnering with you in Christ’s ministry.

            I figured you would like to know a bit about this stranger heading your way. Well, I’m thirty-two years old and the eldest of three kids. I grew up in the metropolis of Wood River, Nebraska. I think their population is up to 1300 now! And they have a Subway now! My parents, Dorian and Mary, still live there. Both of my sisters, Rebekah and Esther, live in Minnesota. Rebekah has been married to her husband, Adam, for almost nine years and has two boys, Carbyn, who is four, and Ollie, who is one (they’re both SUPER cute!). I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home. Both sides of my family are uber Lutheran. We’re one of those families that has a ton of Lutheran church workers, which probably explains a lot of our quirkiness.

            Growing up I attended a Lutheran grade school and high school. I graduated from high school in 2005 and shipped off to army basic training that summer. I specialized in artillery as a cannon crew member. I was stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas and deployed to Iraq twice. I was promoted to sergeant during my second deployment. I was discharged from the army in 2009 and moved to Seward, Nebraska to enroll at Concordia University. I graduated in 2014 with degrees in secondary education and theology and received a Lutheran Teacher Diploma. After graduation I started school at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. I served my vicarage year at the Lutheran Church of Vestavia Hills near Birmingham, Alabama. I graduated from the Seminary last year but stayed another year for additional graduate school.

            Besides nerding out on theology, I actually have a variety of other interests. I love Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and other nerdy stuff. But to keep my inner nerd in check, I’m a fan of college and professional football, with the Nebraska Huskers and the Minnesota Vikings being my favorite teams (consequently, my hopes and dreams are crushed every year). Although I don’t follow them as closely, I also like basketball, baseball, and hockey (I’ll freely admit I’ve completely jumped on the St. Louis Blues bandwagon). I’m doing a lot of soul-searching as to whether I can allow myself to like the Colts and Pacers, but it really is against my religion to tolerate the Hoosiers, Boilermakers, or Fighting Irish. Convictions are convictions.

            I also enjoy being outdoors, the sunshine, biking, and hiking. I occasionally try my hand at wood burning and other artistic endeavors. I like reading fiction, history, and theology. Action/adventure movies tend to be my favorites, but I have a soft spot for Disney cartoons. I love Legos, pepperoni pizza, rock music, dogs, and cats (I’m weirdly a bit of a cat-whisperer). Although I’m an introvert by nature, I really value relationships and simply appreciate hanging out with people. I can have fun at home but also like going out to experience and explore things.

            I’m excited to finally be a pastor. I look forward to preaching and teaching; I love exploring God’s truth and connecting it to our everyday lives. I find it a privilege to walk alongside Christians as we seek to be faithful disciples of Jesus.

            Well, that’s a bit of who I am and, for better or worse, who you’re all stuck with now! I’m excited to move to Indianapolis and get to know you. I pray that our time together will reflect Ephesians 2:10 where St. Paul declared, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” I’m confident God will bless us as we continue the church’s ministry and mission at St. John and the Indianapolis community. Take care and God bless!

 

In Christ,

(Soon to be Pastor) Luke Watt