Workers for the harvest

Someday you may need to thank Christ the King Lutheran Church for your new pastor. Edwin Peterman, who was pastor of the Houston congregation until he retired last year, has been nurturing a bumper crop of seminarians. Twelve congregation members are preparing for pastoral ministry — or are considering it.

When Peterman realized that three or four members were considering ordination, he suggested forming a group, which grew as others grappling with a sense of call heard about it.

The group shared their "sense-of-call" experiences and their feelings, doubts and faith. They also heard from fellow church member Marianne Tomecek, a second-year seminarian at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago who spoke about what to expect in the first year of seminary. And Stephen Springer, St. John Lutheran, Angleton, Texas, a son of the congregation, shared what to expect in the first year of parish ministry.

Asked why so many parishioners were considering pastoral ministry, Peterman cited the congregation's education programs, which emphasize the theology and confessional roots of the Lutheran church.

Christ the King, located in the Rice University community of Houston, founded and sponsors The Melanchthon Institute, which offers learning opportunities including seminary-level classes taught by local and visiting scholars, some through video hookups with ELCA seminaries.