Senior Pastor · Beginning August 3
Pastor Erik Grayvold begins serving as Hope Lutheran Church’s next Senior Pastor on August 3, and his arrival marks an exciting new beginning for our congregation. As we prepare to welcome him and his family, Hope has the opportunity to come together with warmth, prayer, practical support, and generosity, helping them feel at home while showing our shared commitment to the ministry ahead.
Read Pastor Erik’s Welcome LetterA Letter from Pastor Erik
I am incredibly excited to begin serving Christ with you in the place where the Spirit has called you to mission. Certainly, the history of Hope has been one of mission for the caretaking of the outcast and unwelcomed, and I look forward to continuing to work with you all in that mission.
My family and I are incredibly grateful for the welcome we have received from many in the congregation. We are eager to become a part of your story and help carry out the goals and dreams of this congregation as we engage in life together. We are open to being drawn into the life you have already built and hope we can offer our own gifts to the mission of this congregation.
My passion in ministry is to mold and form disciples of Christ. The Church (in all its shapes and forms) has had a tough time doing this in its long history. There have been times when it was done very well, and other times it has not. My passion in ministry is to help people listen to what Christ is calling them to do and help them realize how the Spirit is willing and ready to use their gifts and passions for the betterment of God’s world here and now.
While engaging in life together, it can often be difficult to find ways to mutually carry out God's mission. Sometimes, it can even seem the Spirit may be pulling members in different directions to carry out the congregation’s mission. However, I do think conscious recentering in Christ’s teaching, which drives us into the caretaking of the least of our neighbors, can help overcome those problems. “…whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42 NRSVUE)
I am excited to begin this next chapter with you. Not because any one person has all the answers, but because Christ is already present in this place, and together we get to discover where the Spirit is leading next. Thank you all for the work you have done, are doing, and will do once I join you in mission at Hope.
Help Them Feel at Home
Pastor Erik and Angy are preparing to move to the area, and the Hope community can make that transition easier by sharing trusted local recommendations.
Doctors, mechanics, restaurants, babysitters, plumbers, book clubs, veterinarians, local shops, home repair services, accountants, hair stylists, and other trusted recommendations are all welcome.
Submit a RecommendationA Shared Commitment
Pastor Erik’s arrival is an important new beginning for Hope. This is a moment for our congregation to step forward together and show, through generosity and shared commitment, that we are ready to support the ministry he is being called to lead.
Gifts to the Hope Forward Fund help strengthen Hope’s ministry as we begin this next chapter and give our congregation a stronger foundation for the work ahead.