Newly Installed Vicar Greg Rand: His Story in His Own Words
I would like to tell you a little bit about how I came to be a part of St Luke Lutheran Church and how I came to serve the congregation as Vicar.
Simply put, my journey to this wonderful congregation was an answer to prayer. I believe that God truly guides all of His children on a journey of life and faith so that we might fulfill His plan and purpose, a purpose He has for each one of us. God desires us to journey closer and nearer to Christ so that we might know Him and move from glory to glory. We do this by drawing nearer to those places where God promises to meet us. This happens as we continue to walk the road that He has set out for us. When we wander astray, Christ calls to us and guides us back to Him. This is what He has done for me.
Since I was saved by Christ and baptized in 1998, He impressed upon me the deep rooted calling to serve His church as an ordained minister. I did not know how this would look or how this journey would unfold, but He has been my guide along this path which I still walk. On this journey, I have taken a few detours which God has seen fit to use for His glory and my good. It was after one such detour that I fell upon my knees and asked Christ to guide me to the right place. To my surprise, the answer came immediately. I was instructed to repentantly return to my roots and to my home in the sound theology and sturdy faith of the LCMS.
Being a man of the information age, I went directly to the internet and looked up my local LCMS congregation. Upon doing so, I came upon the sermons of Pastor Timothy Seals. The sermons of Pastor Tim resonated in my mind and heart and inspired me to visit the congregation. When my wife and I entered the sanctuary, we were immediately at home. We felt the presence of Christ in the warmth of the people and the beauty of the sanctuary. In the preaching of the Word of God and the partaking of the sacrament, we found true communion with Christ. It is in His Word and Sacrament that Christ promises to meet us most powerfully. It is in the presence and fellowship of His people that we are nurtured by His love, grace and care.
Over the years I have learned that no calling of God to serve His people comes without the blessing and acceptance of His people. Through the providence of God and the kindness of the people at St. Luke Lutheran Church, I have been given the honor to serve this congregation as Vicar. I am humbled by the love and nurture they give me and empowered by the calling to serve them.
While I serve as Vicar at St. Luke Lutheran Church, I am also a seminary student at Concordia University Irvine through Concordia Seminary St. Louis where I am pursuing a Master of Theology degree with an emphasis upon Cross-Cultural Ministry. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministry and Leadership with a minor in Biblical Studies from Life Pacific College in San Dimas, California. My academic interests are in Lutheran theology, cross-cultural ministry, the writings of C.S. Lewis, Christian Monasticism, and Benedictine spirituality.
I have a passion for people and for engaging others in discipleship and spiritual formation in Christ. I am excited for the future we have together at St Luke Lutheran Church!
Blessings,
Gregory Rand
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