BELLE FOURCHE—Was it divine intervention that St. James Lutheran Church happened to be searching for a new minister just as the Lenning family was looking to move closer to relatives in the Black Hills area? The new pastor of the church thinks so! “I really feel like the Holy Spirit was involved in it, because when I met with the call committee here, it seemed like there was a really good match,” he said.
And so began the trek from Parshall, ND, south to Belle Fourche, SD, for the Lenning family. Pastor Chris began work at St. James Lutheran Church on August 1. Parshall is located about an hour from Minot—way up north! With a population of around 200 people, the town makes the Northern Hills area feel like a much bigger place for them. “For us, it’s a big town, and we’re excited, because I think sometimes people don’t realize all that the town has to offer. And so I just want to encourage people to see that wherever you are, God can use you and you can bloom where you’re planted and share your gifts,” said Pastor Chris. “We are learning about the town and things like the Rec Center and being able to just go and get a pizza whenever you want to, that’s kind of cool! We’re blessed to be here.”
Family is important to Pastor Chris. He brings with him his wife, Jennifer, and their son Kyle. They have two adult children, a daughter in Hettinger, ND, and a son living in Long Beach, CA.
Making the move was also for family. “My father-in-law is a Vietnam vet, and they had moved down here to be closer to Fort Meade,” he explained. “I guess we’re just kind of at that stage where we’re thinking about wanting to make sure that we have a chance to spend more time with our parents in their golden years, and Kyle being closer to grandparents.”
As he learns about the community and settles into his new surroundings, Pastor Chris also hopes to learn from his church family. “The first year, my theory is that I want to learn from the congregation,” he shared. “I mean, a lot of times when a new pastor comes, there’s new songs or there’s new ways of doing things, and it can be a little bit unsettling—but they’ve been very patient with me! I want to learn from them this first year!”
The church sees about 65 or 70 people worship on a Sunday. Pastor Chris hopes to grow the congregation. Services are 10 o’clock each Sunday. “We’re just really blessed when we have visitors come and visit with us. We’re very much wanting to work with other churches and work together just to make sure everyone has an opportunity to have a church home,” shared Pastor Chris. “If you come here you have a chance to see this is a church that has a tremendous heart and very kind people! Our doors are always open, and we really want to welcome everyone!”
A lot of exciting things are happening at St. James! They have hosted a block party to celebrate the opening of 12th Ave. They are building a prayer garden outside, and just held a cowboy worship service and free thanksgiving feast! “One of the things I’m excited about is we applied for a grant that is focused on intergenerational events. Often we don’t have as many kids on a Sunday, but we have a pretty good group of kids that come on Wednesday. We want to see how we can make sure that the people who are there on Sunday and the kids who are there on Wednesday have more interaction with one another,” explained Pastor Chris.
The Lenning family really likes their new home and new church and plan on staying for a long time! “I could see myself retiring here,” he said. “I think this is just a group of people that really love God and just really feel like they’re called to just share that joy with other people.”
Pastor Chris plans on taking advantage of all that the Northern Hills has to offer. “I love skiing. I got a season pass to Terry Peak and I’m very excited—the first time in my life,” he said. “Just getting out in the Hills with my family and our three dogs is so nice!”
A real passion for Lenning is chaplaincy. “What I’m really drawn to is crisis ministry (…) I think, if the church can’t be there for you at some of your hardest times, then we need to rethink what we’re doing. So, that’s something I’ve always been drawn to,” he said.
Read the full issue of the Belle Fourche Beacon by clicking here.
