Rev. Adam Arends followed in the footstep of his father, James Arends, and was recently welcomed as the new pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. Since the Rev. Kris Bjerke-Ulliman departed St. Timothy in November 2020 to return to her hometown of LaCrosse, Arends was the first permanent pastor to serve at the church ever since.
Rev. Adam Arends, As Pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church
According to Niagara Frontier Publications, the Rev. Adam Arends spent his childhood in Minnesota. He is the son of James Arends, a Lutheran minister who retired in 2020 as bishop of the LaCrosse, Wisconsin-area synod. Pastor Adam continued his father's footsteps and served as the pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, located at 1453 Staley Road. It was on Friday, Feb. 3, that he arrived, and on Saturday, Feb. 5, he presided over his first worship session as pastor.
According to Shari Miller, a congregation member, Arends could participate fully in religious life. On the very first day, he entered the congregation as a natural individual right in the center of it. The new pastor dressed casually, as most of them are, in pants and a sweater and wore the stole traditionally associated with his position around his neck. He claimed to be a Christian and expressed his joy at being in the company. He introduced himself as a follower of Christ, and people offered praise at a magnificent ceremony. He was not a fake. "There was laughter, applause, and a real sense of joy at being together and worshiping," Miller added.
Arends was St. Timothy's first permanent minister after the Rev. Kris Bjerke-Ulliman left in November 2020 to return to her hometown of LaCrosse. Rev. Bjerke-Ulliman has been pastor at St. Timothy since Aug. 7, 2016. Karen Rose, president of the church committee for six years before her recent resignation, remarked, "we had two transition pastors during that period." She will soon be taking on the role of Christian education coordinator for the church's childcare facility in the capacity of a volunteer.
On the other hand, an article in Update New York Synod stated that while attending United Lutheran Seminary through their Distance Learning/Cooperative Program, Adam Arends was serving as the Vicar at Crossroads Lutheran Church in Amherst. In May 2018, he completed his second year of training and graduated from Sisters Hospital in Buffalo's Clinical Pastoral Education program in the summer of 2017. He is happy to marry Kristen and be the father of two children, Anna (9) and Wes (6), who keep him active and his house full of joy.
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Brief History of St. Timothy Lutheran Church
Based on an article from the St. Timothy Lutheran Church, in 1942, the St. Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church was established in Charleston, West Virginia, as a mission congregation initiated by the St. Paul Lutheran Church. In the beginning, the congregation was known as St. Paul Lutheran Chapel. They held their services in a remodeled older Methodist Church on Chestnut Street in the Spring Hill neighborhood of South Charleston. On Jan. 11, 1942, this event's first service was conducted.
The St. Paul Lutheran Church established itself as an independent congregation in December 1945. The community chose Timothy Evangelical Lutheran Church because they realized the Chapel was a spiritual offspring of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Timothy, like the Chapel, was a spiritual offspring of the prophet St. Paul. On Apr. 1, 1946, the church was chartered after forty-eight St. Paul Lutheran Church members transferred their allegiance to the mission congregation.
Accordingly, one thing is consistent throughout the history of St. Timothy Lutheran Church: God is reliable and blesses those who sincerely adore him and work diligently to carry out his will. People do not know what the future contains for Saint Timothy; however, an individual does know who holds the end, and because of this, they put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and eagerly anticipate His return.
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