Hello! I’m Pastor Scott Seeke, and I have the honor and privilege of being your new pastor. Please allow me to introduce myself and give you a chance to get to know me a bit.
I was born and raised in Upstate New York, in a little town east of Albany called East Schodack. The town had one stoplight, and I didn’t live anywhere near it. I attended college at a State University of New York college that was attached to Syracuse University, where I studied Wildlife Management (I hope we can go a long time before I have to use those skills here!). After college I went to Trinity Seminary in Columbus, OH, where I met my wife, who was also studying to be a pastor. We interned in Washington, D.C. and Denver before moving to Alpharetta in 2001. I have served three churches on the north side of Atlanta since then, and my wife is currently serving as Associate Pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Marietta. We have two children, a thirteen year old daughter named Miriam and a ten year old son named Jonathan. We also have two cats and a seventy pound lap dog named Chipper Jones.
That’s the short version of who I am, but what about you? Figuring that out will be my task for the foreseeable future. I know that you all have spent a long time in the wilderness waiting for a pastor. It wasn’t quite forty years, but it may feel like it. I’ve also heard people at other churches compare it to being stuck in neutral, though I confess I don’t really know because it’s been so long since I waited for a pastor to come to my church that I can’t quite remember how it feels. But my observation is that it’s felt like a long interim to most of you, and that there is energy and excitement over my arrival. That’s great, and definitely better than the alternative, which is folks being depressed and angry over me coming. That wouldn’t be so good. So it’s good that most of you are excited about my arrival. Yay!
What I want you to know, though, is that you will get to know me quicker than I will get to know you. It’s just the way it works. Over the next few months you will listen to my sermons, read my articles, and you will get to know me fairly well. I, on the other hand, won’t have the opportunity to listen to any of your sermons (I think), and don’t expect you all will be churning out articles. You will know me long before I know you. There’s nothing to be done about that, and even if there was I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world. It’s just the way church works. I understand that.
What I would appreciate, though, is your help in getting to know you as individuals and as a church. Please don’t assume I know anything. In fact, assume I know nothing. You won’t offend me; it’s how I feel most days anyway. Feel free to introduce yourself, then introduce yourself again, and then introduce yourself some more. I want to get to know each of you, but it’s going to take me some time. Your persistence will be a great help.
I could also use a hand getting to know the church. A very large, very directive hand. Don’t worry about offending me by telling me what’s been done before. That’s an easy thing for me to say, but maybe a hard thing for you to do. I appreciate your respect for my office, but I still need help, so I encourage you to just fire away. Go ahead and tell me how it’s been done before. I need that. And I’m a big boy, I can take it. Just don’t stop there. Tell me why it’s been done that way before. Give me the history. This church may not be that old, but it’s got history that I need to know. It needs to become my own before we can move forward together.
Speaking of which, several people have already asked me how I plan for us to move forward. The answer is that I have no idea except that we will do it together, and we will go where God leads. This is not my church. It is not your church. It is God’s church, so we will discern together where God is calling us to go and what God is calling us to do.
For that reason, I ask for your prayers. Please pray for me, for my family, and for our church. I thank those of you who have been praying for me and my family already, and want you to know that I have been praying for you all and will continue to do so every day. I also ask you to spend time reading your bible each day. If you do not already follow a daily practice of prayer and bible reading, I strongly encourage you to start. If you need help, I can point you to some resources, but those are not the biggest challenge. The biggest challenge is making prayer and bible reading a priority each day. Once you do, though, it will change your life. I guarantee it.
So I suppose that is one thing I want us to be. I want us to be a church that prays and reads their bible. I know many of you do this already. That’s great! If you don’t, no time like the present to get started! Lent is almost upon us, and that is the ideal time to begin a practice that will bring you closer to God. Daily prayer and bible reading are the foundations of a healthy Christ-centered ministry. They are how we stay connected to Jesus, the vine, and how we ensure we are following God in everything we do.
I want to conclude by thanking the people who worked so hard to ensure a productive interim. Thank you to the Council for your leadership. I want to thank the Call Committee for all their dedication and hard work. Thank you to the staff for not just holding things together, but for moving the church forward through all this transition. Finally, I’d like to thank Pastor Mary for her service. Interim work is tough, and she has been a blessing to all of us. Blessings on your next adventure, Pastor Mary, and thank you. I’m sure there are others who deserve thanks. If I left you out, I apologize.
Again, I appreciate your patience and persistence as we get to know each other, and I thank you for your prayers and for reading your bibles. I am humbled and honored by this call, and I look forward to a fruitful ministry together.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Scott