To allow the church to get to know Deaconess Michele a bit better, we decided to share this interview. I hope that this will give you some of her background, but please continue to introduce yourselves to her and get to know her more. I know she is looking forward to learning more names and faces and building relationships with our church and school families.

Q: Let’s start with the first obvious question, what is a deaconess?

A: In the Lutheran Church the traditional purpose of a deaconess is to assist the pastor and provide “mercy care”. I like to summarize the role as “doing any work the pastor can do, besides preach or administer the sacraments, to assist in the ministries of the church”. The specific work depends on her strengths and passions, as well as the needs of her church.  But this can also make things more confusing because the work each deaconess does can vary greatly. One deaconess may work with children and youth groups, another may only visit the homebound, and another may teach Bible studies and organize communications for the church.

Q: Tell us a bit about your background, where did you grow up?

A: I grew up traveling. My dad was in the Navy and retired when I finished 7th grade. So, I lived in Coronado, CA (the island off the coast of San Diego); Norfolk, VA; Guam (where we hunkered down through a cat-4 typhoon); and Collinsville, IL (next door to St. Louis). While I was in high school, my dad went to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. So, when I graduated high school and moved to college, my parents and little sister moved to Idaho and my dad became a pastor. All these moves mean I don’t have a singular hometown community.  We always found our community through our churches, so for me being part of the life of an active church is just the obvious next step after moving.

Q: Why did you want to be a deaconess?

A: My biggest passion is studying the Word of God with a community of believers. I wanted to become a deaconess to share my passion for the Bible with others and to help those around me be strong witnesses of God’s love to their community.

Q: Where did you go to school to become a deaconess?

A: I got my bachelor’s in communication studies at Concordia University Irvine and took a lot of theology classes to prepare for the seminary. Then I attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. While there I met and married my husband, who was also a student at the seminary. In 2020 I graduated with my master’s in spiritual care and a certification to become a deaconess. As part of my studies, I did a year-long internship at St. Peter’s Lutheran in Columbus, IN, but I didn’t expect to get to live in Indiana again!

Q: What brought you back to Indiana?

A: When my husband and I graduated from the seminary in 2020, he was called to be an associate pastor in Minot, North Dakota. This spring he received a call to be the pastor at St. Peter Lutheran in Portage. So, we have only lived in Portage since this May!

Q: I know this already, but how did you learn about St. John’s and end up here only 3 months after moving to the area?

A: I did not think an opportunity for me to serve in ministry would happen as quickly as it did! When my husband and I met with you to get to know the area a bit, it became clear that my passions and experience lined up with areas in which St. John’s could use some support and guidance. After that chat, you and I met again and we talked about how bizarre the similarities were, and then you said, “Clearly God is doing something here… how can I not take this to the church leadership and see if the church wants to have you serve here!?” It was amazing to hear that the leadership was just as excited about this as you and I were. The church members approved calling me to serve them and everyone has been so welcoming to me!

Q: Since diaconal work can vary, how will you be serving St. John’s and providing mercy care?

A: There are four areas where I’ll be spending my time.

Education: I’ll be coordinating the existing adult studies, to help them plan for meaningful studies and group times. I look forward to getting to know those who are interested in adding a children’s education opportunity to Sunday morning, to see what we can provide for our church families. My favorite thing in the world is teaching Bible studies, especially women’s study groups, so I hope to teach a class this year, too!

Visitation: I’ll be doing visits to homebound members and helping coordinate visits by the elders. I enjoy these opportunities to get to know more people of the church and think this is a great way I can share the love of Christ. 

Communication: I will get to use my bachelor’s degree and experience to help the church office in the variety of ways that St. John’s communicates to church and school families. 

Integration: I wrote my master’s thesis on how churches can intentionally integrate members and visitors into the life of the church family, so I’ll use my passion for community to help St. John’s integrate more people from the community and school into this welcoming church family!

Q: When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?

A: On our days off, my husband and I love to go to the beach to relax. We love playing card games and board games with friends. After living in Minot, North Dakota for four years, we are enjoying exploring how much there is to do around Northwest Indiana, Chicago, and Southern Michigan! (And yes, we like to play euchre.)

Q: Last question for you, as both a pastor’s wife and Deaconess, how often will you worship at St. John’s?

A: I want to be active in my worship with St. John’s, especially as I’m getting to know people and remember what name goes with each face! I plan to be at worship on Sunday every other week and on Saturday every 2-3 weeks. But if folks don’t see me around after worship they can always reach me by email, call, or text.

Thank you for taking the time to share a bit about yourself, I hope that you’ll get to know the people of St. John’s more in the coming weeks. We look forward to having you work with St. John’s in ministry to the community of La Porte and our school community.