Welcome

To the great members and friends of St. James Lutheran Church,

I want to share with you some of my best friends and how they have influenced my faith and life. I could write a book, but I want to share with you my memory of these good friends. This is a way for me to honor who they are and how amazing they have been to me as guides on my journey of faith. The people of St. James have been a great help to my faith, but I won't be speaking about any of you. I have many months ahead where I will share my debt of gratitude, so enjoy the friends I present today for the month of May 2013.

One of my favorite people that I would love for you to meet, hear him preach, and have the opportunity to know, isnknown as the Bishop of Hastings. You would know him if you met him as the retired Reverend Michael Anton. Michael is the greatest encourager that I know, and his ability to jot down a note of thanks or insight continues to blow me away. He lives in Michigan, too far away, but when I first had the opportunity to sit and listen, this man was one of the most enjoyable people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is and always will be a great friend. His laughter is infectious, and his compassion and ability to minister in the most difficult ways is almost unfathomable. Don't get me wrong; he is a human being with human faults, although I never did see him angry and never saw the dark side. He remains a true friend even to this day. I miss his voice and the light of his eyes while we eat meals and laugh. He continues to help my faith mature in the soft and kind accents of his writings of encouragement which I always look forward to.

One pastor is much closer in distance, and he has preached at St. James, and many of you know him. Pastor Jon Mapa is a great friend, and I know that "grumpy" and I will always be friends. Did I just call him grumpy? He isn't really grumpy, and I trust him with my life and my ministry. He is a sacred friend in whom I have been able to confide and know all these years in Belle Fourche. Without him, I would be less grounded in my faith and would probably have made many more mistakes without his wise guiding. He is a pastor and a friend, and it is a great honor to be his colleague. We have had serious theological discussions and also have had amazing, rollingon-the-floor laughter since the day I first met him.

The third friend isn't a pastor, but he was my youth pastor when I was but a child. His name is Russ Ingold. He has been a news editor for the Herald News in Fontana, California almost 30 years now, and he is a great friend. He doesn't know much about Lutherans, but no matter; he always has been a support to my family and me while I serve God. We often will see a movie together when I go home, and if he needs a story, often he will use me or my family for a feature he is doing. When I was in high school, Russ and I traveled 25,000 miles to watch Christian concerts during the summers. We would go everywhere and would have the most amazing time of our lives. We traveled here and there having experiences, and yet what was important was the relationship that developed. Words without actions didn't mean much to us, so we strove to allow our words and actions become as one. My faith in Jesus Christ was established with my oldest friend, Russ Ingold, and he was my first mentor and is still one of my best friends.

In the 49th year of my life, I am taking the opportunity to thank the people responsible for the
person I am and for the person that I will become. Most are still alive, yet some have passed on to
their heavenly home. So it is my intent to share the people who influenced my faith with all of you
at St. James. Amen.

Pastor Jeff M. Otterman

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