Husband and wife pastors aren't that common, but for Paul and Christine - after other successful careers - this was the right move.
Paul has been pastor at St. James' Episcopal Church in Fremont since April, and Christine has been a chaplain at University of Nebraska Medical Center for 1 1/2 years. Previous to ministry, Paul had a successful aero space career, but he wasn't happy.
Paul had gone to seminary right out of college, but didn't finish or go into ministry, then. Several pastors along the way said he needed to go back.
Previous to St. James', Paul was a pastor in Alliance for nine years, and Christine was interim pastor in Mitchell and Gering. She also has served in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in Wisconsin.
“We visit patients to see if there are any spiritual concerns," she said. “Basically we are there to comfort and support them while in the hospital. We also help connect them to their own pastors."
She is on call for some holidays, but is usually able to be at St. James' on Sundays. One of the units Christine covers is the neonatal and neonatal intensive care unit.
“When things go badly there, they are very bad. I deal with moms and babies so it can be a very happy time, or a very sad time," she said. “Most of our babies do get well and go home."
It's those times she leans on Paul and shares with him. There are also times when she has to help the entire neonatal unit process. Paul and Christine are both trained and certified by the State of Nebraska as debriefers for tragedies. They help highway patrol first responders as well as with line of duty deaths to help them cope with what they've gone through. Nebraska is one of the few states that requires debriefing.
“I would like to see St. James' more involved. We need to carve out our niche for ministry without infringing on the things already happening," he said.
He sees his church working with people to help them get their GED certificates, and also promoting ESL (English as a Second Language) programs. He believes those are potential ministries along with the Care Corps Homeless Shelter.
One event during the summer involved conducting a Mass in the park to celebrate the Feast of St. James'. Paul said the church did this the year before and decided to try it again.
“It was attended by 32 before, so we set a goal for 65 this past summer. It was the hottest weekend of the year. That Sunday it was 104 degrees and 104 people attended," Paul said.
“We hadn't done that before. We had a festive atmosphere with cotton candy, a dunk tank, large inflatable things, barbecue, and even Irish dancing. For a small church we had a big turnout," Paul said.
In spite of each being busy in different areas and towns both pastors have worked to blend that with their time together. When they were looking for a home, they chose Blair because the sign in town says, Fremont 20 miles, Omaha 20 miles.
They've been accustomed to not being together for holidays, as they are both subject to getting called away. Christmas for them might well be Dec. 28. Paul said they spend much of their time discussing theology, and last Sunday, Christine preached at St. James' for the first time.
Paul added, “On Sunday we get to do a lot of things together in the service. It's joyful, too, on Holy Days to be together, both celebrating or taking turns. I'm always interested in what she has to say."
“We're going through the process of getting to know each other. Some of the new programs aren't in place yet, but we're moving forward and that's exciting," he said.
One thing they have started is a Wednesday night youth program for elementary age through high school, called Pioneer Club. Blessings for Christine come from helping hopeless people and helping them with life decisions.
One baby came in from North Platte and was in NICU for six months. The mother's work provided insurance so she had to go back to work while Dad stayed in Omaha.
“The father had been a buffalo herder and because he couldn't be there, the buffalo were slaughtered. He came into the hospital with a load of meat he sold to the nurses. It was wonderful to get to know them and share with them," Christine said.
As a chaplain she can be asked about Christianity, the Jewish faith, or even the Muslim faith, and as a chaplain she has to minister to all faiths with no discrimination. For her personally, when she ministers to those whose beliefs don't line up with hers, she is just there to give them comfort, support, and hope.
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