SA国际传媒 Newsroom
'This is what I鈥檓 made for'
Seminary vicar serves an inner-city church where he grew up
James Kirschenmann was a pastor鈥檚 kid who spent five years of his childhood at St. Paul鈥檚 Lutheran Church鈥擟ollege Hill, on the outskirts of downtown St. Louis. It was a turbulent time in the neighborhood, filled with much racial tension.
But something about his time there from 1963-68 left a lasting impression on Kirschenmann, eventually leading him to seek a second career in the pastoral ministry after working in data communications for most of his life.
鈥淚 always felt like I had unfinished business at St. Paul鈥檚,鈥� said Kirschenmann, 60, who is serving his SA国际传媒 vicarage at the church this year. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 exactly put my finger on it.鈥�
Vicar James Kirschenmann prepares for a Sunday service in November 2015 at
St. Paul鈥檚 Lutheran Church鈥擟ollege Hill, St. Louis.
If all goes as planned, Kirschenmann will become the inner-city, struggling church鈥檚 first permanent pastor in 18 years. His call will be bivocational since St. Paul鈥檚 is unable to afford the salary of a full-time pastor. He will work part time as a pastor at St. Paul鈥檚 and part time as an independent computer consultant.
Rev. Dave Andrus, St. Paul鈥檚 mission pastor, said Kirschenmann and his wife, Katherine, have brought much-needed stability to the church. 鈥淗is living in the parsonage, living in the community, is huge,鈥� Andrus said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not only living there, but choosing to and wanting to. It demonstrates to church members and the community that he has a heart and a compassion for the community. That goes a long way. If a clergyman is willing to do something most people won鈥檛, that says something about that man鈥檚 god: God has not abandoned this community; one of His representatives is living here.鈥�
Working it out
A native of Omaha, Neb., and the youngest of five children, Kirschenmann felt called to pastoral ministry in high school. Instead he chose a career in computers, primarily because of doctrinal and political struggles within The Lutheran Church鈥擬issouri Synod during the 1970s. God鈥檚 call eventually brought him to the Seminary
in 2012 when he enrolled in the Master of Divinity program.
As part of his Seminary education, Kirschenmann started serving as a fieldworker at St. Paul鈥檚 in 2013.
He and his wife fell in love with the congregation. Despite its struggles, 鈥渨e felt like it was home,鈥� he said.
The church, located in one of the city鈥檚 most impoverished neighborhoods, has seen an average of 18 worshipers weekly in the last decade. Attendance finally seems on the uptick. In the last year, average Sunday attendance has increased to about 35 adults and 10 to 15 children.
鈥淕od is working this all out,鈥� Kirschenmann said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not something I鈥檓 doing. He鈥檚 bringing all the resources to bear on it.鈥�
鈥楾hey love it here鈥�
On a recent Tuesday night at St. Paul鈥檚, children filter into the basement for a weekly Bible study. One year earlier, the Bible study had four children from the neighborhood attending. Now, about 20 children attend.
Vicar James Kirschenmann teaches a lesson from Exodus during a youth Bible study in November 2015 at St. Paul鈥檚 Lutheran Church鈥擟ollege Hill, St. Louis.
For some of the children, the church has become one of the more stable parts of their lives. One girl has moved six times in the last eight months. Most of the children are growing up in single-parent households. Others live in multigenerational, multifamily households. For Kirschenmann and others who live in the neighborhood, the sound of gunshots is a more than weekly occurrence.
On this night, one 5-year-old girl runs to the door shortly after being dropped off, crying for her mom. It鈥檚 only her second time to be here. In between setting out the pencils and activity sheets and cuing a video on Moses, Kirschenmann walks over in his red Converse sneakers to the crying girl. He leans down to the girl, talks to her softly and gives her a hug. Before long, she runs off to play. All is well.
After a prayer and worship time, Kirschenmann leads one group of older children through a lesson from Exodus 3. 鈥淲ho are we supposed to tell people God is?鈥� he asks.
鈥淚 am who I am,鈥� one girl answers.
鈥淚 think you got it,鈥� Kirschenmann tells her.
Volunteer Felita Moore, who lives across the street from St. Paul鈥檚, has been bringing her three children, ages 11 to 13, to the Bible study for a year. She鈥檚 appreciative of Kirschenmann and his wife.
鈥淗e鈥檚 done a great job with the kids in the community,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭hey love it here. They鈥檙e bringing a lot of change to the community.鈥�
Building relationships
St. Paul鈥檚 is trying to reach the families 鈥� and the neighborhood 鈥� by showing the love of Christ to the children.
Vicar James Kirschenmann shares God鈥檚 peace with parishioners at a Sunday service in November 2015 at St. Paul鈥檚 Lutheran Church鈥擟ollege Hill, St. Louis.
Volunteers like Teri Rose, whose great-great-grandfather was a charter member of St. Paul鈥檚 in 1872, have helped
keep the church open and serving the community through the years. But, she said, volunteers can鈥檛 do everything.
鈥淗aving Jim here has made a huge difference,鈥� Rose said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about building relationships.鈥�
Kirschenmann said he has made many neighborhood connections from his front or back porch as people walk by.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e welcoming us,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot only that, but they鈥檙e starting to look at the things they can do for the kids and inviting us to be a part of that. It can seem daunting at times, but somehow, God is directing things so it鈥檚 being fed to us at a time when we can deal with it at just the right time. This is what I鈥檓 made for.鈥�
Melanie Ave is the communications manager at SA国际传媒, St. Louis.