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Q&A with Pastor Ron Huber

“It’s Life-giving”

A conversation with St. Paul’s visitation pastor

Pastor Ron Huber

Q: Pastor Ron, since September, you’ve been serving a half-time call in a shared ministry with two rural congregations in Jackson County near Maquoketa. Both are named Salem Lutheran Church: One in Andrew and the other in Spragueville. Tell us how that’s going.

A: On most weeks, I spend about 3½ days in the Quad Cities in work with St. Paul, and three days up north. [The church in Andrew has a fully-equipped parsonage that is just right for Pastor Ron’s overnights.] I’m blessed with wonderful roads. The travel to and from is my respite time.

Salem in Spragueville celebrates its 125th year this summer. Certain older adults have kept the place going. The church is an older building, well-kept. The people take great pride in it. We have about 20 in worship each Sunday.

The Andrew church has some really solid folk. There are multiple generations, but many of the young people have moved away and come back at holidays. There are about 40 to 50 in worship there. For another year, Andrew has a K-12 school. (Starting in 2011, children will attend schools in Maquoketa and Bellevue.) That reality is already impacting the community.

Q: You seem to have a heart for rural ministry. How does this new call connect with your experience?

A: My second parish in south-central Minnesota had been without a pastor for three years. Like so many rural situations, they were experiencing declining membership. The faithful older people are the salt of the earth — and they still have the same needs as in any other place. With that in mind, I was open to serving wherever the Spirit might lead. 

Q: What’s a typical Sunday morning for you? Where does that black pickup travel?

A: The two churches have worked out their schedule. Andrew worships at 9:00 (partly because there’s no air-conditioning). Then it’s 12½ miles on Iron Bridge Road. The road is winding and hilly, crossing over the Maquoketa River. Sometimes I get to Spragueville a little bit late for a 10:30 service, but they’re understanding. When I drive the countryside, I see cattle and new calves on the hillsides. It’s new life and hope. It’s fun to see.

Q: What excites you about serving in each of these congregations?

A: I’ve been so encouraged by the presence of children, especially in Spragueville. We identified five families and invited them to Potsie’s Bar and Grill (the local restaurant noted for its steaks and burgers). Four families showed up, and we sat down and planned. Now we have a Sunday School. We’ve tapped in to the same curriculum used at St. Paul.

Both churches have Vacation Bible Schools planned this summer.
At Andrew, we have five high school seniors. I had never seen them in church, so I decided to send an invitation to meet with me. We had pizza and a time to reflect on what was next for them. The next day, they participated in the Sunday service: ushering, lighting candles, helping with communion.

Q: How would you describe this first year with the Andrew and Spragueville churches?

A: It’s life-giving. You’re in Christian community wherever you are. There are needs: older adults who need befriending, someone to listen, to care for them. The blessings are the opportunity to serve, getting to know these down-to-earth people in both parishes, hearing their faith stories.

I would like to see these congregations take ownership, find some stability, look for opportunities for inviting. I want to give them hope, but not false or unrealistic hope. To help them see a future.
So many of these people are farmers. They plant the seeds; they trust the weather is going to be good. But they can’t make the seed grow. They can’t provide the rain. They can’t provide the sun. In pastoral ministry, we are the seed-sowers. It’s exciting that we get to see God bring in the harvest.

Q: Alongside your rural ministry, you’ve just completed your first full year serving half-time as St. Paul’s visitation pastor.

A: Even though I can’t be at St. Paul on Sundays, my primary work is still in this church. I’ll go the extra mile for our older adults. I make phone calls and I enjoy the visitation I’ve long done with our homebound people. I enjoy leading monthly services at Ridgecrest and Good Samaritan care facilities. I stop at the hospitals. Not a week has gone by when we don’t have someone in hospice care.

Availability is a great deal of my role at St. Paul.

Pastor Ron Huber,

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