Woman of faith

Faith Lutheran Church’s new pastor gave her first sermon on Oct. 23 and has been getting to know her new congregation and community since then. 

Unlike many other denominations, Lutherans receive a call to their pastoral duties, so after serving in other capacities in the church, Pastor Karen Boda was called by Faith Lutheran Church from her previous home in Atlanta. 

Although Boda said she came to Trussville for the job, the community has been a bonus. 

“I was excited about the family nature of this church, the people, the commitment to service in the community and their commitment to a strong worship presence,” she said. 

Boda transitioned into pastoral life from corporate America, and said she’s excited to use the skills learned in the business world in her new position. 

“I served in churches in Atlanta in different capacities, but this is my first official call,” Boda said. “Even though my background has been corporate all my life, my heart and my soul have always been fulfilled by being in the church. It’s a great opportunity to use some of my corporate skills for my real purpose, which is serving God and serving the community.” 

The process to find a new pastor has been a long one for Faith Lutheran, lasting more than a year. The call process for Boda began in June, and she started the job Oct. 17. 

The Lutheran faith emphasizes the saving grace of Christ, with principles derived from Martin Luther. The faith is celebrating the 500th year of the Protestant Reformation, after Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg University in 1517. 

The Lutheran Church is also a liturgical church, which means they concentrate on hearing the biblical word as well as participating in communion every Sunday. 

“It nourishes and sustains us for the work we do when we’re sent into the world each week,” Boda said. “We don’t know all the answers, but we believe God gives us the grace to fulfill our mission in the world.” 

The Lutheran Church has 3.8 million members and 10,000 congregations across the United States and the Caribbean. Faith Lutheran Church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA). The ELCA shares common convictions about theology, mission and worship with the Moravian Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church. 

Faith Lutheran is also active in the community, as one of the local churches that supports TEAM.

TEAM, which stands for Trussville Ecumenical Assistive Ministry, is a nonprofit ministry that provides food and clothing to those in need. The church routinely collects canned food and clothing to distribute to TEAM. 

Additionally, Faith Lutheran has an active preschool program and music program. The preschool program is open to any child ages 2-5, regardless of faith, and the music program was one of the attracting factors of the church for Boda. 

“Our worship is focused on music,” she said. “Our pianist, Dr. Adam Bowles, is outstanding. The music that is in this place is first rate.” 

Other programs include a weekly quilters meeting, a weekly Bible seekers meeting, as well as women’s Bible study and a weekly church council meeting. Women’s Bible study meets the first and third Mondays of each month at 6:30 p.m., and Seekers Bible Study meets Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m.

Faith Lutheran was founded in 1956, and they have been in their current location since Sept. 11, 2001. 

“The first unofficial service was Sept. 11, 2001,” church member Janie Pahr said. “Because of the events of that day, the membership felt like they wanted to be together.” 

Faith Lutheran Church is at 6704 Deerfoot Parkway. Services are at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. each Sunday, with Sunday school at 9:15 a.m.