From Pastor Ryan Paetzold at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Audubon to the wonderful people of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Moorestown:
Grace and peace to you from God the Sovereign, and our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ! I was asked to provide an update on what’s new in my world, and admittedly there are a few things.
First, my health is mostly good. I remain in remission from lymphoma. I still have residual effects of lung damage and fatigue from the chemo therapy (I won’t be running marathons any time soon), but otherwise my health is good. I continue to visit the oncologist every six weeks or so, and will continue to be monitored for three years. If after that time, the cancer hasn’t returned, I will be deemed “cured”. Here’s hoping…
On March 13th, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Audubon called me for a second time; this call is opened-ended. It is a part-time call, but I am very excited by the energy at Holy Trinity. The church has an enthusiasm that they haven’t had in many years. I continue to hope and pray for some sort of full-time call, but I am very happy and thankful to be serving at Holy Trinity, and for the opportunities we see in the future.
Another significant change is that starting April 1st, I became the “Coordinator for Distributed Learning and Cooperative Pathways” at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. It’s a long job title that essentially means I will be working with Masters of Divinity students who are completing their courses as a mix of online classes an on campus intensives; or students who will be completing their courses in an accelerated program while working at a church during their entire degree coursework. I am thankful for this part-time position which allows me to serve the Church outside of a congregational setting. My job description is rather broad, and has me interfacing with a number of areas of student life, and while it is a bit complicated, it is kind of fun to dust off my managerial and administrative skills.
But, as my wife would happily agree, our most important update would be Yuki and Nutmegtwo five-month Pomsky puppies (Pomerian + Siberian Husky). They are sisters we got back in January, and have made life a bit more crazy but a lot more fun.
—Pastor Ryan
(Former Intern from SMLC 2013-14)