After 18 years of serving the St.

Friday, June 22, 2001

After 18 years of serving the St. Olaf Lutheran Church congregation, Pastor James Mikkelson is retiring.

Mikkelson will deliver his farewell sermon Sunday, July 22, 2001. A farewell party will be held the following Sunday.

Mikkelson said it was simply his time to move on.

"I made the decision a year ago, following a sabbatical last summer," he said. "The time had come to step aside. I’d been doing pastoral work for 35 years, 33 of them while ordained."

Mikkelson first started thinking about the ministry when he was a freshman in high school. By his junior year, he was getting serious.

It really came together once he began college.

"While in seminary, I really felt led into the pastoral care and counseling area," he said. "That’s been the major focus for most of my ministry."

Mikkelson attended St. Olaf College and received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota. Mikkelson went on to get his masters of divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary.

Upon coming to St. Olaf in 1983, Mikkelson became the pastor of visitation and counseling.

He explained his everyday duties.

"I coordinate pastoral care for the congregation," Mikkelson said. "This includes hospital visitation as well as visits to the homebound."

Mikkelson said he never felt a strong call to be in an administrative role.

During his sabbatical, he studied the use of computers in the larger congregation.

He explained that congregations use computers in many different ways and that ‘there not just a part of culture, they’re a way of life.’

Mikkelson has chaired St. Olaf’s computer task force and looked at ways computers can be an effective tool rather than an expensive burden.

He said that while he’s leaving St. Olaf, he does not see it as a negative experience.

"My wife and I will still be members here," Mikkelson said. "It’s been a wonderful experience. It’s a great congregation."

Many of Rev. Mikkelson’s colleagues are sad to see him leave St. Olaf, even though he’ll still be in the area.

"He’s definitely going to be missed," Jann Schroeder, coordinator of youth education, said. "He has a way with caring ministry, particularly the elderly. He’s going to be hard to replace."

Because he’s been at St. Olaf for so long, people have come to know him very well. Schroeder said it will be a big change when his replacement is found.

"It will be interesting," she said. "They’re not just working with the staff, but also the congregation. It’s a big job to fill the position."

A call committee has been searching for a replacement since March.

Speaking of both Pastor Usgaard leaving to begin Bishop duties and Rev. Mikkelson retiring, Schroeder said St. Olaf has been very fortunate.

"We’ve had two caring people that have given so much," she said. "We’ll persevere and keep growing."

Pam Apold, coordinator of shared ministries, who has been at St. Olaf for as long as Mikkelson, called him an inspiration.

"He’s been so much fun to work with," Apold said. "I’ve enjoyed the last 18 years with him. He’s done a lot to encourage lay people in the congregation; he’s done wonderful work."

Like Schroeder, Apold is sure St. Olaf will do nothing but succeed in the future.

"St. Olaf has a lot of excellent lay leaders that will make sure the ministry here continues," she said.

Mikkelson plans to relax during his retirement and spend time on his two favorite hobbies, golfing and fishing. He will also be able to spend more time with his family and grown children than he had before.

It’s something he’s looking forward to, with a bit of sadness.

"I know it’s going to be a change," Mikkelson said, "in being with people and realizing I will no longer have that pastoral relation I’ve had the privilege of having for 18 years."

However, he’s not saying good-bye, as he told the congregation in a letter published in the St. Olaf News this past March.

"Making the decision to step aside from my call to serve as pastor at St. Olaf is a big step," he said. "But it is my new calling. It’s not ‘good-bye,’ we plan to remain here at home in Austin."

Call Melissa Bregani at 434-2236 or e-mail her at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.