St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church installs new pastorsSt. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church installs new pastors
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church, Campbell Hill, Illinois is pleased to announce the installation of Pastors Matthew T. and Laura K. Kamprath on January 23, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. The Rite of Installation Service will be conducted by Assistant to the Bishop, the Reverend Dr. Jacqueline K. Linden-Schade, of the Central / Southern Illinois Synod, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Pastors Matthew and Laura follow Pastor Raymond Barclay, who now serves at Immanuel Lutheran in Minonk, and Bethany Lutheran in Wenona, Illinois. Since January of 2010, Synodically Authorized Minister Debra Rathert, a long time St. Luke member, has handled pastoral duties.
The members of St. Luke are excited and thankful that Pastors Matthew and Laura accepted the call to serve here. This is the first time in St. Luke's history that a husband and wife have served jointly as pastors. The Kampraths will bring a new dimension to pastoral care at St. Luke and the surrounding communities, emphasizing Youth and Family Ministry. St. Luke has a proud and long standing service of Christian fellowship and worship, tracing it's roots to well over a hundred years in the Campbell Hill and Southern Illinois area.
Pastors Matthew and Laura were ordained in the Evangelical Church of America (ELCA) on January 16, 2011 at Grace Lutheran Church Champaign, Illinois. Pastor Matthew attended Quincy College obtaining a Bachelors of Arts degree in Theology in 2005. He continued his education graduating with a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2010. Pastor Matthew served as an Intern Pastor at Christ Lutheran Church Fairbanks, Alaska. Pastor Matthew's father, the Reverend Thomas Kamprath and one of his uncles also serve as ELCA Pastors. Pastor Laura is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kim and Julie Johnson of Champaign, Illinois. She graduated in 2005 from Augustana College Rock Island, Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies. She also graduated in 2010 with a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Pastor Laura served her internship at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Falls Church, Virginia.
The public is invited to attend the installation service and meet Pastors Matthew and Laura. Please keep them in your prayers as they undertake their ministry. St. Luke regularly meets on Sunday morning at 9:00 for Sunday school, and 10:00 a.m. for worship service. The church is located at 108 South Pine Street (Rt. 4) Campbell Hill, Illinois. If you would like to meet personally with Pastors Matthew or Laura feel free to contact them through the church office telephone number 618-426-3760.