Photo provided Pastor Amy Bartleson Balcam
First Lutheran Church recently welcomed a new pastor to their congregation. Amy Bartleson Balcam, who participated in her first service on May 5, will be officially installed in a Rite of Installation service on June 15.
Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bartleson Balcam has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, a Master’s Degree in School Psychology from Indiana University and a Master’s of Divinity Degree from Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, according to First Lutheran Church’s Facebook.
Bartleson Balcam is also a licensed mental health counselor. Prior to coming to First Lutheran Church, she said she worked as a chaplain at Riley’s Hospital for Children, but she decided she wanted a change from hospital ministry to church ministry. Seeing that First Lutheran had an opening, she applied for the position of pastor.
“Riley was a great place to work and (a) very meaningful experience, but I decided I needed a little more balance in life and decided to go with parish ministry so that I could just walk alongside a group of people who are learning to live their faith,” Bartleson Balcam said.
Since arriving at the church earlier this month, Bartleson Balcam said she has loved it so far. She said they are a very loving congregation and are eager to serve not only the First Lutheran community, but the Columbus community as well, which she said they are already doing quite a bit with volunteer work.
“It’s been just a really great experience,” Bartleson Balcam said. “I’m enjoying getting to know the people and learning about what they feel is important to them in their own discipleship and following in their own walk with Christ. So, so far it’s going great.”
Bartleson Balcam hopes she can help people as a community understand what their next faithful steps are in loving our neighbor, serving the community and supporting one another. She said she plans to do this by getting to know the congregation better, listening to the moving of the Holy Spirit and to envision ways together in which they can reach out to help their neighbors.
A Rite of Installation service, followed by a meal, will be held June 15 at 10 a.m. at First Lutheran Church, located at 3600 25th Str. Rev. Dan Forehand, Assistant to the Bishop with the Indiana-Kentucky Synod, ELCA will preach and lead the Rite of Installation.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Bartleson Balcam said. ”Even though I’m already working here, it’s sort of an official acknowledgement of me being placed at First Lutheran and becoming a part of this community.”
