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Show Cross of Christ Lutheran Church pastor Rev. Brandt has ministry experience By MELINDA WILLIAMS BOUNTIFUL The Rev. Phillip Brandt only recently graduated from seminary, yet he has years of experience in the ministry to draw upon his father, two brothers and a brother-in-law are also ministers. The Rev. Brandt has been pastor of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, 1840 S. 75 E., since the end of July. He graduated from Concordia Seminary, Sem-inary, St. Louis, Mo., in May. He may have an advantage over some recent seminary graduates though. His father pastored churches in the Midwest throughout Rev. Brandt's youth and two brothers preceded him into the ministry. In. addition, Rev. Brandt's sister married a pastor. "They had an influencing affect on me. My dad always modeled a good idea of ministry for me," he said. "I know what it's about a collection col-lection of sinful people, not perfect ones, and that's the joy of working with them." He never felt pressured to become a minister. Another brother became a dairyman. But he saw Christianity from the inside. "My parents lived their religion. It wasn't only on Sunday morning. It wasn't a burden placed on them." He never went through a rebellious stage about attending church and except for times he held summer jobs requiring him to work on Sunday, he went to church. He also attended Lutheran schools throughout his life and his teachers played a role in his deciding on the ministry as his vocation, he said. Rev. Brandt holds two masters degrees, a master of divinity from Concordia and a master of arts in classical languages he received simultaneously simul-taneously from Washington University, a liberal arts college near the seminary in St. Louis. He has recently applied to be a part of the Hebrew program at the University of Utah's Middle East Center. While some denominations place recent seminary sem-inary graduates in an associate position, the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, with which Cross of Christ is affiliated, often gives them full pastorates in small parishes. The Rev. Brandt said seminaries affiliated with the Missouri Synod provide more intensive training than some other seminaries, including four full years study, one of which is an internship intern-ship or vicarage. Graduates of Missouri Synod seminaries are placed in their first church from information compiled at the seminary and from district presidents presi-dents who know the needs of the parishes While graduates have a right to say they don't want to go to a particular church, few do. Rev. Brandt was assigned Cross of Christ Church. He had visited Utah previously. In fact, he and his wife Stephanie were engaged at Zion National Park. But he knew almost nothing about Davis County. After serving the church for just over six months, he's excited about his ministry. min-istry. "It's a wonderful, supportive congregation and I feel it's a valuable and viable ministry." Already he's baptized five people, and he's pleased with the number attending Bible Study. He describes his congregation as "a very tight group," with about 150 members, representing all age groups, retired people, young families and middle aged people. "It's a good community, communi-ty, in which members watch out for one another," an-other," he said. But, he adds, strangers feel welcome. There are a few members who are particularly par-ticularly good at making newcomers feel welcome by helping them follow along in the Lutheran Book of Worship. Cross of Christ Church has often faced difficult times in the past, but Rev. Brandt sees the congregation now growing, both numerically and spiritually through education and Christian living. "I'm happy to see the parish beginning to look more outside itself. Member support the food bank operated out of Bountiful Community Church. "While what we given isn't much, it's a recognition of the hurting that's out there. It's a step in the right direction." Rev. Brandt said there are people within the county who are hurting, hur-ting, people who have been forgotten, and those are the people we would like the congregation to reach. The church offers adult information classes, a Sunday morning Bible Study, a Monday evening Bible Study held in members' homes, and junior high confirmation classes. There is a Sunday School offered for youngsters at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m., followed by a coffee fellowship. Rev. Brandt said Cross of Christ Church "brings to the community a beautiful and long tradition of worship, sacrament and liturgy." He invites the public to take part in any of their services. |