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Show ' f 1 ,v ..'!""" .' yV t . . . - -rimmJmmmmm David Krueger Workerpriest revs up for Park City challenge by Teri Gomes If the weather is right, David Krueger will arrive for his confirmation class on his motorcycle. Lest you think that does not sound too unusual for one of the students, it should be pointed out that David Krueger is the teacher, and the pastor of Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church. Chosen in part for his rapport with youth, David Krueger came to minister to a tiny congregation of 25 Lutherans two years ago. The move to Park City from Portland, Oregon proved to be a dramatic change for the Krueger family. "Portland was where I had been sent on my year of internship from seminary in St. Louis. When I graduated, graduat-ed, it was where my wife Kathy and I chose to go for my first worker priest job. We both grew up in large cities (Chicago and ' Cleve land) and Park City is a first-time small town experience experi-ence for both of us." The Kruegers were in Portland six years. David went from being a worker priest, fitting skirting to mobile homes part time, to the position of assistant minister for a congregation of more than 600 people. He had his own office, a huge support system and time to devote to working with youth, in addition to preaching. preach-ing. For his wife Kathy, Portland Port-land was comfortable. "There were no unrealistic expectations of being a 'pastor's wife.' I was just treated as a person and that was important to me." Kathy was involved in the choir and junior choir and with various duties of her choosing. For both of the Kruegers it was a comfortable existence. "When I heard about the ! worker priest position opening open-ing from the Lutheran Church of America (LCA) in Park City, I really didn't think much of it. As it turned out, no one nationally re- I I I I. HI ..J.I .I HI ! sponded to that first call." After being contracted directly by the LCA, David and Kathy Krueger agreed to go look at the community. "We weren't skiers and our first impression was where are the trees? We met a handful of people who were dedicated to having a full-time full-time church. We really couldn't decide whether or not to come. We promised to give them an answer in a few weeks." The Kruegers waited until the weekend before their decision was due and then they took a weekend away by themselves. They returned from their retreat still unsettled but announced with forced conviction con-viction that they were staying. stay-ing. "But it didn't feel right. We had also looked at the small California community of Quincy and we had said no and that felt like the right decision. After a week-long internal struggle, David Krueger told his congregation he felt he should reverse his decision and take the call. Once in Park City, the Kruegers found everything different from ' ' Back home. ' ' The Lutherans shared a facility with the Episcopalians. Episcopa-lians. There was no office, no Lutheran school (both David and Kathy were the products of Lutheran education) and no parsonage (home) provided provid-ed for the minister and his wife and two daughters. And once again, David was forced into the role of worker priest. The position in Park City was only a part-time salaried job. "It took some adjusting. I worked for a while for a landscaper to help make ends meet. We really had moved here a bit by the seat of our pants. It wasn't long, though, before I got the job at the V.S. hospital as a part-time Protestant chaplain. chap-lain. And things began to look up." For Kathy, leaving behind strong friendships was hardest. hard-est. "Moving is always hard. But I came here wanting just what I had left behind and you don't walk into a new community and have intimate inti-mate friendships immediately. immediate-ly. I wanted that. I was impatient." In addition, Kathy quietly became a sort of assistant minister to David. She washed the church linens, set up things needed for services, ser-vices, listened to sermons, and opened her home to par-ishoners par-ishoners who came to David's makeshift office there. In the two years since the Kruegers' arrival, the Lutheran community has grown from 25 to 100 members. They have left their shared facility at St. Luke's to share the larger St. Mary's church. And recently, with the help of the LCA, they have purchased three acres of land in ParkWest where they hope to build their own church and possible pos-sible retreat facility. In addition, there is a thriving youth group under the direction of the ice cream man, Randy Thomson, and his wife Cheryl. And dozens of Park City residents have been encouraged through the Kruegers and their example to go on a Marriage Encounter weekend. Now, with a home they recently built in Highland Estates, and their daughters Jennifer and Heather in public schools, they are deeply entrenched in the community. "I admit, at first it felt like simply a matter of survival. Especially coming from our previous somewhat predictable predict-able environment. But now it feels like a series of challenges and I feel the community growing together in a forward, positive direction. direc-tion. I want to be a part of that I want to see the church built. We have no plans to leave. Now, Park City is home to us. " |