Sierra Westerman Breathes New Life into Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Please consider donating to the FāVS Fund for Social Justice Reporting
News Story by Megan Guido | FāVS News
The Rev. Sierra Westerman was recently installed as new pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Moscow, Idaho. On Sunday, Oct. 15, the congregation witnessed the installation performed by the newly elected bishop, the Rev. Meggan Manlove, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northwest Intermountain Synod.
“An installation of an ELCA pastor is set within the service of Holy Communion, following the sermon and hymn of the day,” said Bishop Manlove. “The ritual includes receiving the letter of call, scripture readings, promises made by the pastor, promises made by the congregation, a blessing, and a procession to the places of word and sacrament.”
The Northwest Intermountain Synod is the same synod that Sierra Westerman grew up in while living in East Wenatchee, Washington.
“There’s all sorts of connections,” said Westerman. “People in my Moscow congregation who are related to people I know from childhood.”
Westerman, who began as the minister at Emmanuel Lutheran in August, moved from Mora, Minnesota, a town of 4,000. There she served as minister for the last seven years at Immanuel Lutheran, a small, “country,” church.
“It’s literally in the middle of a cornfield, 70 acres of woods and farmland,” said Westerman.
She’s glad to be back in the Northwest, where many of her family still live.
“There were a lot of beautiful things surrounding me in the country,” she said. “But it’s a different pace of life here. People are a little busier here.”
She welcomes the diversity of a university setting, students and faculty and the ebb and flow of the academic calendar.
“It’s definitely a different demographic here (from the Midwest),” Westerman said. “It’s a big difference. We had a lot of farming families in Minnesota and that was pretty much it. It’s a different rhythm of life.”
The Draw of Family
In addition to being closer to her Northwest roots, she has her brother and sister-in-law living in Pullman.
“They have two boys, 2 and 5 years old, and I get to be with them and see them grow up,” she said. “And I have a 6-and-a-half-year-old Goldendoodle, Ralphie, who is very important in my life.”
Westerman is also familiar with living on the East Coast where she went to Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey and graduated in 2014. She was ordained in 2016.
Looking Forward
Since Emmanuel Lutheran had an interim minister for the last two and a half years, Westerman said she is looking forward to a time of rebuilding relationships and other services that may have gone dormant during COVID. For instance, the choir and bell choir are singing and playing again.
“This is a time of rebuilding within the congregation, the community, the university campus,” she said. “We’re working on reconnection with Lutheran Campus Ministry and rebuilding our youth programming for middle and high school age kids.”
Emmanuel Lutheran also operates a part-time preschool for approximately 30 families in the area.
“It’s great to take a break from being in my office and go outside for recess and hang out with 3- and 4-year-olds,” said Westerman.
She wants to continue cultivating the congregation’s interest in social justice issues and do more outreach in the community on topics like LGBTQ issues to let people know that Emmanuel Lutheran is a “reconciling church.”
“We were the first ELCA church in the state of Idaho (2009) to be a reconciling church — being intentional — welcoming folks from all walks of life,” Westerman said.
Worship and a connection to God remains her primary focus though.
“The rest of what we do flows from God and worship,” she said. “I like to approach scripture with as much curiosity as possible. We don’t have to have all the answers, but engagement is important and a conversation about what does this all have to do with our lives is important.”
Ron Landeck, a long- time parishioner of Emmanuel Lutheran, was on the call committee that hired Westerman.
“She provides insights that I haven’t seen from other pastors,” said Landeck. “She is quite wise beyond her years.”
Landeck said Westerman brings a remarkable, soothing and authentic presence to the church.
“She is with God and she brings God to us,” he said.
