Welcome Pastor Bonnie!
Greetings, Redeemer!
Our bridge pastor, Bonnie Lomen, will be starting at Redeemer this week. Take this time to get to know her and welcome her to Redeemer!
Get To Know Me!
I attended school in Silver Bay, Minnesota (60 miles up the shore from Duluth). After graduating, I attended Bemidji State University and finished at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. I have an Education degree and taught 1st and 2nd grade in Excelsior, MN.
When I had the first of my two children, I became a stay-at-home mother with occasional part-time employment, including the Early Childhood Center which opened in Eden Prairie. I received a Nursery School degree from Concordia. This went on to draw me to my long-term call to ordained ministry.
I have a lifelong involvement in church, initially from the Missouri Synod until 1995. In our South Minneapolis church, I taught Sunday School, served as Sunday School Superindendent, did youth ministry, and directed a puppet ministry until the time I finished my degree in Youth and Family Ministry from Luther Seminary. I also trained Stephen Ministers and did adult education.
Upon completion of my Youth and Family Ministry, I followed my call into ordained ministry. I graduated from Luther Seminary in 2002, worked one year with Contextual Education at Luther Seminary, and accepted my first call to Walnut Grove, MN. My calls have been:
4 years at Walnut Grove, MN - two churches, one in town, one rural
7 years in Pine River, MN as the solo pastor of First Lutheran Church
4 years in a shared ministry between two rural churches with half of my time serving with the Glenwood Retirement Community. This included a nursing home, assisted living apartments and individual condominium residents.
In September of 2018, I had a surprise diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma. I was given 9-12 months to live and referred to the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. This made it necessary to resign my call in Glenwood and move in with my son in St. Paul. I am still residing there, four years after chemo treatment. Fortunately, my body now keeps the cancer in check. I have gained most of my strength back and continue to monitor my health.
I officially retired from the Southwest Synod in 2021.
Having begin this new portion of my life, I came to understand I very much missed doing ministry. I determined to begin pulpit supply and/or interim work. I did evaluate my health during the Easter 2022 season by preaching in Marshall, MN. I led worship for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and two Easter services at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church. It was good to be back!
Bridge Interim seems the best fit for me currently.
I have rebounded from cancer and look forward to the years of ministry to come. This is resurrection life for me; more time to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, in different opportunities. I enjoy preaching, Bible studies and, because of my life experiences, hope to help people find ways for their faith to impact and inform their actions and decisions.
In Christ,
Pastor Bonnie Lomen