Rev. Paula Harris
From the desk of Pastor Paula Harris:
I grew up in a missionary family. My paternal grandparents were missionaries in the Tibetan part of China; my uncle in Taiwan, my great aunt in Ethiopia. But I was born in a more ordinary place: Dallas, TX on October 28, 1964, before my parents left the US for their first call to Papua, New Guinea (where I spent some of my childhood and where my three sisters were all born). Imagine, I was a toddler, my mom hugely pregnant with my next sister, while we attended “jungle camp” - a sort of intense boot camp training for missionaries to live in the jungle. I won’t start naming all the countries I grew up in, or I have served in, or visited, because my current country count almost equals my age: 54. (We have a map, in my home).
Although my folks were obviously committed Christians, they never committed to a denomination, so I grew up in all different types of churches which helps me be kind of flexible. Every time we moved, we changed churches and denominations. I was confirmed a Lutheran, in southern California, in the 1970's. I later became an Episcopalian in the early 1990's. I appreciate the Episcopalian historicity, the liturgy, the sense of mystery, the sense that you don’t have to check your mind at the door. As a young person my education was equally peripatetic, but my professional education has all been in Illinois: Wheaton College, BA English and Secondary Education 1986; Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Masters of Theological Studies 2006; Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Doctorate of Ministry (preaching) 2012. Of course I have professional training to be an interim pastor also, but that was not a degree.
In the late 1980’s, I settled in Madison and I’ve chosen to keep Madison as my hometown ever since. So when I was ordained in 2006, I began commuting to my first settled call in Mukwonago, because I did not want to disrupt my family. My second settled call was longer, at St Luke’s in Madison. After that I became an Interim Pastor. Someone asked me, isn’t it vulnerable to be an Interim Pastor? Yes. Yes it is. But I believe that God called me into this particular ministry. I’ve served six churches now, the last four as an Interim Pastor.
A few years ago, as my relationship with an Episcopal church in Madison was drawing to a close, I was praying about it all. I could easily work as a settled pastor if I was willing to move, but my spouse is 61 and loves his ministry. I am married to Chaplain Dragutin "Guta" Cvetkovic, who is ordained in the American Baptist Church, and serves as a Chaplain at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community.
We have two young adult children from my first marriage, a daughter Michael Esealuka (25), who lives in New Orleans, and a son, Josh Esealuka (24), who is searching for a new home city near real snowboarding mountains. During the time I served at Luther Memorial, my youngest sister was killed, and I fought for, and took in her three teens: Liliana (17), Cassidy (15) and Miles Martinez (13). While at West Koshkonong, I won guardianship and we began parenting these three teens. So we definitely don’t want to move them again soon. Finally, my mother (80) passed away due to the family trauma of this year.
So I was praying about my particular circumstances, and my gifts and weaknesses, and I sought counsel from some wise pastor friends, who said, why not try Interim work? Then God opened the door for me to serve a very large ELCA church in Pewaukee as their Interim Senior Pastor. I was there a year, and I really enjoyed working with the leaders and finding ways for them to resolve immediate problems, identify their strengths and long term challenges, so they could look for a pastor who was good at those kinds of problems. After that church, I served two country churches as their Interim Pastor, and enjoyed getting to know the folks and finding ways their churches could be vibrant and sustainable. So now I trust that God is the one who placed me in relationship with your congregation, and God will guide me in the future, too.
A few folks asked me, how long I will stay at West Kosh? That’s a reasonable question. The Council and I have a six month contract, and we can renew it if the work is not finished. We’ll know the work is about finished when the Call Committee can write a Ministry Site Profile (a detailed description of West Koshkonong Church and the Stoughton area, which Synods and pastor candidates can search online). Then when we share the description with the congregation, everybody in the community more or less agrees, “yes, that’s us.” “Yes, those are our (longer term) needs and challenges.” “Yes, those are our gifts and strengths.” So six months may do it, or it may be longer if the Council, Synod and I agree to that. This is the work we have accomplished at each church I served as an Interim. Here are the churches I have served:
Obviously, I don’t have a lot of spare time, serving two churches and parenting three grieving teens. But when I do, I like to read (usually mystery novels which come to a satisfying conclusion), to grow plants indoors and out, to organize wine pairings for my spouse's fabulous meals, and to listen to jazz. We like to travel, still adding a country a year. And on our holidays, we always manage to find an Episcopal church… many of which are facing similar challenges to the Lutheran ones.
I grew up in a missionary family. My paternal grandparents were missionaries in the Tibetan part of China; my uncle in Taiwan, my great aunt in Ethiopia. But I was born in a more ordinary place: Dallas, TX on October 28, 1964, before my parents left the US for their first call to Papua, New Guinea (where I spent some of my childhood and where my three sisters were all born). Imagine, I was a toddler, my mom hugely pregnant with my next sister, while we attended “jungle camp” - a sort of intense boot camp training for missionaries to live in the jungle. I won’t start naming all the countries I grew up in, or I have served in, or visited, because my current country count almost equals my age: 54. (We have a map, in my home).
Although my folks were obviously committed Christians, they never committed to a denomination, so I grew up in all different types of churches which helps me be kind of flexible. Every time we moved, we changed churches and denominations. I was confirmed a Lutheran, in southern California, in the 1970's. I later became an Episcopalian in the early 1990's. I appreciate the Episcopalian historicity, the liturgy, the sense of mystery, the sense that you don’t have to check your mind at the door. As a young person my education was equally peripatetic, but my professional education has all been in Illinois: Wheaton College, BA English and Secondary Education 1986; Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Masters of Theological Studies 2006; Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Doctorate of Ministry (preaching) 2012. Of course I have professional training to be an interim pastor also, but that was not a degree.
In the late 1980’s, I settled in Madison and I’ve chosen to keep Madison as my hometown ever since. So when I was ordained in 2006, I began commuting to my first settled call in Mukwonago, because I did not want to disrupt my family. My second settled call was longer, at St Luke’s in Madison. After that I became an Interim Pastor. Someone asked me, isn’t it vulnerable to be an Interim Pastor? Yes. Yes it is. But I believe that God called me into this particular ministry. I’ve served six churches now, the last four as an Interim Pastor.
A few years ago, as my relationship with an Episcopal church in Madison was drawing to a close, I was praying about it all. I could easily work as a settled pastor if I was willing to move, but my spouse is 61 and loves his ministry. I am married to Chaplain Dragutin "Guta" Cvetkovic, who is ordained in the American Baptist Church, and serves as a Chaplain at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community.
We have two young adult children from my first marriage, a daughter Michael Esealuka (25), who lives in New Orleans, and a son, Josh Esealuka (24), who is searching for a new home city near real snowboarding mountains. During the time I served at Luther Memorial, my youngest sister was killed, and I fought for, and took in her three teens: Liliana (17), Cassidy (15) and Miles Martinez (13). While at West Koshkonong, I won guardianship and we began parenting these three teens. So we definitely don’t want to move them again soon. Finally, my mother (80) passed away due to the family trauma of this year.
So I was praying about my particular circumstances, and my gifts and weaknesses, and I sought counsel from some wise pastor friends, who said, why not try Interim work? Then God opened the door for me to serve a very large ELCA church in Pewaukee as their Interim Senior Pastor. I was there a year, and I really enjoyed working with the leaders and finding ways for them to resolve immediate problems, identify their strengths and long term challenges, so they could look for a pastor who was good at those kinds of problems. After that church, I served two country churches as their Interim Pastor, and enjoyed getting to know the folks and finding ways their churches could be vibrant and sustainable. So now I trust that God is the one who placed me in relationship with your congregation, and God will guide me in the future, too.
A few folks asked me, how long I will stay at West Kosh? That’s a reasonable question. The Council and I have a six month contract, and we can renew it if the work is not finished. We’ll know the work is about finished when the Call Committee can write a Ministry Site Profile (a detailed description of West Koshkonong Church and the Stoughton area, which Synods and pastor candidates can search online). Then when we share the description with the congregation, everybody in the community more or less agrees, “yes, that’s us.” “Yes, those are our (longer term) needs and challenges.” “Yes, those are our gifts and strengths.” So six months may do it, or it may be longer if the Council, Synod and I agree to that. This is the work we have accomplished at each church I served as an Interim. Here are the churches I have served:
- Vicar, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Mukwonago, WI
- Rector, St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Madison, WI
- Interim Senior Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Pewaukee, WI
- Interim Pastor, Luther Memorial, Delavan, WI
- Interim Pastor, West Koshkonong, Stoughton, WI
- Interim Pastor, Deerfield Lutheran Church, Deerfield, WI
Obviously, I don’t have a lot of spare time, serving two churches and parenting three grieving teens. But when I do, I like to read (usually mystery novels which come to a satisfying conclusion), to grow plants indoors and out, to organize wine pairings for my spouse's fabulous meals, and to listen to jazz. We like to travel, still adding a country a year. And on our holidays, we always manage to find an Episcopal church… many of which are facing similar challenges to the Lutheran ones.