Pastor Rolf Nestingen was born January 24, 1950 in Williston, North Dakota. As a "preacher's kid," he lived most of his young years in Jamestown, North Dakota before moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he attended junior high and senior high school, graduating from Patrick Henry Senior 
High School. Throughout high school and college he was a football player and a member of the wrestling team.
He received his BA in Classics/History from Augsburg College in Minneapolis in 1972; a Master of Divinity from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, in 1976; and a Masters degree in Biblical Studies from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia in 1977. Since his ordination in 1977, he has served congregations in Keene, North Dakota; Harmony, Minnesota, Minot, North Dakota, and now Grace Lutheran.
Past and present, he continues to be actively involved in God's plan that allows him to be the best servant he can be.
Dear Friends in Christ,
One of our staff members sports a classic Peanuts cartoon on her door. (There may be a reason for this!) In any case, it depicts Snoopy, lying in his doghouse, looking despondent. "Well," the dog begins, "At least the sun is out today…" "As far as I'm concerned," he continues, "this was one of the coldest winters in history…" "I haven't been warm since last August!" the dog concludes. Up flies Woodstock, chirping away a message unintelligible to the reader, but known only to Snoopy who apparently understands bird talk. Finally the last several panels show Snoopy kicking Woodstock off the top of his doghouse, and then the punch line: Snoopy says, "I'm in no mood to listen to someone tell about what a great time they had in Arizona!"
Alright, I edited that last line, but now you know why Jayme has this cartoon hanging on her door. Maybe it's a little hint that I should stop talking about what a great time my wife and I had in Arizona, just the week before the beginning of Lent. Yet it felt like a down payment on spring, and a refreshing week away from the piles of snow and cold temperatures of Wisconsin!
So as not to rub it in, let me tell you about one of our experiences there. We attended worship at a formerly - ELCA congregation called La Casa de Cristo (House of Christ) Lutheran Church in Scottsdale. A 3500 member congregation, they worship around 1600 people per weekend. The facilities reminded me of a junior college campus. Yet the worship experience was wonderful, friendly, welcoming and fulfilling. We attended their Saturday service; there were nearly 300 in attendance at that service alone, many of whom were middle aged and under. It wasn't all 'snowbirds'.
It was the conversation with the pastor however which proved most interesting. Her name was Pastor Carol Peters. "You have to understand," she explained to me, "That many people in Arizona come to church for the right reason." "What do you mean by that?" I wondered, as if all of us here attend for the wrong reasons. "In this culture, more representative of the country as a whole," she specified, "Christianity is more intentional. People go to church because they want to, because it enhances their life in Christ, and not because it is somehow expected of them."
I had to admit to myself, she had a point. Having grown up and lived in the Upper Midwest the majority of my life, I think we are rather sanguine and short-sighted in our understanding of the place of the Christian faith in the world around us. Our assumption is often that everyone around us has a church home, that everyone in their upbringing was exposed to some system of belief.
What this pastor was telling me is it's not true in Scottsdale, AZ, and if the truth be told, it's not true in Eau Claire, WI either. We too need to be intentional about our attendance, about our beliefs. For otherwise we become a slowly dying institution where people often come only out of force of habit.
On their way home from church, a man queried his wife, "Did you see that awful hat Mrs. So&So was wearing?" "Nope." "Did you hear that awful anthem the choir sang?" "Nope." "Did you hear the 'faux pas' in the pastor's sermon?" "Nope." "Well," he concluded with exasperation, "A fat lotta good it does you to go to church!" As for you, try being intentional, both about your witness and your worship!
Sincerely in Christ,
Pastor Rolf
On October 28, 2007, Pastor Nestingen celebrated his Thirtieth Anniversary of Ordination and Tenth Anniversary of his ministry at Grace Lutheran Church. Bishop Duane Pederson and Pastor David Irgens celebrated a candlelight vesper service that evening. His brother, Dr. James Nestingen gave the message. Following the service a Norwegian dinner and celebration was held in the church parlors. Over four hundred people participated in an evening filled with joy and humor. The congregations of Keene, Harmony, and Minot shared many wonderful pictures and memories from Pastor Nestingen's ministry in those areas. Some members even made the long journey here to Grace in order to participate in the event. All of Rolf and Sandy's daughter's, including some grandchildren, also made the journey, surprising their parents by walking down the main church aisle during the morning worship service. Below are just a few pictures from this grand event. Congratulations to Pastor Nestingen. Here is a link to WQOW that has a brief video of the big event.
