Shepherding his flock

After 35 years of serving as pastor, the Rev. Barry Pfanstiel said one of things he enjoys most about his job is helping build relationships with people and expanding the education of some of the adults, helping them gain insight into the biblical story. Insights he said he believes are beyond the typical Sunday school Bible stories, and are eye-opening stories for the journey of faith. Pfanstiel came to Cape Girardeau in April 1994 to take over as pastor of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel. He has been part of the Lutheran faith since his childhood. He was baptized when he was 1 month old and was raised in a Lutheran Church, attended parochial school and had committed parents and other family members who helped mold him for the faith.

What education/background/studies did you go through to become a pastor? A classical undergraduate education with heavy dose of Greek Latin, German and Hebrew in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod's system. Two years at Concordia Lutheran Junior College in Ann Arbor, Mich., then two years at the Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Ind., and then four years at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.

Where are you from and when/why did you move to Cape Girardeau? Born and raised in Paducah, Ky., moved here from the Houston area, where I had been an associate pastor.

What do you think makes Good Shepherd special? We are a middle-sized church with a friendly and caring atmosphere. We have fun together.

What's your favorite verse and why? Romans 8:1, "There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." I love this verse because it speaks of God's continuing grace in my life even though I continue to fall so short of perfection in my personal life, my professional life as a pastor and in my family life. But God's grace overflows for me. What a privilege to share it with others!

What program have you done with Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel that you are proud of and why? We have been through two building programs within a 10-year period of time, adding a large lobby and classrooms and a total renovation of the original building. By breaking these into two separate programs, we were able to really build a process with the members of the congregation in so that almost everyone was on board with it. In an established church, this is sometimes difficult to accomplish.

What events or occasions does your church have coming up? Of course Lent and Easter in our tradition are extremely important. In early summer, we will have our vacation Bible school that involves as many adults as students, because of the nature of program. It always involves a lot of work and time.

What's your favorite day of the week and why? I need a day off to reflect and be renewed as well as take care of various other duties. Friday seems to work best for me for my day off, since I can usually be free to have the whole day and evening off and disengage from the business of my work. Having Friday off also enables me to look to Saturday to finish up what needs to be done for Sunday worship.

What hobbies do you have? Swimming, some gardening, like golf but don't have the time to play too often.

What else do you do besides serve as pastor? I am currently also serving Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City as its vacancy pastor as they search for their next pastor. Also, I am going through an educational process of becoming an Intentional Interim Minister that will help me work with congregations that are in crisis for a variety of reasons. If I retire, this will be something that I can do.

Do you have a prayer, psalm or verse you would like to give our readers for the day? I have recently been finding myself saying the opening lines of the Prayer of St. Francis, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy." Our world is so confused and hurting right now. What a great prayer! I may not be able to change the world but I can begin to change myself with the help of God.