PASTOR GORDY COMPTON

I want to encourage you to view all the links we have on our web site as many people in this congregation are involved as active volunteers in many of the areas of this congregations outreach to you and the entire parish served by Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church.

My arrival as pastor here came through an eclectic and meandering road, so if you were not born in Aroostook County, I relate to you. If you were born here, my background may resonate with some of your concerns. In either case, engaging in the community we are all a part of today, traditional and gentrified finds all of us at Gustaf Adolph excited to meet the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of us all.

Born in Bellingham, Washington, 3300 miles from here (according to Google) and closer to Vancouver, BC, Canada than to Seattle, Washington, I am familiar with life on the Northern edge of the USA. I also lived from 1975 until 1987 in Sequim, WA, on the Olympic Peninsula where isolation was an aspect of the community common to all residents.

My educational and employment background found me with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration (minor in chemistry) from Pacific Lutheran University in 1967. I then worked in the retail business industry from 1968 through 1987 which included positions with Sears, The Bon Marche (now Macy's), Pier 1 Imports and 10 years in grocery store management. In 1987-88 I returned to academia and attended The Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle, WA which precipitated my transition into a full time Christian vocational position with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks as their Deputy Director. While serving this Interdenominational ministry I also received my Master of Divinity Degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ.

My service as Pastor to this community through the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church extends the covenantal belief of the Lutheran Church growing from Baptism, Confirmation and Lay leadership in many Lutheran communities of faith.

Again, welcome, be thankful for those who built this church's facilities and spirit that still extends hospitality to those of us who are not native to this land, and join us in extending the hope, joy, peace and love that Christ brings to those who live here now.

Blessings,
Pastor Gordy Compton