meet pastor alliyah greaverPastor Alliyah was installed at St. John as our new pastor on September 12, 2021. She can be reached at the church office by phone or by email. Below is more information about our new pastor.
Pastor Alliyah was ordained August 15, 2021 at her home congregation Christ the King Lutheran Church in Yankton, South Dakota. She served her internship year at St. John Lutheran of Boerne, Texas under the guidance of Pastor Eric Waters, with Associate Pastor Mariola Bergquist. She is the oldest daughter of Pastor Dani Jo Bierwagen and Pastor William Greaver. Her sister is Talitha Greaver. he received her MDiv from the North American Lutheran Seminary and Trinity School for Ministry. Pastor Alliyah also attended Luther Seminary and the Institute of Lutheran Theology. Her undergraduate degree is from Drake University, Des Moines, IA in Religion and Socio-Legal Studies. Before coming to St. John, Pastor Alliyah worked in Christian Education settings and at Ingham-Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp. She loves the Lord and is happy to be part of St. John and the Greenville community. If you would like to learn more about the church Pastor Alliyah would be happy to get connected and meet with you. |
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Pastor Visits from Pastor Alliyah
Pastor Alliyah is working on visiting all the members of the congregation. It is her desire to get to know you better and to know the needs of the church. To facilitate these visits, please fill out the visitation form located in the Gathering Area. If you have a more immediate pastoral need or a pastoral emergency please do not hesitate to contact the church office. Pastor Alliyah can also be reached at her email: RevAlliyah@gmail.com.
Pastor’s Thoughts… (From May Newsletter)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Blessings to you in the name of our Risen Christ! Alleluia! It was a joy to celebrate Holy Week with you in April and I am so thankful for the many ways congregation members were involved in participating in those special services. Thank you! Another exciting event on the horizon at St. John is Confirmation Sunday which will take place May 29th. I thought I would use the space in this newsletter to share a little about what confirmation means in the Lutheran Church; as while many of us remember going through Confirmation lessons as children, it might be something new for others.
As Lutherans, when a child is baptized, their parents and godparents make vows on behalf of the child that they will be raised in the faith – to live among God’s faithful people, to be brought to the Word of God, and the Holy Supper, to be taught the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, to be given the holy scriptures and nurtured in faith and in prayer. The church also promises to support the child in their new life in Christ. Instructing children in the faith in confirmation is one way that parents, sponsors, and the church honor those responsibilities to the child that were given in baptism and allows the person who received baptism to affirm that faith as their own.
In Holy Baptism, God “delivers us from the forces of evil, puts our sin to death, gives us new birth, adopts us as children, and makes us members of the body of Christ” (ELW). God’s promises given in baptism can not be taken away, but in Confirmation, the confirmand affirms their faith in those promises as not only their parents’ or only their church’s but their own. In order to honestly publicly affirm their faith, they must know what that faith entails. In Confirmation last year the students took a deep dive into the content of the Bible, and this year we have tackled Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Sacraments) as well as different faith tools for applying these truths of our faith in our life as we continue to live out our baptismal calling. Confirmation also recognizes that Baptism isn’t just a moment in time for the believer, but the beginning of a lifelong gift, that is renewed daily. In our church, once a student publicly recognizes their faith through the service of Confirmation, they are also considered to be full members of our congregation. Confirmation Sunday also reminds each of us that have received the gift of baptism, that it is not a single moment in our life, but a gift that we are continually called to live into and at times will even be called to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ.
Our Confirmation Sunday will be May 29, 2022 with Kendall Borgmeier and Sam Rismiller being confirmed. It has been a joy to get to know these two students this year and we can look forward to continuing to support their growth in faith and witness God’s calling in their lives. Please keep both Sam and Kendall in your prayers as they make their final preparations for their final Confirmation Test and Confirmation Day. If you desire to send them a congratulations card you can send one to the church or bring one on the 29th.
Pastor Alliyah
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Blessings to you in the name of our Risen Christ! Alleluia! It was a joy to celebrate Holy Week with you in April and I am so thankful for the many ways congregation members were involved in participating in those special services. Thank you! Another exciting event on the horizon at St. John is Confirmation Sunday which will take place May 29th. I thought I would use the space in this newsletter to share a little about what confirmation means in the Lutheran Church; as while many of us remember going through Confirmation lessons as children, it might be something new for others.
As Lutherans, when a child is baptized, their parents and godparents make vows on behalf of the child that they will be raised in the faith – to live among God’s faithful people, to be brought to the Word of God, and the Holy Supper, to be taught the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, to be given the holy scriptures and nurtured in faith and in prayer. The church also promises to support the child in their new life in Christ. Instructing children in the faith in confirmation is one way that parents, sponsors, and the church honor those responsibilities to the child that were given in baptism and allows the person who received baptism to affirm that faith as their own.
In Holy Baptism, God “delivers us from the forces of evil, puts our sin to death, gives us new birth, adopts us as children, and makes us members of the body of Christ” (ELW). God’s promises given in baptism can not be taken away, but in Confirmation, the confirmand affirms their faith in those promises as not only their parents’ or only their church’s but their own. In order to honestly publicly affirm their faith, they must know what that faith entails. In Confirmation last year the students took a deep dive into the content of the Bible, and this year we have tackled Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Sacraments) as well as different faith tools for applying these truths of our faith in our life as we continue to live out our baptismal calling. Confirmation also recognizes that Baptism isn’t just a moment in time for the believer, but the beginning of a lifelong gift, that is renewed daily. In our church, once a student publicly recognizes their faith through the service of Confirmation, they are also considered to be full members of our congregation. Confirmation Sunday also reminds each of us that have received the gift of baptism, that it is not a single moment in our life, but a gift that we are continually called to live into and at times will even be called to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ.
Our Confirmation Sunday will be May 29, 2022 with Kendall Borgmeier and Sam Rismiller being confirmed. It has been a joy to get to know these two students this year and we can look forward to continuing to support their growth in faith and witness God’s calling in their lives. Please keep both Sam and Kendall in your prayers as they make their final preparations for their final Confirmation Test and Confirmation Day. If you desire to send them a congratulations card you can send one to the church or bring one on the 29th.
Pastor Alliyah
Pastor Alliyah Greaver's Installation Service, September 12, 2022.
Pastor Alliyah's Installation Service at St. John Lutheran Church with Mission District Dean Pastor Paul Schultz presiding at the installation.
Pastor Alliyah's Installation Service at St. John Lutheran Church with Mission District Dean Pastor Paul Schultz presiding at the installation.
Pastor Alliyah Greaver's Ordination Service, August 15, 2021.
Pastor Alliyah's Ordination into the office of Pastoral Ministry took place at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Yankton, SD with Bishop Dan Selbo of the NALC presiding.
Pastor Alliyah's Ordination into the office of Pastoral Ministry took place at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Yankton, SD with Bishop Dan Selbo of the NALC presiding.