The Rev. Dr. John Philip Hellwege, Jr. was installed as the Pastor of the Salem-Zion Dual Parish in Farrar and Crosstown at Salem Lutheran Church on Sunday, June 25.
Installation
He was installed by Rev. Dr. Paul Winningham, the Circuit Visitor of the Altenburg Circuit on behalf of Missouri District President Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan.
Pastor Hellwege succeeds Rev. Roger G. Abernathy who served the dual parish for the past eighteen years.
Pastor Hellwege’s son-in-law, Rev. Matthew Berry of Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston served as the Lector and Rev. Dr. Kevin Golden, Associate Professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and a Seminary classmate and close friend of Pastor Hellwege, was the Preacher.
Scripture Reading
In addition to Pastors from the area, Rev. Robert Schneider of Evansville, Indiana, who served as Pastor of the Dual Parish from 1994 to 2002, assisted with the installation. Salem, Farrar, and Zion, Crosstown have been in a Dual Parish arrangement since 1974.
Pastor Hellwege was born in West St. Louis County and graduated from Parkway North High School, then received a Bachelor of Arts in Theology Degree from Concordia University-Nebraska in 1993. He attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and received a Master of Divinity Degree in 1999 and a Master of Sacred Theology Degree in 2000.
Rev. Dr. Kevin Golden
He then served as Pastor at a Dual Parish in Platte Center and Humphrey Nebraska for five years. He then returned to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and received his Ph.D. in Historic Theology in 2009. During his final year of graduate work, he started serving as vacancy pastor at Emmaus Lutheran Church in inner-city St. Louis. Emmaus then called him as their Pastor in 2010 where he served for five years.
Rev. Michael Berry, Lector
In 2015, he was called to serve as a professor to Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Here he taught systematic theology, historical theology, and practical theology. He also served numerous administrative roles including Dean of Student Life and ended with the rank of Associate Professor.
Pastor Hellwege married his high school sweetheart, Denise JoAnn Graeler, in 1992 John and Denise have been blessed with four children and three grandchildren: Amanda (Rev. Matthew) Berry, and their sons Jackson and Theodore; Rachel (Christopher) Hogan, and their son Tobias; Laura; and Nathan. Some of his other interests include martial arts (he earned his second-degree black belt in Taekwondo last year), woodworking, and vegetable gardening.
Pastors
Pastor Hellwege and Denise are thrilled to be back home in Missouri. This is even more of a homecoming for Pastor as his Hellwege ancestors arrived in Perry County in 1842 and his grandfather was born and baptized in Frohna. Pastor Hellwege thanks God for the privilege of being called to serve Salem and Zion. He is eager to move back from the theoretical service of teaching to practical service as a Pastor.