An Introduction

Greetings!
I am so pleased to introduce myself as Pastor at North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church. My name is David Hendrickson. I was ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament into the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America July 16th 2016. I was called by the Holy Spirit to North Beaver Creek and installed on August 14th 2016. It has been a joy and an honor to be so warmly welcomed by both church members and the surrounding communities. My wife, Yen Tran, and I are newly married (August 21st, 2016) and overjoyed to start our new life together here. Yen will be living in St. Paul, MN until next May, finishing her graduate degree in Public Health, Administration & Policy.

I come from the upper peninsula of Michigan. I was born and raised in the town of Escanaba, MI. This makes me a Yooper. Unfamiliar with the term? Merriam Webster says
     Yooper -- noun Yoop·er \ˈyu̇-ər
     Definition:  a native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan —used as a nickname
     Origin and Etymology of Yooper: yoop- (from the abbreviation UP) + -er
     First Known Use: 1977

     That should clarify my origins…and the fact I am a Red Wings fan!

I was a member at Christ the King Lutheran Church where I was baptized June 30, 1989, and confirmed May 19, 2002. At 15 I began working at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp – washing dishes, and having the time of my life living in an intentional faith community of cool college kids. I learned a lot of great things…and some things a 15-year-old shouldn’t. Running around the Michigan north woods doing summer camp things, staying up until the wee hours of the morning, and dragging myself out of bed at 6 AM to prepare breakfast were wonderful experiences – and contributed to a deeply enriching faith growth period. In all, I worked 10 summers at Fortune Lake, through my high school, college, and seminary years.

I graduated from Escanaba High School in 2005 and then went on to Bay De Noc Community College in my hometown. I obtained an Associates Degree in Water Resource Management (treating wastewater and drinking water).

I had my degree in hand, but was feeling the call to ministry; so I enrolled at Finlandia University in Hancock, MI to finish a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts with concentration in the Christian Vocation, as well as Sustainable Design Systems. Upon completion of my degree, I entered Luther Seminary in St. Paul to begin the Masters of Divinity Program. After two years of academic study, I began a year-long internship at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Carlton, MN (near Duluth). Following my internship, I returned to Luther Seminary for my final year of academic study, and to prepare to be assigned to a congregation. After all of that, God led me here. I am truly honored and excited to have been guided to you – God’s children at North Beaver Creek.

In my short time with you, God has made it abundantly evident that Christian life is often joyous and rewarding. Yet even here, even in the midst of this joy, we can also find ourselves in chaos and crisis. This is when we realize that, regardless of the circumstances, the bedrock of our existence is our hope. And our hope is a true hope in Christ.

This is real, even when logic says it’s impossible, even when we don’t believe it. For the Holy Spirit works in and through us – and in our brokenness, continually calls us through the Gospel.

The cruciform life knows the cross, and the promise of the resurrection. Our Lutheran heritage helps to inform us on this journey, as does our own story and the stories of others as they have experienced God. We turn to the Scriptures and the Confessional writings to make sense of the gifts we have been given.

​From the start of exploring my sense of call, to this day, I have been reaffirmed and know that ministry is where I am called. And for the foreseeable future, that call and that ministry are right here at North Beaver Creek.